Verizon Forced To Back Off Charging Extra For 5G
from the overhyped dept
While fifth-generation (5G) wireless will result in faster, more resilient networks (once it's finally deployed at scale years from now), the technology has been over-hyped to an almost comical degree. Yes, faster, lower latency networks are a good thing, but 5G is not as paradigm-rattling as most wireless carriers and hardware vendors have led many in the press to believe. 5G is more of a useful evolution than a revolution, but it has become the equivalent of magic pixie dust in tech policy circles, wherein if you simply say "it will lead to faster deployment of 5G!" you'll immediately add gravitas to your otherwise underwhelming K Street policy pitch.
Here on planet Earth, most consumers couldn't care less about 5G. In most surveys U.S. consumers -- who pay some of the highest prices in the world for mobile data -- say their top priority is usually lower prices. That's increasingly true during a pandemic and economic crisis, where every dollar counts.
Enter Verizon, which, instead of reading the market, has been repeatedly trying to charge $10 extra for 5G despite consumers not seeing the value. Verizon executives had fooled themselves into thinking a "premium" upgrade warranted a premium price tag. But consumers quickly realized the extra money simply wasn't worth it. For one, Verizon's network is barely available (one study stated a full 5G signal was available about 0.4% of the time). First generation 5G devices are also expensive and tend to suffer from crappier battery life. All for admittedly faster speeds most users don't think they need yet.
With consumers not really that interested, and no other wireless carriers attempting to charge extra anyway, Verizon has been forced to finally back away from the $10 monthly surcharge after flirting with it since last year:
"The collapse of Verizon's attempt to charge extra for 5G doesn't come as much of a surprise. No other provider in the US – including Verizon's own MVNO partners – is charging extra for 5G.
However, the development has significant implications for the 5G sector in general because it means operators cannot make any extra money from 5G when selling it for consumers' smartphones, despite the money they're plowing into deploying the technology.
Granted that's not really true. With the FCC having recently dismantled itself at lobbyist behest (including the demolition of net neutrality rules), there's not a whole lot keeping Verizon from nickel-and-diming U.S. wireless consumers in a wide variety of creative ways. The company already sells "unlimited" data plans that prohibit HD and 4K unless you pay more, so the precedent has been set and the door is open wide to a variety of spurious new surcharges.
That's particularly true given that captured U.S. regulators in the Trump administration keep signing off on terrible mergers that are guaranteed to reduce competition and raise rates. So while Verizon has struggled to extract its pound of flesh via an additional 5G surcharge, they'll surely come up with some ingenious new fees down the road. And U.S. regulators and Congress, by and large, will not only be fine with that, but they'll help Verizon pretend it's the pinnacle of innovation. After all, we wouldn't want to lose the "race to 5G," right?
Update: and like that Verizon appears to have found another way to charge users more, by making 5G only something you can get if you subscribe to one of the company's (not actually) unlimited data plans. Funny how that works.
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Filed Under: 5g, competition, surcharges
Companies: verizon
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What ever happened to market research, or maybe they are thinking a monopoly would not require same.
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From what I've read, the likes of Verizon are SAYING they're plowing loads into 5G deployment just to get more public money. Once got, that money magically disappears into certain top bosses pockets. The only actual deployment is the text included on bills!
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But they NEED that extra money for the COVID-transmission technology! Cancer, mind control, bird-killing... this stuff doesn't come cheap.
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Premium Data Premium
Reminds me of a conversation I had with Sprint reps 9 years ago when I used to pay for unlimited data.
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Re: Premium Data Premium
In case it's not clear from the context, Sprint started charging a monthly $10 fee which was NOT for 4G service, but levied on a certain class of phone, whether it had 4G capability or not. They called it a "premium data" Add-on.
I expect that if Verizon really wants to charge $10 more, they'll find a way.
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5G Technology and induction of coronavirus in skin cells
This study was originally hosted here (.gov) but has since been retracted:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32668870/
Here is the pdf:
https://scienceintegritydigest.files.wordpress.com/2020/07/fioranelli.pdf
Here is the abstract:
In this research, we show that 5G millimeter waves could be absorbed by dermatologic cells acting
like antennas, transferred to other cells and play the main role in producing Coronaviruses in biological
cells. DNA is built from charged electrons and atoms and has an inductor-like structure. This structure
could be divided into linear, toroid and round inductors. Inductors interact with external electromagnetic
waves, move and produce some extra waves within the cells. The shapes of these waves are similar to
shapes of hexagonal and pentagonal bases of their DNA source. These waves produce some holes in
liquids within the nucleus. To fill these holes, some extra hexagonal and pentagonal bases are produced.
These bases could join to each other and form virus-like structures such as Coronavirus. To produce
these viruses within a cell, it is necessary that the wavelength of external waves be shorter than the size
of the cell. Thus 5G millimeter waves could be good candidates for applying in constructing virus-like
structures such as Coronaviruses (COVID-19) within cells.
Are any of you even capable of seeing what is in front of your faces? They aren't even trying to hide what they're doing. Check into DARPA genetic engineering programs, check into the WEF's Global Reset...
Or are you less like Winston than you'd care to believe:
"You are a slow learner, Winston."
"How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four."
"Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane."
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No.
Good luck finding your way out of the hole. Mind the tinfoil.
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Re: No.
You used tinfoil as your 'crackpot' adjective, but I'll tell you something about its sibling, 'conspiracy theory'. when used the term is remarkably good at shutting down thought, and leaves the one who leveled it against another to feel superior and secure knowing that you're one of the sane ones who is smart enough not to fall for the idiot's nonsense. But worse and most damaging of all is that it empowers those in charge to keep doing what they are doing. You're their cover.
The answers are out there my friend, they're pulsing bright red as a matter of fact all around us.
https://medium.com/@ddean3000/biosecurity-and-politics-giorgio-agamben-396f9ab3b6f4
https://stev enguinness2.wordpress.com/2020/06/25/how-we-arrived-at-the-globalist-calls-for-a-great-reset/
Best of luck to you!
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