Verizon 4G in Detroit?

[Tigersfan]

Does anyone have any information regarding Verizon's 4G network in metro Detroit?

A few months ago, Verizon announced that the network would be available in very limited parts of metro Detroit, they were not yet offering service in the city itself, or in much of Oakland County.

The rumor has been that CBC-9 Windsor's broadcast and Verizon's 4G network interfere with one another, and that Verizon wouldn't launch until Ch. 9 goes digital. That was supposed to take place by summer 2011 but reportedly has been delayed a year.

Any info would be much appreciated.

[5speedz34]

I don't understand why channel 9 wouldn't be digital? I thought the digital transition was worldwide and that the US and Canada would switch at the same time?

I haven't heard anything about Verizon having issues with the CBC station in Windsor but anything is possible.

Check out VZW's coverage locator. http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/C...rage%20locator

Zoom out and click on '4G coverage' and it looks like everything 4G is north of M59 and west of 275 for now. To be honest I'm pretty shocked that they already have it up and running in the Metro area considering Detroit was not one of their initial markets. From what I've heard it will be a few years until VZW's 4G coverage will be fully rolled out.

Hope that helps.

[Gannon]

They were stringing wires in Grosse Pointe Park over the summertime, and the Verizon dudes said it was for their 4G system.

Funny thing...I thought it was wireLESS.

Go figure.

[Thruster315]

I've been waffling on getting the new Verizon iPhone for just the same reasons too.

[Gannon]

Fellow at the Freep just said it was 1/5th the speed of AT&T's system right now.

I'll wait. I'm a faithful Verizon customer...heck, since they bought Cellular One...but don't need a smartphone.

From what I've seen with others who have them, they're called that because they make the users look dumb.

[mwilbert]

I don't know for sure that CKLW is the problem, but I can tell you two things:

1) Verizon is using the former analog TV frequencies it bought to provide 4G.

2) CKLW is supposed to convert to digital in August 2011, but they asked permission for analog broadcasts to continue until August 2012.

It is entirely plausible that this is the problem, but I can't confirm it is definitely the problem.

[MikeM]

They were stringing wires in Grosse Pointe Park over the summertime, and the Verizon dudes said it was for their 4G system.

Funny thing...I thought it was wireLESS.

Go figure.

The wires connect their network with the distributed antenna system spread throughout the Pointes. The area has a DAS since there are few locatons for traditional cell towers.

[Jimaz]

From today's Detroit News: 'Small cell' phone tech may topple big antennas

Now the wireless industry is planning a future without [cell towers], or at least without many more of them. Instead, it's looking at much smaller antennas, some tiny enough to hold in a hand. These could be placed on lampposts, utility poles and buildings — virtually anywhere with electrical and network connections.

[mwilbert]

Smaller cell antennas are inevitable. The cell companies have a finite amount of radio spectrum. The main way to let people have faster connections is to give them each more of it. The only way for that to work is to divide the world into smaller cells, so there are fewer users in each one. Smaller cells mean lower-power and much more numerous antennas. You can't build that many towers, so they need to be smaller and more easily sited.

Unfortunately that doesn't solve the problem of interference from non-cellular sources.

[CLAUDE G]

I live around mack and vernier and they are running some type of coaxial cable on the telephone poles in the neighborhoods.

im not sure if its just Comcrap cable upgrading their existing network, or verizon installing 4G antennas.

As far as channel 9, who the heck is watching analog television in Windsor anyways, where half of them are watching bootleg american Satellite.

[MikeM]

I live around mack and vernier and they are running some type of coaxial cable on the telephone poles in the neighborhoods.

I believe that's WOW fibre optics being installed.

[Magnatomicflux]

As far as channel 9, who the heck is watching analog television in Windsor anyways, where half of them are watching bootleg american Satellite.

The other half without cable TV in Windsor are watching Canadian channels with rabbit ears until they are forced to get a converter box. It's not just CBC Windsor, it's all local Canadian stations.

