Verizon says that it has expanded its 5G Ultra Wideband mobile service to parts of Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.
Subscribers in those cities have several device options for the service, which will be available in “dense, urban areas where people tend to congregate”: the LG V50 ThinQ 5G smartphone, the moto z3 and z4 smartphones (either of which requires an add-on module to use 5G), the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G smartphone and the Inseego MiFi M1000 5G/W-Fi hotspot.
“Customers in these cities are at the forefront of game-changing technology, with access to download speeds and bandwidth that will power the future of consumer, business and government mobile applications,” Verizon CTO Kyle Malady said in a press release. “Similarly, cities that embrace new technology, like 5G Ultra Wideband, have a leg up in competition to attract businesses and create jobs.”
Verizon has been moving ahead systematically with its mobile 5G initiative. In April the carrier made mobile 5G services available to subscribers in Chicago and Minneapolis with just a single device option. Since then, the company has expanded the markets that it serves, as well as the number of supported devices.
In late June, the carrier added Denver and Providence to its list of mobile 5G markets. In mid-July, it added added St. Paul, Minnesota.
The overall evolution of 5G is interesting and not as straight forward as originally anticipated. As Telecompetitor pointed out in June, millimeter bandwidth initially was synonymous with 5G. However, some inherent advantages of using lower frequency bandwidth have made the decision more nuanced. Lower frequencies are more readily available and can reach farther than cutting edge millimeter approaches. At an investor conference in June, Malady said that the company still is excited about millimeter wave 5G.
