5G in the USA: More Mobile Steps

Verizon has announced it will launch at least 20 more 5G cities in 2019, while Sprint says it will start its first 5G markets in the coming weeks.

Verizon will launch its ultra wideband-branded mobile, 3GPP-standards-based 5G service in 30 more markets in 2019. Twenty cities are announced now for 2019, with more to come. Markets announced include Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Washington DC.

Sprint, meanwhile, is readying to launch its first 5G markets in the coming weeks. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City are supposed to be the first 5G markets, while Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix and Washington DC will follow by the end of June.

So let's take a look at the latest 5G developments:

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)
What: Mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard with fixed wireless 5G expected in 2020.
Where: Parts of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, San Antonio and Waco (2018)
Parts of Chicago, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Nashville, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose (2019)
When: Mobile 5G is being rolled out now
Frequencies: 2018 (& beyond): 39GHz; post-2020: Sub-6GHz
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Netgear, Nokia, Samsung
Devices: Netgear Nighthawk 5G
Anticipated download speeds: Theoretical peaks pegged at 1.2 Gbit/s, while actual speeds will be lower, according to AT&T
Capex plan for 2019: $23 billion

For more:

• AT&T Adds 2 More US Cities to 5G Plans in 2019
  
• 2019: Samsung Gets Busy With 5G in US
  
• AT&T's 5G Switches On in 12 US Cities, but Only for 'Early Adopters'

Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S)
What: Mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard
Where: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles New York City, Phoenix and Washington, DC
When: Initial launches will start in May and into 2019
Frequencies: 2.5GHz
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, HTC, LG Electronics, Nokia, Samsung, Qualcomm
Devices: Forthcoming LG V50 ThinQ & Samsung S10 5GSmartphones and a 5G hotspot
Anticipated download speeds: 250-300 Mbit/s (mobile)
Capex plan for 2018: $5-$6 billion, 2019 expectations slated for FY Q4

For more:

Sprint Dribbles Out 5G Updates, but Big Picture Still Cloudy

T-Mobile US Inc.
What: Mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard
Where: Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City and 26 other cities
When: 5G will arrive in the second half of 2019 as compatible smartphones arrive, with a nationwide rollout to be completed in 2020
Frequencies: 600MHz, 28GHz, 39GHz
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung
Devices: Smartphones
Anticipated download speeds: 100-200 Mbit/s (mobile)
Capex plan for 2019: $5.9-$6.1 billion

For more:

• T-Mobile's Ewaldsson: 5G Spectrum – the More Bands the Better
  
• T-Mobile to Roll Out 5G in 30 US Cities in 2018
  
• T-Mobile Promises 'Nationwide' 5G in 2020 With New Spectrum

Verizon Wireless
What: Fixed 5G using its home-grown 5GTF spec first, with mobile 5G using the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) standard in the first half of 2019
Where: Fixed: Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento, Panama City
Mobile: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Washington DC
When: October 2018 (fixed), mobile (1H19), (Panama City: TBD)
Frequencies: 28GHz
Suppliers (known so far): Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, Qualcomm
Devices: Motorola z3 smartphone with snap-on Moto 5G Mod module and Samsung S10 5G for mobile, 5G customer premises equipment and home routers for fixed 5G
Download speeds: 300 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s (fixed)
Capex plan for 2019: $17 billion - $18 billion

For more:

• Verizon: Fully Virtualized 5G Core to Launch in 1 to 2 Years
• Verizon Plans to Offer Samsung 5G Phone in H1 2019
• Ericsson & Samsung to Supply Verizon With Fixed 5G Gear

What does this mean in the real world?
Initial mobile 5G coverage is still initially patchy because of its coverage limitations. The initial offerings of Sprint 2.5GHz 5G will offer better coverage but with lower download speeds.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

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