CHICAGO – More U.S. Cellular customers will have access to the benefits of 5G technology as the company brings its 5G network to more states around the country throughout the second half of 2020.

The company will activate 5G in select areas in 11 states including California, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. The new states join parts of Iowa and Wisconsin that launched 5G service to customers earlier this year.

"We are excited to deliver 5G technology to our customers in more areas as we continue with our multi-year expansion plan," said Michael S. Irizarry, executive vice president and chief technology officer of U.S. Cellular. "We are on a path to modernize our network using the same exacting standards that helped us earn a #1 ranking in the North Central Region in the J.D. Power 2020 Wireless Network Quality Performance Study this July."

The company is building a portfolio of 5G smartphones, connected devices and IoT solutions that currently includes the Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G and the recently announced Samsung Galaxy A71 5G.

The company has established a variety of relationships with equipment and software vendors who are playing an important part in the modernization and deployment of the company's 5G network. Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung are helping lay the groundwork for U.S. Cellular to provide additional product and service enhancements supporting 5G mmWave spectrum and 5G New Radio (NR) technology.

"We will continue to enhance our 5G network to provide the best network experience to our customers," said Irizarry.

This is the second phase of the company's planned multi-year network expansion for 5G deployed on its 600 MHz spectrum. Customers within these new states will be notified when 5G is available through local advertising and targeted marketing in 2020 and beyond.

U.S. Cellular