The network provider announced on Thursday, September 19, that their 5G Ultra-Wideband will be available in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. The release of the newest high-speed network in NYC adds to the 10 existing cities where Verizon 5G is already available including Chicago and Minneapolis.
But what is 5G?
5G is the newest and fastest network system available in the market today. The 5G technology has evolved from its 4G predecessor which started to reach its limits with the volume of traffic that consumers demand every day. We can use a comparison of 4G and its older 3G version as the basis of how advanced the 5G technology is. Verizon first released its 5G network in May 2019. Speed tests proved that the 5G network is 20 times faster than 4G. The latter had a maximum of 20mbps while the former reached beyond 1Gbps. However, 5G currently has a coverage problem. Verizon uses millimeter-wave technology. Although this technology increases upload and download speed up to 20 times more than 4G, millimeter waves cannot travel through physical obstacles. 5G can only still be used in certain areas where 5G small cell networks are available.
Verizon Releases 5G in New York City
Verizon’s competitor brand T-Mobile slams Verizon’s early release of the 5G network. T-Mobile launched verHIDEzon to emphasize Verizon’s lack of 5G coverage map. Mobile CEO John Legere tweeted on Saturday, September 14, that Verizon is “charging more for it [5G] and not even giving customers a map to find it.” In Verizon’s defense, Network Vice President Heidi Hemmer said that the company has strategies but they will not give specifics to avoid giving their competitors a “competitive edge.” Verizon releases more coverage for their customers in NYC on September 26, 2019. The company assured the public that they will provide an in-depth explanation about the new roll out on the 26th.
Which phones are available for 5G?
Verizon offers the 5G network on four mobile units. There are not a lot of available phones to use on 5G since the technology is still new. Even the newest iPhone 11 is not yet compatible with 5G. Here are the phone units available for Verizon 5G:
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
Storage:256GB Price: $36.11/mo. (36 Monthly Payments)
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
Storage: 256GB Price: $45.83/mo. (24 Monthly Payments)
Moto Z4
Storage: 128GB Price: $10.00/mo. (24 Monthly Payments)
LG V50 ThinQ™ 5G
Storage: 128GB Price: $33.33/mo. (24 Monthly Payments) Verizon targets to release and expand the 5G network coverage to 30 cities by the end of 2019. The company’s goal is to cover half of the US by the end of 2020. Read through our library to learn more about 5G and the opportunities it brings.
