Verizon flips switch on 5G network in Chicago and Minneapolis

Posted:
in General Discussion edited April 2019
Verizon on Wednesday activated its 5G Ultra Wideband network in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, offering customers in the area up to 1 Gbps data speeds over the world's first commercial 5G network for mobile devices.




America's largest network by subscribers announced the rollout of its 5G network in a post to its website, noting availability arrives a week ahead of schedule. The telco previously earmarked April 11 as the targeted launch date.

"Verizon customers will be the first in the world to have the power of 5G in their hands," said Hans Vestberg, Verizon's chairman and chief executive officer. "This is the latest in our string of 5G firsts. Verizon launched the first commercial broadband 5G service last October, Verizon 5G Home, and now we're lighting up our 5G Ultra Wideband network in Chicago and Minneapolis, providing the world's first commercial 5G mobile service with a 5G-enabled smartphone."

Access to the 5G network is limited not only by location, but hardware as well. Currently, the lone device available from Verizon with the potential to connect to the ultra fast network is the Motorola Z3 smartphone with separate 5G moto mod.

Users with a moto z3 and 5G moto mod can expect typical speeds of 450 Mbps and latency less than 30 milliseconds, according to Verizon. Those figures are expected to improve over the coming months as Verizon and its partners work to upgrade network infrastructure.

Customers with compatible equipment living in Chicago can access 5G in areas of the West Loop, the South Loop, The Gold Coast, Old Town and River North, as well as landmarks like Union Station, Willis Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park and The Chicago Theatre. Verizon's company store on The Magnificent Mile is also an access point.

Users in Minneapolis can expect 5G service in the Downtown area, inside and around U.S. Bank Stadium, and near landmarks like the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Minneapolis Central Library, the Mill City Museum, Target Center and First Avenue venues, The Commons, areas of Elliot Park. The Verizon store in The Mall of America is also outfitted with a 5G transmitter.

Verizon in February announced plans to launch its 5G service in 30 U.S. cities by the end of 2019, offering specifics on Chicago and Minneapolis a month later.

Apple was anticipated to deliver a 5G-capable iPhone powered by Intel's XMM 8160 modem in 2020, but recent developments have cast doubt on the launch timeline. Specifically, a report on Wednesday claims Intel missed multiple development deadlines that could lead to production delays.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    Presumably Motorola are using Qualcomm modems?
  • Reply 2 of 27
    seanismorrisseanismorris Posts: 1,624member
    No data caps?

    If your connected downgraded to 3G after 10min. of downloading a huge file... that would be bad.
  • Reply 3 of 27
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
  • Reply 4 of 27
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,273member
    Read the article.

    It's in select small areas.

    The range is very small.

    You don't have a phone that can use it.

    Even if you have a Moto z3, you have to get a special mod before you can use it.

    These speeds are "slow" relative to what 5G will eventually offer (though they are comparable with top home Wi-Fi speeds).

    Don't get me wrong -- when 5G really arrives for everyone over the next three to five years, and the phones are all changed over to ones that can use it, it will be a big improvement (though I'm waiting to see what kind of caps these companies are going to put on it, and how much they'll charge for it -- don't doubt there will be a big price premium). Remember your history with LTE rollouts for a guide to how this is going to go.

    That said, to all three of you in Chicago and Minneapolis who aren't Verizon employees and have all the necessary stars aligned, enjoy!
    edited April 2019 wonkothesane
  • Reply 5 of 27
    FranculesFrancules Posts: 122member
    ☀️⚡️
  • Reply 6 of 27
    FranculesFrancules Posts: 122member
    Apple & Verizon 💚❤️
  • Reply 7 of 27
    Living here in the sticks of Central PA where we're happy if we can get 4G service...
    beowulfschmidtsdw2001
  • Reply 8 of 27
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I agree that in 2019 there will be no impact on the sales. 

    But if Apple cannot deliver a 5G iPhone in 2020, this will hurt sales.  Taking into account that phones are kept 3 years or more, this would mean that people who buy an iPhone in 2020 would only get 5G in 2023.  For some users this could be a showstopper
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 9 of 27
    Despite what the naysayers and the skeptic say, this is coming faster than people think. 
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 10 of 27
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Despite what the naysayers and the skeptic say, this is coming faster than people think. 
    Haha ... good one ... a lot 'faster!'  Oh, wait I see what you mean ... ;)
  • Reply 11 of 27
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    cropr said:
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I agree that in 2019 there will be no impact on the sales. 

