Nexus 5 chances on Verizon very slim
There has been a proliferation of news about the Google Nexus 5 smartphone over the last week. This handset now looks very likely to be made by LG, and all expectations are pointing to a late October reveal. For those of you hoping for the next Nexus phone to come to Big Red though, it now looks as though the chances of seeing the Nexus 5 on Verizon are very slim. We also have a further render of the Nexus 5.
Just in the last few days we’ve seen a possible spot of the Nexus 5 on a Google KitKat video, an appearance of a phone at the FCC that fits the bill for the Nexus 5, and just yesterday we showed two further concept designs based on information over the last few days.
Yet another concept render has now emerged that gives a realistic idea of how the Nexus 5 could look, and this is a very clean and stylish design (image below story).
Now on to news about a Verizon release for the Nexus 5, or should we say lack of it. Many Android enthusiasts were pretty disappointed last year when the Nexus 4 didn’t launch on Verizon, and it looks highly likely that the carrier won’t offer the new Nexus either.
Some information about connectivity for the Nexus 5 has been deduced by Droid-Life from the FCC filing. All the signs are that the Nexus 5 will not be compatible with Verizon, although there is a small glimmer of hope. The FCC appearance showed a GSM-CDMA handset compatible with various LTE bands. We know that the phone will be suitable for T-Mobile and AT&T 3G networks as the filing shows GSM and WCDMA.
Verizon has a CDMA 3G network and this is shown on the filing for bands 0, 1 and 10. Frequency ranges of 800MHz and 1900MHz are also shown from the testing, and this would be compatible with Verizon’s CDMA network, but could also apply to Sprint, which seems more likely.
Being realistic, this is where any hope of the phone coming to Verizon virtually ends. LTE bands of 2, 4, 5, 17, 25, 26 and 41 are also shown but Verizon’s LTE frequency is band 13 which is noticeably missing. Band 4 is shown, and this will be used for Verizon’s AWS LTE spectrum due to roll out later in the year. However only 5,000 sites with this type of connectivity are planned this year, so this would only cover a limited amount of the country.
It seems highly unlikely that Verizon would carry a phone that would only have access to LTE in restricted areas. The good news for non-Verizon customers though, is that the next Nexus does appear to have access to LTE networks on AT&T (band 17), T-Mobile (band 4) and Sprint (bands 25 and 26).
Hopefully it won’t be too much longer until the Nexus 5 is officially introduced and everything can move beyond leaks and insight to confirmed facts. Things seem to be looking pretty bleak though for the many potential owners of this phone who are currently Verizon customers.
We wonder how many people might be tempted to jump ship to another carrier for the Nexus 5? Why not give us your thoughts on this.
Comments
18 thoughts on “Nexus 5 chances on Verizon very slim”
First off I & 1,000 ‘s of people thinks this is just criminal. My hope as the other companies continue to build up there networks more & more people keep moving to T-Mobile & AT&T, money talks. See Verizon may have the best network @this time but others are making progress. Verizon is notorious for having the worst selection out of the big three, & we are sick of it.
The efficiency of markets. I like it but spotty slow 3G and voice versus strong 4G? “We’re getting there” from AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint will be a tough sell. I think Google has an anti-competitive case to make with Verizon’s blocking Google Wallet in favor of Isis, considering Google already won on VZW’s blocking tethering.
Yes,yes,I think I agree that Google has an anti-competitive case also, & Verizon does block Wallet. It’s almost irrelevant though as far as Wallet is concerned, I mean when you purchase something on the Play Store it’s copied in Googles servers, & then all I do is go online to Wallet & I can see everything I bought all the way back to the first app.Something else you said, that Google won on Verizon blocking tethering, yes that’s true except if you have Unlimited, I know if I try it, it wants me to “Call Verizon” for a tethering plan, witch by the way is insane…
Verizon is already rolling out the next gen AWS, which is 2x faster than their current LTE offering. The other carriers have a very limited LTE market right now. Verizon have the best network and it looks like they’ll keep it that way for the foreseeable future. For this reason they know they can give us the shaft when it comes to devices.
