Verizon will bring ultrafast C-Band 5G to 100 million Americans within weeks

Verizon Wireless plans to bring its ‘Ultra Wideband 5G’ service to more than 100 million people in the US later this month, delivering speeds of up to 1Gbps using C-Band spectrum.

5G networks will use a much more diverse range of spectrum than previous generations of mobile technology, with low-band frequencies like 700MHz offering wide coverage and high-band millimetre Wave (mmWave) delivering huge capacity over short distances.

Mid-range C-band 5G spectrum offers a compromise between these two desirable outcomes and will be a vital resource in the rollout of the high-speed networks.

Verizon 5G

Verizon used mmWave spectrum to become the first operator in the US to launch a commercial 5G service back in 2018 and, along with AT&T, T-Mobile, and US Wireless, won a licence for C-Band airwaves located between 3.7GHz and 3.98GHz in an auction earlier this year that raised $80 billion.

The company says it plans to deploy C-Band in 1,700 cities across the US, providing a boost to its mobile customers, as well as its home and business Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband services. 5G-based FWA has particular appeal in the US because many cities are served by a single cable operator, a situation that leaves customers with few, if any, alternatives should they be dissatisfied.

“This massive launch will put incredible speeds, reliability and security in the hands of our customers and amplifies our offering of reliable home and business broadband options to more places around the country, well ahead of the commitment we made last year,” said Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon. “As 5G Ultra Wideband becomes available to more and more people and businesses, it will allow our customers to do more amazing things.”

The details of Verizon’s C-Band 5G rollout come amid a dispute with the Federial Aviation Administration (FAA), which is concerned the frequencies interfere with aircraft equipment. Both Verizon and AT&T have refuted these concerns, but have agreed to delay their respective launches by another two weeks.