    But if Apple cannot deliver a 5G iPhone in 2020, this will hurt sales.  Taking into account that phones are kept 3 years or more, this would mean that people who buy an iPhone in 2020 would only get 5G in 2023.  For some users this could be a showstopper
    You’re probably right - 5G on mobile phones is far more about perception than any actual use, even 2-3 year from now,  but if the perception is that it’s necessary then it has the ability to affect sales. It’s the hardware developers’ version of keeping up with the Jones’. Hopefully that’s not reason enough for Apple to rush a sub-par 5G device to market before it’s ready. Thankfully that’s not how Apple has done it in the past.
  • Reply 12 of 27
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    MplsP said:
    cropr said:
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I agree that in 2019 there will be no impact on the sales. 

    But if Apple cannot deliver a 5G iPhone in 2020, this will hurt sales.  Taking into account that phones are kept 3 years or more, this would mean that people who buy an iPhone in 2020 would only get 5G in 2023.  For some users this could be a showstopper
    You’re probably right - 5G on mobile phones is far more about perception than any actual use, even 2-3 year from now,  but if the perception is that it’s necessary then it has the ability to affect sales. It’s the hardware developers’ version of keeping up with the Jones’. Hopefully that’s not reason enough for Apple to rush a sub-par 5G device to market before it’s ready. Thankfully that’s not how Apple has done it in the past.
    It's not a matter of "quality" for Apple.  It's a supply issue.  They can't buy the necessary parts needed to build a 5G capable phone.
    edited April 2019
  • Reply 13 of 27
    jimh2jimh2 Posts: 611member
    I’m still unclear what the great benefit of 5G is going to be other than faster. The vast majority of people use their phones for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and texting and the current infrastructure can more than accommodate those uses. Up until 4G data demand exceeded capacity so speed improvements were needed and beneficial. Thinking about it there is not a single thing that requires the bandwidth I have it home. 
    MplsP
  • Reply 14 of 27
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I think equating OLED to 5G is a false equivalency.
    Historically, there are two primary things that have driven tech development and innovation:  Moore's law and Communication.  And, it is communication innovations that have produced the biggest paradigm shifts:

    Originally communications was via dedicated lines between commercial computers that evolved into T1 & T3 lines.
    Then we went to dial-up and "You've Got Mail!"
    Then we went to DSL, Cable and FiOS speeds & bandwidth that spawned the proliferation of the internet and (lately) streaming.
    Now, with 5G, we will get that same speed and bandwidth without the cord.

    It is a mistake, I think, to under estimate this.

    (And, by the way, the guy living out in the hills of West Virginia complaining that "it won't help me!" is irrelevant)
  • Reply 15 of 27
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,905member
    So, I get 5G service and pay extra for it than I travel outside of 5G area which is most and still pay for 5G but can't use it.
  • Reply 16 of 27
    croprcropr Posts: 1,122member
    jimh2 said:
    I’m still unclear what the great benefit of 5G is going to be other than faster. The vast majority of people use their phones for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and texting and the current infrastructure can more than accommodate those uses. Up until 4G data demand exceeded capacity so speed improvements were needed and beneficial. Thinking about it there is not a single thing that requires the bandwidth I have it home. 
    The real advantages of 5G is indeed greater capacity and not the promised top speed. 

    A mobile base station is a shared resource with a limited capacity,  The mobile base stations have reached saturation in the crowded big city centers, leading to lower speeds for every user connected via to that base station.

    In a first phase (2019 -  2020) 5G will use the same frequency spectrum as 3G/4G. This will lead to an increased capacity.of the base stations.  This means that as an end user you will actually gets download speeds above 10 Mbit/s, which are theoretically possible with 4G, but in practice not.   The promised 5G  high speeds (> 1Gbit/s) will only come when the extra millimeter waves base stations will be available, which will only be in a later phase   
    nzhong168
  • Reply 17 of 27
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    cropr said:
    jimh2 said:
    I’m still unclear what the great benefit of 5G is going to be other than faster. The vast majority of people use their phones for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and texting and the current infrastructure can more than accommodate those uses. Up until 4G data demand exceeded capacity so speed improvements were needed and beneficial. Thinking about it there is not a single thing that requires the bandwidth I have it home. 
    The real advantages of 5G is indeed greater capacity and not the promised top speed. 

    A mobile base station is a shared resource with a limited capacity,  The mobile base stations have reached saturation in the crowded big city centers, leading to lower speeds for every user connected via to that base station.

    In a first phase (2019 -  2020) 5G will use the same frequency spectrum as 3G/4G. This will lead to an increased capacity.of the base stations.  This means that as an end user you will actually gets download speeds above 10 Mbit/s, which are theoretically possible with 4G, but in practice not.   The promised 5G  high speeds (> 1Gbit/s) will only come when the extra millimeter waves base stations will be available, which will only be in a later phase   
    But do you actually need a 5G phone to realize this? 
  • Reply 18 of 27
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,911member
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I think equating OLED to 5G is a false equivalency.
    Historically, there are two primary things that have driven tech development and innovation:  Moore's law and Communication.  And, it is communication innovations that have produced the biggest paradigm shifts:

    Originally communications was via dedicated lines between commercial computers that evolved into T1 & T3 lines.
    Then we went to dial-up and "You've Got Mail!"
    Then we went to DSL, Cable and FiOS speeds & bandwidth that spawned the proliferation of the internet and (lately) streaming.
    Now, with 5G, we will get that same speed and bandwidth without the cord.

