The race to 5G connectivity is well under way in the United States, with the major networks now rolling out next-gen services in many cities around the country.
We covered the state of play for AT&T’s 5G plans earlier this week, but what of its chief rival, the Verizon Wireless network in the US? Both companies have around 35% of the gigantic US market, give or take, so the smooth roll out of 5G services might be the key to breaking the deadlock.
While AT&T isn’t offering any 5G-capable smartphones to consumers at this time, Verizon has a jump start, selling the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G as well as the Moto Mod 5G that brings 5G connectivity to the existing Motorola Z4 and Z3 handsets.
Related: What is 5G?
It’s also getting its 5G Ultra Wideband network up and running in a couple of major US cities, ahead of a wider rollout throughout 2019.
Where is Verizon 5G available?
Currently, Verizon 5G is only available in the cities of Chicago and Minneapolis in the United States, where the speed and reliability is rapidly improving. The company has promised to bring 5G connectivity to 20 more cities by the end of 2019. They are also follows:
Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City (MO), Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Washington, DC.
How fast is Verizon 5G?
In the cities where 5G is currently available, peak speeds are currently hitting in excess of 1Gbps for downloads and 60Mbps for uploads. Earlier adopters are reporting typical download speeds of around 700Mbps it good service areas.
Here’s The Verge’s Chris Welch downloading a 90-minute movie in Prime Video’s best quality in a minute and a half:
Downloaded Iron Man 2 from Prime Video at "best" quality in 90 seconds. You can see here that Verizon's network occasionally fell back to 4G LTE. I'm right across the street from the 5G node. pic.twitter.com/TAh2YgmzwD
— Chris Welch (@chriswelch) May 16, 2019
How much does Verizon 5G cost?
Surprisingly, Verizon isn’t charging the earth for access to the next-gen speeds, where they are available. A 5G plan costs an extra $10 a month over its 4G LTE counterpart. However, given the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G costs an eye-popping $1,300, the true price of adaption is steep.
The cheapest means of getting 5G right now is via the Moto Mod 5G, which is currently on sale for just $50 on Verizon right now, down from the usual $349.99 retail price. You will need a Moto Z3 or Z4 smartphone to clip the Mod to.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.