Verizon isn’t stopping its rollout of 5G across the US even in the face of a pandemic. If anything, it sounds like Verizon is moving along in some cities with fewer obstacles now (there’s a lot less traffic on the roads these days), possibly bringing 5G to your neighborhood in the quietest way.
In an update on their 5G situation provided to PCMag, Verizon said that they actually plan to expand their 5G mmW network to another 30 cities in 2020. That would bring their total to 60 cities with 5G mmW, the only 5G they currently give customers access to.
In addition to 30 new markets (which they have not yet revealed), Verizon is expanding in the 30 cities they launched in 2019. If you browse around their 5G maps, it sure looks like that expansion in (some) city centers has dramatically increased. Chicago is the most noteworthy, with “three times the nodes” Verizon had a year ago. Minneapolis’ map also shows much more red than I remember, as does Atlanta, Boise, and Indianapolis.
Verizon says they aren’t marketing any of this due to “everything that’s going on,” so don’t be surprised if you own a Verizon 5G phone and see 5G pop-up for the first time over the coming months. There’s a chance you’ll get 5G and not have heard about it.
Should these new markets get an acknowledgement from Verizon, we’ll be sure to let you know. If you run into 5G in an unannounced city, don’t hesitate to hit that tip box of ours.
// PCMag