Verizon expands its 5G network to four more cities

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Verizon has hooked four more cities up to its 5G network. Starting today, customers in Atlanta, Detroit, Indianapolis, and Washington, DC will be able to connect to the company’s next-gen wireless network. The additions mean that Verizon’s 5G network is now available in nine US cities, after previously rolling out in Denver, Providence, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Chicago. Verizon says its 5G network will be live in more than 30 cities by the end of the year.

When we tried the network for ourselves in Chicago we found that it was capable of speeds of up to a gigabit per second. However, its reliance on using mmWave techonology meant that these speeds were concentrated in very specific areas, and coverage inside of buildings was basically non-existent. Verizon’s guidance about its 5G coverage in Washington, DC illustrates the issue, as it lists very specific locations where you can connect to the next-gen network:

In Washington DC, consumers, businesses and government agencies can initially access Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service in areas of Foggy Bottom, Dupont Circle, Cardozo / U Street, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Le Droit Park, Georgetown Waterfront, Judiciary Square, Shaw, Eckington, NOMA, National Mall and the Smithsonian, Gallery Place / Chinatown, Mt. Vernon Square, Downtown, Penn Quarter, Brentwood, Southwest Waterfront, Navy Yard, and nearby Crystal City, VA, as well as around landmarks such as the Ronald Reagan National Airport, United States Botanical Gardens, Hart Senate Building, National Gallery of Art, Lafayette Square, The White House, Freedom Plaza, Farragut Square, George Washington University, Capital One Arena, Union Station, Howard University Hospital, George Washington University Hospital, and Georgetown Waterfront Park.

Descriptions for Atlanta, Detroit, and Indianapolis are equally specific.

City-wide 5G coverage is still a little way away, but our experience suggests that if you manage to find the right location it feels like every bit the generational leap that its name suggests it should be.