Verizon Beefs Up 5G Speeds and Coverage: We Have the First Test Results
Thirty more metro areas are getting up to 100MHz of C-band 5G, and a reader shows us early performance results.
By Sascha Segan
Ultra wideband is going wider. Verizon announced today that it’s launching its “ultra wideband” C-band 5G in 30 more metro areas using up to 100MHz of airwaves—more than the existing system we tested on our Best Mobile Networks run.
The system works with existing C-band-compatible phones, and Verizon users are already seeing results. PCMag reader Tyler Piercy in Louisville tipped us off on Friday to 100MHz C-band on both his Samsung Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12, which delivered speeds up to 1,235Mbps down and 142Mbps up in results he shared with PCMag.
That was at a distance of about a quarter of a mile from the cell site, Piercy said. Back in January, I noted that Verizon’s C-band cells in New York have a range of about a third of a mile but that the technology will be able to go farther in less dense cities.
“It’s important to remember I was line-of-site from a macro and while these results are obviously great, nobody should really expect 920Mpbs average right now on C-band spectrum,” Piercy noted.
Speed is proxy for capacity; a gig for the only person on the sector means 100Mbps for 10 people, and that gives Verizon the ability to offer wireless home internet in cities where it doesn’t have its Fios fiber network laid down.
C-Band Coming to 30 New Cities: When?
The system isn’t being flipped on instantly everywhere, Verizon notes; in some areas it may take months. We’ll probably test it later this summer.
The 30 new zones are named for cities, but they aren’t really metro areas. They’re “primary economic areas” (PEAs) defined by the FCC. As this map from Spectrum Omega shows, they’re bigger than what you’d think a metro area is; for example, the Baltimore-Washington PEA includes half of the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland.
“This increase from using 60MHz to 100 MHz of C-band-which we will ultimately have available in many markets across the US-allows us to support more network traffic, deliver even better performance to our customers and add new products and services on top of the mobile and fixed wireless access solutions we provide today,” Kyle Malady, Verizon’s president of Global Networks and Technology, said in a press release.
Verizon confirmed that the 100MHz system is only in the 30 new areas; the 46 previous regions, launched in January, will be upgraded from 60MHz to 100MHz “later.”
Piercy also noted another weapon in Verizon’s arsenal, which can help people everywhere in the country: CBRS, yet another chunk of mid-band that doesn’t have the geographic restrictions C-band does. He said he’s seeing CBRS used “heavily” for 4G LTE in Louisville, as I’ve also seen in New York City. Verizon said in June that it’s transitioning CBRS to improve 5G speeds “soon.”
That’s especially important because Verizon is using the spectrum to launch wireless home internet services as well as mobile coverage. While Verizon tends to start at the core city and work its way outwards, C-band can be used to bring a new internet option to rural Collins, NY, Deer Trail, CO, or other outlying towns in the new PEAs.
C-band was launched in 46 PEAs at the beginning of this year. In the rest of the country, the satellite companies that were previously using the airwaves weren’t required to clear them for Verizon’s use until the end of 2023. But Verizon has been negotiating aggressively, getting the satellite companies to move up their schedule.
Verizon’s move puts pressure on AT&T, as the deals Verizon made to clear the spectrum don’t apply to its competitor. AT&T is behind Verizon on installing fast mid-band 5G (although we have seen good recent performance in New York) but promises much bigger things in the second half of this year.
This all cuts into T-Mobile’s lead on mid-band 5G, which has garnered T-Mobile our Fastest/Best Mobile Network award for the past two years. T-Mobile relies on mid-band airwaves it purchased from Sprint that have fewer restrictions than C-band, so it’s been able to build them out more quickly.
Originally published at https://www.pcmag.com.