At some point Verizon is going to take a nice financial hit for limiting their customers access to the best android phones because they have an addiction to bloatware and limiting access
We’re on the same side wishing this were true, but It isn’t. No business would behave this way without careful projections. Satisfying a small niche or fleecing the unknowing masses. VZW balanced and tested. The small niche has less value. I am as frustrated as anyone over Verizon’s betrayal of the Nexus model that it wanted to participate in, but VZW is the top carrier and doing fine just fine. VZW did the same thing to Apple, but having no Apple brought less value than conceding to Apple’s demands. Before VZW conceded to Apple, Android filled the gap.
I really want a Nexus 5..been stuck with a windows phone since the past 2 years..also i will buy it without contract so Verizon not supported..eh!
So it’ll be compatible with the CDMA 3G bands? That’s all I need to get it working on PagePlus. We don’t get access to LTE anyway.
SO should we be expecting this to work on canada’s wind mobile? Cuz my nexus 4 works withi t, and if nexus 5 doesnt il be reaaal pissed.
I would jump ship. I’ve been with VZW for 8 years with an unlimited data plan. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the nexus 5 on VZW and the latest FCC news has been a serious punch to the groin. It stinks because I have an excellent company discount (20%) so I have a great family plan at a decent price. My extended family is also on VZW so most of my calls and texts are not counted on my plan. Plus, the coverage is superb in the Pittsburgh area.
VZW needs to act like a cable provider. I don’t buy my TV through the cable company. They just provide the networking. VZW should just provide the networking service, which they claim is the best in the US, and not get involved in the devices that use their network. That way, it’s a win-win for everyone. They get the majority of their money from wireless contracts, not by subsidizing their phones.
My only hope is that the CDMA bands offered by the Nexus 5, Verizon would let me by off-contract, and then I can keep my unlimited data plan. Sigh…
As unlimited data users, Verizon is looking to get rid of us. A cheap brand-new LTE compatible phone would not help their cause. VZW have always been in the business of screwing their customers. This news is not surprising. Also, don’t rely on using unlimited data with 3G. Verizon can and will throttle you. They are not allowed to do this with LTE as per the FCC agreement for this part of the spectrum.
I suspect the main reason VZW are not allowing this phone on their network is because it is compatible with all their competition. VZW like to tie their users into their network by having phones that only work with them. Bunch of crooks.
Wish the DOJ would grow a pair and go after anti-competitive behavior like this.
That doesn’t really make any sense. If VZW doesn’t offer the phone and that phone is in demand, then new customers definitely won’t choose VZW (whereas if they offered it they’d have chance of getting customers) and already existing VZW customers would have one more reason to jump ship.
It makes sense. VZW have the worst selection of phones. They get customers through their superior network.
I would say more likely they do not want a phone this cheap available to their grandfathered unlimited data users.
that too, although apparently that is becoming less of a problem as users are switching plans, or leaving VZW.
Not to mention when Verizon tweaked with the galaxy nexus when they guaranteed Google that they wouldn’t. Sounds like Google may be making a swipe at Verizon after being screwed by them before.
I have a serious bone to pick with Verizon. Granted they are a truly successful company (with the largest and most reliable network), however they should know better then to use this as the noose with which they string up their customers (sorry for the graphic description, but this is about as close to the truth as you can get). They delay updates, purposely refuse flagship handsets, and capitalize on ambiguous loophole terminology to squeeze the most money out of their customers while providing the bare minimum, all in the name of “maintaining the integrity and reputability of their service”, which everyone by now knows to be absolute bullshit. I really hope Google (or really anyone who can) sticks some of these anti-cooperative penalties and/or infractions to them so that they will quit their shit-peddling and evolve as the other providers have. For shit’s sake, goddamn T-Mobile is potentially getting the Nexus 5, and Verizon, the company who advertises as the best, largest, most reasonable, and all other sorts of aggrandizing phrases, is not (I mean no disrespect to T-Mobile or its customers, it’s just that they are the smallest of the “big four” providers, with the least amount of capital to throw at OEMs, and get they still best Verizon here)? Some of you may say “quit bitching and switch networks, you put yourself in this situation”, however I can’t. Where I live, Verizon is the only provider with a remotely decent and reliable signal. I think that’s about it, my very angry two cents.