Verizon announced several new 5G milestones, including the creation of a virtual lab to accelerate the development of new 5G solutions and applications for consumers, businesses and government agencies; 5G Ultra Wideband availability in San Diego this month, Verizon’s 35th city to receive 5G mobility service; the roll out of 5G uploads in all existing 5G Ultra Wideband cities; and four new 5G technology partners who will help extend mmWave 5G coverage.

Verizon is building the network that will change how we live, work and play and this news marks significant leaps forward in 5G innovation. Verizon was first to 5G and we continue to drive the industry and our customers forward creating more options for consumers and businesses looking to tap into the power of 5G for work, entertainment and everything in between.

“Our customers’ need for 5G is accelerating,” said Kyle Malady, chief technology officer for Verizon. “We’re building our 5G Ultra Wideband network to develop and enable the 5G innovations that will support changing the behavior of consumers, businesses and entire industries.”

Virtual Lab—Accelerating 5G Innovation

Verizon operates seven 5G Labs in the U.S. and the U.K., designed as incubators for the 5G technologies that will change how we live, work and play. The concept of the Labs is to create a physical space for customers, partners, entrepreneurs, students and others to work together and stress test their ideas on Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network. The global pandemic has changed how we work and Verizon has quickly adapted the Lab environment into a virtual space in order to accelerate the collaboration needed to use 5G to solve the numerous, pressing challenges facing society today.

Additionally, the space can be used to host virtual conferences, demo new solutions, host impromptu brainstorming sessions, etc. Verizon’s newly acquired BlueJeans technology will play an important role in bringing the virtual lab to life.

Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband available in San Diego on May 28

America’s finest city will now be a 5G Ultra Wideband city. San Diego will be the 35th U.S. city to have Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband mobility service when the network goes live on May 28. Verizon’s 5G mobility service offers a powerful experience that impacts industries as diverse as public safety, health care, retail and sports.

In San Diego, 5G Ultra Wideband service initially will be concentrated in parts of Mission Valley near Westfield Mission Valley and SDCCU Stadium, Linda Vista along Linda Vista Road, Kensington near El Cajon Boulevard, and in Banker’s Hill on 1st Avenue. When customers move outside Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband coverage area, the 5G-enabled device transitions to Verizon’s 4G LTE network, the network more people rely on. In fact, reports earlier this year said that Verizon’s 4G LTE is faster than other 5G networks in user-experience testing.

5G upload now available

Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network is synonymous with fast download speeds, but one of the biggest requests we’ve had since launching our 5G network is when uplink for 5G uploads will be available on Verizon. Now customers can upload content using Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network. This makes it easier to upload high-def videos to social networks, back-up work and school projects to the cloud and play massive multiplayer games. 

Initially, customers should see upload speeds on 5G about 30 percent faster than 4G LTE. 5G upload is available in all 35 Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband cities, in our Chicago 5G Home market and in any stadium or arena with Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband service. 

Partnerships that enhance experiences for 5G mobile and home customers

Verizon announced partnerships with Movandi Corporation, Pivotal Commware, Inc. and Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC) to provide cutting-edge extender technology that will amplify mmWave coverage in public spaces and in homes, buildings and more. Not only can extenders expand coverage inside, they allow more customers to add more devices to the network and enhance mmmWave coverage at outdoor locations. Verizon is also partnering with Movandi Corporation, NXP™ and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to develop the latest chipset technology to enhance experiences and expand coverage for our 5G Home customers.

As we continue to expand mobile and home coverage across the country, Verizon will work with leading technology partners to further advance the 5G ecosystem and bring revolutionary 5G experiences to our customers.