Verizon Wireless has announced that it will launch its ‘5G Ultra Wideband Network’ in Chicago and Minneapolis on 11 April. As such, pre-orders for the Verizon-exclusive ‘5G moto mod’ Motorola handset – the first 5G-upgradeable smartphone – begin today (14 March). Verizon’s 5G service plan will be available for a USD10 per month surcharge and comes with unlimited data; the 5G upgrade can be applied to any existing Verizon unlimited plan.
As previously reported by CommsUpdate, last month Verizon revealed that it intends to launch its mobile 5G network in more than 30 US cities in 2019. The operator has clarified that all 5G services going forward will use the New Radio (NR) standard developed by the 3GPP.
Previously, in October 2018, the telco launched its Verizon 5G Home fixed-wireless service in parts of Houston, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Indianapolis; this network relies on an early version of the 5G standard developed by the 5G Technology Forum (TF).