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Updated March 18, 2015
It’s déjà vu—all over again. Just a few weeks ago, T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray was quoted in a re/code article saying, “We believe the metro stuff is the most important.”
Now, according to Fierce Wireless, we have T-Mobile’s Grant Castle telling Light Reading, "Verizon always puts up maps to show they cover North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, which are beautiful states, of course, but not a lot of people are there. It looks great on TV, but it doesn't make a huge difference to people.”
Apparently, there aren’t a lot of “uncarrier” customers in these states, and having an “un-network” doesn’t make a huge difference to them or to anyone else.
Yes, Montana and North and South Dakota are beautiful states. And the residents and visitors there deserve a network they can count on - because every moment matters, whether you’re in a big city or under the stars.
Original post:
We recently talked about the importance of a strong network and coverage in rural areas. At Verizon, we stand by our commitment in placing just as much importance on rural as we do urban when it comes to investing in our 4G LTE network.
You heard from a few of our rural pals in part one of our #VZRuralMatters series, but several others also wanted to make their voices heard:
“We’ve been on Verizon since 2006 when we started the company. We stayed with Verizon and did so specifically because Verizon has the best coverage in rural areas where we were going. We needed it in the smallest communities. We went to a place in Daviess County in Southwest Indiana to an Amish auction barn called Dinky’s — quite famous locally, but in the middle of nowhere. We went to do a radio broadcast, and I was quite concerned about phone and Internet. But using our MiFi’s then, we got a signal out of there. Today, we use our smartphones as mobile hotspots. We’re on the air from anywhere — doing 10 broadcasts a day totaling about 50 minutes of airtime. Verizon allows us to produce all our programs from literally anywhere. We don’t even need a power plug for electricity anymore because our smartphones (from Verizon) have 18 hours of battery life. You can even sit in a farmer’s field and do a broadcast.” - Gary Truitt, founder and president, Hoosier Ag Today (Zionsville, IN)
“I've been a Verizon customer since the mid-90's when I did a lot of business travel. No matter where I went, I always had a signal. Their network has always continued to advance, as well. I no longer do the amount of traveling I did then, but network strength and data speed are still very important to me. I manage a local website here in mostly rural Shelby County that keeps the community connected to people, events and businesses in our local area. In order to do this, I need to be able to connect from anywhere in the county.
Verizon's network keeps me connected at high speed just about anywhere I go, which allows me to post articles and photos and even stream high quality video when I'm out and about in the county. I depend on my smartphone and my 4G LTE wireless tablet to allow me to post the content, or even to create a wireless hotspot for complete mobility.” - Don Current, owner, ShelbyvilleToday (Indiana)
“Verizon’s network saved me when I inherited a farm in a remote area. I’ve tested the networks of both Sprint and AT&T, but I continue to use Verizon because no other major carrier offers the quality of reception in my area.” - Aaron Traffas, Medicine Lodge, auctioneer, farmer and tech enthusiast behind aarontraffas.com and auctioneertech.com (Kansas)
“With today’s digital demands, my job as a sports writer for The Advocate-Messenger — and covering the daily exploits of the No. 1 Kentucky basketball team — makes having reliable cell service a necessity, not a luxury. Verizon Wireless service has been a Godsend for me. Never do I worry about dropped calls or not having service. I don’t miss alerts about press conferences or news stories. Better yet, if I need to get something on Twitter, Verizon delivers. If I need to reach out on e-mail, Verizon delivers.
The reliability and reach of the Verizon Hotspot feature makes sure I am always connected. Often if I am on the road covering Kentucky basketball and am a passenger in the car, I activate my Hotspot and can do everything riding in a car that I could do from my office. The signal strength allows me to get online to post stories, check email, update my blog, etc.
Numerous times at major basketball venues, Internet service can be less than reliable. Often I just rely on my Verizon Hotspot to make sure I stay connected online to my readers and newspaper. From a personal standpoint, knowing I am always just a reliable phone call away from being connected with my wife has provided peace of mind no one but Verizon could.” - Larry Vaught, The Advocate-Messenger (Danville, KY)
"I live in the country about 5 miles out of town. I switched to Verizon many years ago because I had spotty service from other carriers. I no longer have problems, and their service has allowed me to eliminate my home phone, saving money. When my family travels from here to Traverse City and in between in rural Michigan, I have never had a problem with our service. It’s great to use my smartphone to look up local destinations on our trip and get directions. Thanks Verizon for making life simpler.” - Regina Sober, owner of the blog Crazy Nuts Mom (Charlotte, MI)
"I live in Lawrence, MI: An incredibly rural town with one stop light, corn crops as far as the eye can see and a population of less than 1,000. As you'd expect, strong cell service is hard to come by. Being the creator and manager of the tech-review YouTube channel MobileCupOfJoe, this can often be a problem. Between staying in contact with my team members, responding to viewer comments, updating social media pages and more, strong coverage and high data speeds are critical when WiFi is not an option.
Where other carriers fail to deliver, I've yet to have a missed call or slow data speeds with Verizon Wireless. With my whole business running online, having reliable data coverage with Verizon is something that truly sets them apart from most of the other big carriers here in the U.S." - Joe Maring, www.YouTube.com/MobileCupOfJoe (Lawrence, MI)
“Great network coverage means I know I won’t have to worry on my road trips or even exploring new areas in Nebraska. I use my Verizon network to stay connected with friends and family through social media, as well as to keep my blog updated and respond to questions and comments I may receive. No other company compares to the coverage I get with Verizon – that’s why we have been loyal to Verizon for the past 6 years." - Nicole Webb, www.weavingourwebb.com (Grand Island, NE)
"My husband is a farmer, responsible for raising more than 100,000 turkeys every year. With the Verizon network, he is able to use his cell phone all throughout the day from all over our farm to order feed, order parts, talk to the vet, arrange for deliveries and more. He also uses his cell phone as part of an alarm system. If any equipment malfunctions, the computers in the barns send an alarm, immediately calling his cell phone. Wherever we go, we are confident we will know about an emergency right away, should one occur." - Katie Olthoff (Stanhope, IA)
Want to share your rural matters story? Use #VZRuralMatters in your tweet!
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