Rejoice, fans of Fast and Furious! Verizon just messaged us that, come 2018, it will usher us in the
5G era, meaning increased speeds and throughput in those areas where coverage is served. In a five-to-go-5 move, there will be up to 5 markets being blessed with 5G across America in the second half of next year, and the winner is... Sacramento, CA, which will go live first.
Verizon has been testing 5G residential broadband in 11 American cities for a good while, and the service is apparently ready for prime time. The carrier is starting with residential broadband as the most cost-effective way to provide the populace with broadband Internet and the accompanying services without having to lay miles of optic or other cables, yet provide comparable speeds.
It has estimated the potential market to be about 30 million households in total, and may shoot a few birds with one stone, covering underserved areas with broadband as required by the regulators, testing the 5G future, and being at the forefront of network technology. Verizon will be
spending no less than $18 billion over the course of a few years to upgrade its network to the next big thing, so these initial test markets will be important for a wider rollout to proceed in a smooth manner. The other carriers might follow through, so next year is shaping up to be interesting not only on the smartphone hardware side of things.
+- Press Release
Verizon to launch 5G residential broadband services in up to 5 markets in 2018
NEW YORK – Leading the industry with the first commercial application of next-generation broadband services, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) today announced it will launch wireless residential broadband services in three to five U.S. markets in 2018.
As a first application of fifth-generation – or 5G — wireless, these services will use radio signals, rather than copper or fiber cables, to provide customers with unprecedented wireless speeds for Internet access. As 5G continues to evolve, customers will benefit from a wide array of services – including broadband, mobile and IoT (Internet of things) — and the necessary bandwidth and low latency for 3D and virtual reality applications.
Verizon’s first commercial launch is planned to be in Sacramento, Calif., in the second half of 2018. Details of that launch, and the announcement of additional markets, will be provided at a later date.
Verizon has successfully trialed 5G residential applications in 11 markets in 2017. The commercial launch is based on customer experience and on Verizon’s confidence in new technology powered by millimeter-wave spectrum.
Verizon estimates the market opportunity for initial 5G residential broadband services to be approximately 30 million households nationwide.
The 5G commercial launch will not have a material impact on Verizon’s consolidated capital expenditures in 2018. The company expects its full-year 2018 capital spending program to be consistent with the past several years.
“This is a landmark announcement for customers and investors who have been waiting for the 5G future to become a reality,” said Hans Vestberg, Verizon president of Global Networks and Chief Technology Officer. “We appreciate our strong ecosystem partners for their passion and technological support in helping us drive forward with 5G industry standards, for both fixed and mobile applications. The targeted initial launches we are announcing today will provide a strong framework for accelerating 5G’s future deployment on the global standards.”
