Verizon is moving ahead with its 5G ambitions with the announcement of the first two cities where it will deploy its ultra-fast connection.
The U.S. carrier plans to turn on its 5G network in Chicago and Minneapolis on Apr. 11, it said in a statement on Wednesday. In a statement, Verizon CTO Kyle Malady said that the company is only starting in Chicago and Minneapolis, with only parts of the cities getting 5G coverage initially. The carrier plans to have more than 30 U.S. markets running 5G connections by the end of the year.
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Verizon said that its 5G offering will come with unlimited data that will cost $10 a month with any Verizon unlimited plan. That's on top of what unlimited customers are paying already. The first three months of Verizon's 5G unlimited data will be free to customers.
In order to usher in 5G, Verizon also announced that it will be exclusively offering the 5G Moto Mod for pre-order starting on Mar. 14. The Moto Mod is an add-on for the Moto Z3 smartphone that effectively turns it into a 5G phone. Verizon said that the Moto Z3 and Moto Mod combination will turn it into the world's first 5G phone.
Soon enough, other handsets, including the Galaxy S10 5G and others, will be coming online with 5G connectivity. An exact launch date for those handsets, however, is unknown.
Verizon's network uses Ultra Wideband technology that relies on new radio relays and hardware to deliver 5G connections. In areas where 5G is available, devices will connect seamlessly to the network to provide a faster connection. When you move away from the 5G area, phones will transition to Verizon's 4G LTE network.
Of course, Verizon isn't alone in building out its 5G network. AT&T has also said that it will roll out 5G to 30-plus cities this year.