Verizon has made San Diego the 35th city with access to its mobile Ultra Wideband 5G service. In addition, Verizon made true 5G uploads available, added four technology vendors and transitioned to virtual operations for its 5G labs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
San Diego will get the new service on May 28. Verizon says service initially will be “concentrated” in parts of Mission Valley near Westfield Mission Valley and SDCCU Stadium, Linda Vista along Linda Vista Road, Kensington near El Cajon Blvd and in Banker’s Hill on 1st Avenue. People moving outside those areas will automatically be switched to 4G LTE which Verizon claims is testing faster than other carriers’ 5G in user experience testing.
Verizon 5G Uploads, Vendors, Lab News
The company’s three other 5G announcements include:
- This week, Verizon began enabling 5G uploads on the network in the 35 5G cities, its Chicago “home market” and in any stadium or arena that is served by the Ultra Wideband network. Previously uploads went over the company’s LTE network. Initially, 5G uploads will be about 30% faster than LTE, Verizon reports.
- Regarding the four new partners, Verizon will work with Movandi Corporation, Pivotal Commware and Wistron NeWeb Corporation to further develop mmWave technology. In addition, Verizon will work with Movandi and Qualcomm to develop new chipsets for the Verizon fixed 5G offering known as 5G Home.
- Verizon also is taking action on its 5Glabs. It operates seven in the U.S. and U.K. The labs are transitioning to virtual operations due to the pandemic. The spaces will use video conferencing technology from recently acquired BlueJeans.
Verizon, like other carriers, is adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic on the very practical and long term levels. Earlier this month, it announced steps aimed at running its retail outlets safely during and after the pandemic.
