Verizon Promises 5G Rollout in 30 U.S. Cities By the End of the Year
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Verizon is preparing a 30-city rollout of its true 5G service in the United States by the end of 2019, according to a new report.
The carriers’ CEO, Hans Vestberg, revealed the launch in an investors’ meeting on Friday morning, according to The Verge. And while he confirmed that Verizon 5G was coming, he didn’t add many other details.
So yes, Verizon’s 5G network is coming soon to 30 U.S. cities by the end of the year. But that’s about all we know about the rollout so far.
Vestberg did not reveal which cities Verizon will deploy 5G in, how widespread the 5G will deployment would be in each city, or even a more specific timeline beyond “by the end of 2019.”
Verizon did later confirm that this would be actual, standards-based 5G. So not like AT&T’s misleadingly-named “5G Evolution” or Verizon’s own off-brand 5G home internet service.
“It’s just gonna be a total different experience in speed and throughput than you have ever seen before,” Vestberg said.
When it comes to those unmentioned specifics, it looks like consumers will just need to wait for more details from the carrier itself. Though that may turn out to be sooner than later.
Verizon is Samsung’s official launch partner for the South Korean company’s Galaxy S10 5G device. That flagship will reportedly become available in the “first half” of this year. That means Verizon, as a launch partner, would need to get at least some parts of its 5G network up-and-running in about four months or so.
As far as the other major players in the telecom industry, AT&T’s 5G network is currently live in 12 U.S. cities and T-Mobile has also promised a 30-city 5G launch this year.
There also isn’t currently a 5G-compatible smartphone on the market, but one could launch in the next few months. Apple, for its part, may not launch a 5G iPhone until 2020 at the earliest.
All of this is to say that the “5G revolution” will likely require some patience. It won’t come tomorrow, and when it does first arrive, it might not benefit the average consumer all that much.
