US mobile market leader Verizon Wireless, which switched on its 5G mobile network in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis earlier this month, has unveiled its next 20 planned 5G markets. The list comprises: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Washington DC. Additional locations will be confirmed later in the year, as the cellco aims to cover 30 markets with 5G mobile technology by end-2019.
As previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate, Verizon switched on its ‘5G Ultra Wideband’ network in select areas of Minneapolis and Chicago on 3 April – a week ahead of schedule – as it sought to secure global bragging rights over South Korea’s mobile operators. Hans Vestberg, Verizon’s chairman and CEO claimed that the switch-on represented ‘the world’s first commercial 5G mobile service with a 5G-enabled smartphone’; the launch occurred a matter of hours before South Korea’s three incumbent mobile operators activated their respective 5G mobile networks.
