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Verizon: Google Nexus 7 LTE support is coming. Really

Owners of the new tablet who tried to activate it on Verizon this week ran into a roadblock. The carrier tells them: just hang in there.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
2 min read
The new Nexus 7.
The new Nexus 7. Google

Verizon subscribers unable to activate the LTE version of the Google Nexus 7 may just have to be patient a while longer.

Owners of the new tablet who tried to activate it on Verizon this week ran into a roadblock. The carrier doesn't support the device for activation even though the Nexus 7 is technically compatible with its 4G LTE network.

Verizon also managed to fan the flames by telling disgruntled Nexus 7 owner and tech blogger Jeff Jarvis via Twitter: "I'm excited you got your Nexus 7 but not all LTE tablets are created equal. It's not part of our line up & can't be activated." A later tweet from Verizon support apologized for the inconvenience and suggested that Jarvis go to Verizon's Web site to view compatible tablets.

On Wednesday, Verizon offered some hope to unhappy users by promising LTE support for the Nexus 7 sometime soon. In a news release, the company said the tablet should be certified shortly. After that, Verizon will work with Google to prep the device for activation on its LTE network.

Verizon also tried to explain why the device is not yet supported and why the certification process takes so long, as described in its statement below:

The Google Nexus 7 is not yet a Verizon 4G LTE certified device, though it entered our process in August and we expect it will be certified shortly. Once the device is certified, we will work with Google to enable the device to be activated on our 4G LTE network.

Verizon Wireless' certification process, which generally takes between four and six weeks, is one of the most rigorous testing protocols of any carrier, and is focused on guarding the safety and security of our network. Certification is done by third party labs approved by Verizon, and selected by the device manufacturer. Over the years, Verizon Wireless has certified hundreds of devices; information on the certification process is available to anyone at opennetwork.verizonwireless.com.

Verizon is committed to ensuring our customers have the best overall experience when any device becomes available on the nation's most reliable network.