On Wednesday, Verizon announced that it had begun the rollout of high-speed 5G internet by turning on the service in Chicago and Minneapolis. The company officially switched on its 5G Ultra Wideband Network in select parts of those two US cities a full week ahead of schedule, which was highly anticipated to launch on April 11.
Verizon 5G network is concentrated in the Gold Coast, Old Town, River North, West Loop, and South Loop neighborhoods. 5G coverage is also available around landmarks such as Union Station, Willis Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, The Chicago Theatre, the Verizon store on The Magnificent Mile, and River North.
Verizon said its next-generation wireless service costs $10 more per month on top of its existing unlimited plans but that customers using its 5G Ultra Wideband network in Chicago or Minneapolis could see speeds of up to 1Gbps. In reality, you should expect typical download speeds of 450Mbps, with peak speeds of nearly 1Gbps, and latency of less than 30 seconds.
Verizon customers is the first in the world to have the power of 5G in their hands – Hans Vestberg, Verizon Chairman and CEO
To get the newly upgraded network, customers need a 5G enabled phone and can expect typical download speeds of about 450 Mbps, with peak speeds of nearly 1 Gbps. Customers, as the company claims, are to get regular software updates pushed to their devices and see network advancements throughout the rest of the year.
