Verizon Launches 5G Service in Minneapolis and Chicago

Verizon tried to take an early lead in the 5G era with its non-standard 5G home internet service last year, but today is the big day for Verizon’s real 5G network. The mobile 5G service is available in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis, but there aren’t any phones just yet. However, the company is pushing the 5G Mod accessory for the previously launched Moto Z3.

Verizon’s initial plan was to flip the switch on its 5G network on April 11, so this is a week ahead of schedule. While Verizon will eventually get 5G up and running in all its service areas, that’s probably years away. It’s starting with Minneapolis and Chicago, but only select areas of those markets.

In Chicago, 5G service will work in the West Loop and South Loop, as well as around landmarks like Union Station, Willis Tower, and The Art Institute of Chicago. The Verizon store on The Magnificent Mile will also have 5G coverage. In Minneapolis, 5G service is concentrated in the Downtown area as well as areas of Elliot Park and in the Verizon store in The Mall of America. The US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis also has an indoor 5G network.

You might remember the 4G LTE rollout didn’t have such narrow geographic restrictions. That’s because 5G service relies on millimeter wave frequencies (which Verizon calls ultra-wideband). These signals are between 10 and 100 times higher than LTE, so they can carry a lot of data. However, they also don’t pass through obstacles very well. You need more cell sites to cover the same area compared with LTE, including indoor networks like the one at US Bank Stadium.

Verizon will have the Galaxy S10 5G in a few weeks, but for now, the only way to experience 5G is to buy 2018’s Moto Z3 and the newly launched 5G Moto Mod. This component plugs into the back of the phone, adding a 5G radio to your 4G phone. Technically, the Mod is almost a phone on its own. It contains a Snapdragon 855 and X50 modem, along with an array of antennas to catch the 5G signal. It costs $200, while the phone is $240 (down from $480).

Verizon is off to an early lead, but the race is only just starting. AT&T launched its 5G service in select areas late last year, but it only made a single 5G hotspot available to select testers and hasn’t said a peep since. T-Mobile and Sprint are expected to launch limited 5G services in the next few months, but both carriers are pushing for a merger that would combine those networks down the line.

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