---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <20180213113538.GA4539@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 06:35:39 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Verizon says it's locking its phones down to combat theft The wireless carrier has been selling phones unlocked, allowing you to swap SIM cards and use other carriers. Soon, it'll lock phones for a certain period. BY Roger Cheng Verizon is taking an extra step to protect its phones. The nation's largest wireless carrier said Monday that it would begin locking the phones it sells to consumers, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. Initially, the phones will be unlocked as soon as a customer signs up and activates the service. But later in the spring, the company will begin the practice of keeping the phone locked for a period of time after the purchase -- in line with the rest of the industry. https://www.cnet.com/news/verizon-will-lock-its-smartphones-to-combat-theft/ -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ***** Moderator's Note ***** I attended a meeting once, with a COCOT vendor who came to Boston to meet our group of management trainees. I asked him to tell us what Verizon was best at, and he said "You're very good at concealing what you really want." Bill Horne Moderator ------------------------------ Message-ID: <20180213114425.GA4785@telecom.csail.mit.edu> Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 06:44:26 -0500 From: Bill Horne <bill@horneQRM.net> Subject: Verizon's Super Bowl shot featured a location that they don't serve We Hear: Verizon Doesn't Have Coverage in Location Featured in "Answering The Call" Super Bowl Spot By Erik Oster Verizon went the emotional route with its 60-second "Answering The Call" spot from McCann New York in Super Bowl 52. The ad featured first responders to a series of natural disasters across the country. Implicating the network's role in facilitating such communication is the line "They answer the call. Our job is to make sure they can get it" near the conclusion of the ad. Among the first responders pictured is a member [of the] Quincy, Illinois' fire department. The problem? It appears Verizon's network doesn't offer coverage in Quincy or the surrounding area. http://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/we-hear-verizon-doesnt-have-coverage-in-location-featured-in-answering-the-call-super-bowl-spot/143437 -- Bill Horne (Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly) ------------------------------ Message-ID: <F47B98AF-1478-4A14-B6AE-FC9E8C5C7496@roscom.com> Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 23:35:38 -0500 From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com> Subject: Huawei got people to write fake reviews for an unreleased phone Maybe not the best move By Dani Deahl Huawei's new flagship phone, the Mate 10 Pro, is available for pre-order in the US despite not having any deals with US carriers - so to get some attention, it seems the company has stooped to having fake reviews for the new phone planted online, as spotted by 9to5Google. The fake reviews, which are exclusively on the Best Buy website, are likely the result of a contest Huawei ran on Facebook. On January 31st, the company posted to a Facebook group with over 60,000 members, asking for people to leave comments on the Best Buy pre-sale page in exchange for a chance to beta test a Mate 10 Pro. The original post has been deleted, but 9to5Google obtained a screenshot before it went down. "Tell us how to why (sic) you WANT to own the Mate 10 Pro in the review section of our pre-sale Best Buy retail page," the post states. https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/12/17005798/huawei-fake-reviews-best-buy-mate-10-pro-phone ------------------------------ ********************************************* End of telecom Digest Wed, 14 Feb 2018