    It is a mistake, I think, to under estimate this.

    (And, by the way, the guy living out in the hills of West Virginia complaining that "it won't help me!" is irrelevant)
    Yes and no - it's similar in that people are getting worked up over a spec that has very little to no impact for the average user. Switching from 3G to 4G made a big, noticeable difference in use, but the ability to communicate will not be appreciably changed with 5G. There are other benefits to 5G, but faster communication is not one of them. Edit - I should clarify that I mean faster personal communication with your smartphone. 
    edited April 2019
  • Reply 19 of 27
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    MplsP said:
    cropr said:
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I agree that in 2019 there will be no impact on the sales. 

    But if Apple cannot deliver a 5G iPhone in 2020, this will hurt sales.  Taking into account that phones are kept 3 years or more, this would mean that people who buy an iPhone in 2020 would only get 5G in 2023.  For some users this could be a showstopper
    You’re probably right - 5G on mobile phones is far more about perception than any actual use, even 2-3 year from now,  but if the perception is that it’s necessary then it has the ability to affect sales. It’s the hardware developers’ version of keeping up with the Jones’. Hopefully that’s not reason enough for Apple to rush a sub-par 5G device to market before it’s ready. Thankfully that’s not how Apple has done it in the past.
    It's not a matter of "quality" for Apple.  It's a supply issue.  They can't buy the necessary parts needed to build a 5G capable phone.
    Of course quality matters to Apple. Even if there were an infinite supply of 1st gen '5G' chips that doesn't mean Apple would put expensive, large, and power-hungry radios into a device that couldn't reasonably be used by their customers. Do you really think the original iPhone didn't have '3G' because Apple couldn't get ahold enough of radios for that first year of low-volume sales? If a '5G' radio comes this year it's because several above-par factors made it possible.

    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I think equating OLED to 5G is a false equivalency.
    Historically, there are two primary things that have driven tech development and innovation:  Moore's law and Communication.
    1) His comparison to OLED is just one of countless examples of the anti-Apple crowd hammering Apple for not being first to something that isn't feasible, whether it's from a lack of supply and/or a very narrow window of utility under the current specs.

    2) Moore's Law has nothing to do with driving tech development or innovation. It's merely an astute (general) observation by Gordon Moore. At best, you can count it as an effect for a variety other causes.
    edited April 2019 MplsP
  • Reply 20 of 27
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    MplsP said:
    lkrupp said:
    As usual Apple will get hammered by the techie crowd but you know what? It doesn’t matter and it won’t affect iPhone sales one little bit no matter how much the critics howl and yodel. We saw this with OLED screens and many other features introduced by other manufacturers. The “Apple is late to the game” narrative is old, tired, and meaningless.
    I think equating OLED to 5G is a false equivalency.
    Historically, there are two primary things that have driven tech development and innovation:  Moore's law and Communication.  And, it is communication innovations that have produced the biggest paradigm shifts:

    Originally communications was via dedicated lines between commercial computers that evolved into T1 & T3 lines.
    Then we went to dial-up and "You've Got Mail!"
    Then we went to DSL, Cable and FiOS speeds & bandwidth that spawned the proliferation of the internet and (lately) streaming.
    Now, with 5G, we will get that same speed and bandwidth without the cord.

    It is a mistake, I think, to under estimate this.

    (And, by the way, the guy living out in the hills of West Virginia complaining that "it won't help me!" is irrelevant)
    Yes and no - it's similar in that people are getting worked up over a spec that has very little to no impact for the average user. Switching from 3G to 4G made a big, noticeable difference in use, but the ability to communicate will not be appreciably changed with 5G. There are other benefits to 5G, but faster communication is not one of them. Edit - I should clarify that I mean faster personal communication with your smartphone. 
    I wish we didn't use this horrible 'xG' moniker standard for cellular data types. Not only does the average consumer not understand what they mean, the average person tech forums doesn't either. I certainly couldn't tell you 1/10th of the tech spec differences between so-called '4G' and '5G'—only the broad strokes. The performance ranges are just too vast to be useful so you have the least technical people believing that an increase in a cardinal value for a generation will always result in better performance. I wish we could have a more reasonable standard for the nomenclature so that regardless of what the complex acronyms are being used your phone will always state a relative performance level for a given network connection.
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