Verizon will launch 5G Home fixed wireless in Minneapolis and St. Paul on Thursday. And with it comes yet another new customer premises device for use with the service.
Verizon initially launched 5G Home fixed wireless in 2018 in four markets with hardware that didn’t conform to industry standards. The goal was to get service to market quickly and standards had not yet been finalized when those plans were made.
Earlier this year, the company launched what it calls “Enhanced 5G Home” in Chicago and Detroit – defined as 5G Home service using hardware complying with the industry 5G-NR standard. And now, just a few months after those launches, Verizon will be switching gears on customer hardware yet again.
Verizon calls the customer hardware supporting the Twin Cities launch “5G Internet Gateway,” which, according to the company, is the first-to-market millimeter wave 5G CPE/router.
“The new hardware comes with a more streamlined design, greater antenna range and augmented reality functionality for easy set up,” Verizon said in a press release.
In a video, a Verizon representative explains that the device is an “all-in-one 5G receiver and Wi-Fi router.” The video shows how customers can mount the product on a wall or window using a bracket that enables the device to be angled as needed for optimum reception. Customers can use an app to determine the best place to install the hardware, the video explains.
Yet More Devices
Several other devices also are part of Verizon’s latest 5G Home fixed wireless offering. As with other Verizon 5G Home fixed wireless launches, customers also get a streaming TV device capable of delivering “an extensive library of OTT channels, apps and entertainment, including Amazon Prime Video and Netflix.”
In addition, the company has added a free Amazon smart home bundle, which includes an Echo Show 5, Ring Stick Up Cam, Echo Dot and Amazon smart plug. (The 5G Home router that launched previously in Chicago had Alexa built in, but apparently customers now will need to rely on the Echo Show for voice control.)
New 5G Home fixed wireless customers in the Twin Cities also get YouTube TV for one month and Disney+ for one year – freebies that the company first began offering earlier this year.
Verizon again reiterated in today’s press release that it expects 5G Home fixed wireless to be in ten markets before the end of the year, having already reached eight.
Verizon’s most recent launch in Houston also was accompanied by a new hardware announcement – a repeater designed to expand the range of the 5G Home fixed wireless offering.