Places that meet these criteria:
[[copied from the CRTC)

• national, provincial and territorial capital cities
• areas with a population over 300,000
• other areas where there is more than one local television station broadcasting over-the-air signals

And these places specifically:

• British Columbia: Vancouver and Victoria
• Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton, Lloydminster and Lethbridge
• Saskatchewan: Regina and Saskatoon
• Manitoba: Winnipeg
• Ontario: Toronto [[including Barrie and Hamilton), London, Windsor, Kitchener and Thunder Bay
• Quebec: Montreal, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, Rivière-du-Loup, Saguenay and Rouyn-Noranda/Val d’Or
• New Brunswick: Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton
• Nova Scotia: Halifax
• Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown
• Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's
• Yukon: Whitehorse
• Northwest Territories: Yellowknife
• Nunavut: Iqaluit
• National Capital Region [[Ottawa-Gatineau)

[MikeM]

Several carriers are using DAS systems on the east side. Nextel has one because its frequencies overlapped Canadian frequencies across the water. The antenna system is tied into the network through a fiber-optic network strung on poles and connected to a node on the grounds of Finney High School. American Tower built a DAS system two years ago for a few carriers, AT&T among them. MetroPCS and a couple others share a DAS system built several years ago. The antennas are connected by fiber-optic to an office in Harper Woods:



An example of a DAS antenna in Grosse Pointe Woods:

[Gannon]

Thanks, Mike.


In July, those were definitely Verizon trucks stringing wires near Mack and Alter.

[bert]

I was downtown tonight at the wnter blast and got 4g speed from my tmobile phone but was picking up alot of windsor stuff

[ddaydetroit]

I have the Iphone its a great phone in the states but if you travel its one of the worst. My next phone will be one that doesnt have to be unlocked to use the local sim card when aboard

[CLAUDE G]

The other half without cable TV in Windsor are watching Canadian channels with rabbit ears until they are forced to get a converter box. It's not just CBC Windsor, it's all local Canadian stations.

Places that meet these criteria:

[[copied from the CRTC)

• national, provincial and territorial capital cities
• areas with a population over 300,000
• other areas where there is more than one local television station broadcasting over-the-air signals

And these places specifically:

• British Columbia: Vancouver and Victoria
• Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton, Lloydminster and Lethbridge
• Saskatchewan: Regina and Saskatoon
• Manitoba: Winnipeg
• Ontario: Toronto [[including Barrie and Hamilton), London, Windsor, Kitchener and Thunder Bay
• Quebec: Montreal, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, Sherbrooke, Rivière-du-Loup, Saguenay and Rouyn-Noranda/Val d’Or
• New Brunswick: Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton
• Nova Scotia: Halifax
• Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown
• Newfoundland and Labrador: St. John's
• Yukon: Whitehorse
• Northwest Territories: Yellowknife
• Nunavut: Iqaluit
• National Capital Region [[Ottawa-Gatineau)

Ok, heres the intresting part. Most converter boxes will only do digital and do not have an analog pass through.

It would be in channel 9's best intrest to convert to digital, as I don't think your going to find very many people to go through all the aggravation to manually switch over to analog unless they care for hockey night in Canada.

BTW, my comment about bootleg satellite was a joke since I sell DISH Network, since I got canadians trying to buy dishes from me all the time I can't sell them anything since we are not allowed to sell into canada.

[CLAUDE G]

I believe that's WOW fibre optics being installed.

I hate to say it, if WOW is wiring up Grosse Pointe Woods, they are wasting their money.

I sell Directv and DISH Network, and its hard to get people to switch from Comcast Cable that some of these people had been customers of for almost 30 years.

With Comcast, Dish, Directv and Uverse being available in those neighborhoods, the only customers they are going to get are the penny pinchers looking for new customer discounts.

I will say this, I saw their trailer with a roll of copper hardline cable sitting on a corner near my house. Pretty tempting to hook it up to my truck.... If this was Detroit they would never leave this stuff out on a trailer past dark.