Verizon Launched its 5G Ultra Wideband Network



Verizon announced that it officially turned on its 5G Ultra Wideband network in select areas of Minneapolis and Chicago a week ahead of schedule.

For the first time ever, customers can access a commercial 5G network with the world’s first commercially available 5G-enabled smartphone, the moto z3 combined with 5G moto mod. Customers using Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network in Chicago or Minneapolis could see speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

Starting today, consumer and businesses have a 5G network and 5G-enabled smartphone that makes real-time a reality. Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband technology uses the global standard and new device hardware to deliver advanced capabilities to customers in real-time. While select areas of Chicago and Minneapolis will be the first to experience Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service, Verizon announced plans in February to launch its 5G service in more than 30 U.S. cities in 2019.

In Chicago, 5G coverage is concentrated in areas of the West Loop and the South Loop, around landmarks like Union Station, Willis Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and The Chicago Theater. Customers will also have 5G Ultra Wideband service in the Verizon store on The Magnificent Mile and throughout The Gold Coast, Old Town and River North.

In Minneapolis, service is concentrated in the Downtown area, including Downtown West and Downtown East, as well as inside and round U.S. Bank Stadium. Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband service is also available around landmarks like the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Minneapolis Central Library, the Mill City Museum, Target Center and First Avenue venues, The Commons, areas of Eliot Park, and the Verizon store in The Mall of America.

I think it is a good idea for Verizon to launch its 5G Ultra Wideband network in areas that typically attract huge crowds of people. Maybe it will reduce the lag that can happen when too many people, in one space, try to connect to the same network.

Why did Verizon launch earlier than planned? VentureBeat reported that Verizon moved its launch up by a week in order to beat South Korea (which planned to launch their 5G network on April 5). Verizon secured itself the “bragging rights” of being the first to launch a 5G network.