verizon

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam isn't afraid of his competitors' efforts to raise their game; he welcomes the moves.

"My view is, bring that stuff on," he said during an investor conference today. "I mean, we have got a great network, and I think it will be good for consumers and so it is good for the industry."

McAdam touted the large lead Verizon enjoys when it comes to its 4G LTE deployment, which he credits for the wireless business scooping up market share when it comes to lucrative contract customers. He believes the other national … Read more

AT&T has expanded its LTE network to six more markets.

The company announced today that three U.S. markets -- Albuquerque, N.M., Reading, Penn., and Salt Lake City -- are now able to access its LTE network. Three markets in Puerto Rico -- Guayama, San German-Cabo Rojo, and Yauco -- also now have AT&T's LTE network.

With the new addition, AT&T's network now spans 109 markets and reaches more than 150 million people, the company told CNET in an e-mailed statement.

AT&T has been rapidly rolling out its LTE … Read more

AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and other wireless providers would be required to record and store information about Americans' private text messages for at least two years, according to a proposal that police have submitted to the U.S. Congress.

CNET has learned a constellation of law enforcement groups has asked the U.S. Senate to require that wireless companies retain that information, warning that the lack of a current federal requirement "can hinder law enforcement investigations."

They want an SMS retention requirement to be "considered" during congressional discussions over updating a 1986 privacy law … Read more

You might not think that adding cellular LTE onto an iPad Mini would be all that exciting. After all, the larger Retina Display iPad and iPhone 5 are both LTE devices. However, the Mini has something unique going for it in the world of Apple devices: it's the smallest contract-free iOS LTE gadget short of getting an unlocked iPhone.

I got the opportunity to try out a black Verizon LTE Mini and see how the experience differed from using the Wi-Fi only version. There really shouldn't be many surprises, right? Still, there are some use cases I realized were pretty compelling, and might even merit the idea that an LTE iPad Mini is more of an ideal purchase than the larger LTE iPad ever was.… Read more

Microsoft might have a new Xbox for the 2013 holiday season.

A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Microsoft might be readying the successor to the Xbox 360 for the 2013 holiday season. We here at CNET have been speculating the company might do the big unveiling at E3 2013 next summer and then set up a release shortly after. Some of the rumored features of the next Xbox -- aside from an obvious bump in performance -- are a Blu-ray drive and a more precise version of Kinect.

Industry site Telecoms.com has discovered some information about the iPhone 5'… Read more

A chief complaint of the Samsung Galaxy Camera is that it's only available for AT&T. That should change, however -- a Verizon model has been spied in the virtual halls of the FCC.

The details for an "EKGC120" Galaxy Camera cropped up this week for showing a version of the digital camera with support for Verizon's 700MHz LTE bands. Since the testing was conduced in early November, I suspect that the 4G variant of this connected camera won't be far off.

I'm curious to see if Verizon asks for $500 for the … Read more

Both Motorola smartphones will see Jelly Bean take control as the new operating system version as soon as next week, according to Verizon's blog. As a refresher, Jelly Bean offers enhanced notifications, Google Now, and a more intuitive keyboard.

Verizon is also using the update to implement a few carrier-specific changes to the Motorola duo. Gone are the Verizon Video app and Color app, making room for a new Video calling portal and Accessories app. What's more, the Droid Razr HD … Read more

Redbox Instant -- Verizon's stab at a video streaming service to compete with Netflix -- is said to be launching by the end of the year.

Users may be able to start using the service as soon as December 17, according to GigaOM. Also, it's looking like Redbox Instant could cost as low as $6 a month.

Redbox Instant is a joint venture announced in February between Verizon and Coinstar -- the company that owns the Redbox DVD rental business. The companies aim to develop an on-demand video streaming service with DVD rentals, much like what Netflix offers.… Read more

More bad news for AT&T.

Consumer Reports has released its annual carrier ratings. And just as it had in the last two years, AT&T landed in last place, far behind the top major carrier in the roundup, Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Wireless fared somewhat well in the study, earning relatively strong marks on voice and data. The only bright spot in AT&T's review was its 4G LTE network, which actually beat out its chief competitor in this year's study.

Sprint and T-Mobile USA landed between Verizon and AT&T.

For its part, … Read more