Verizon will install c-band radios outdoors at each DoD facility, as well as a mix of 4G and 5G mmWave in certain indoor locations
Verizon Public Sector has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to deliver its 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) mobility service — branded as Ultra Wideband — to seven Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installations located in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.
The deployment expands Verizon’s already robust 5G portfolio with the federal government, and with the DoD specifically. In June, Verizon secured a $495 million contract with the DoD to deliver high-bandwidth, low-latency, Layer 2 wide area network services in support of critical research. Then, in July, the DoD awarded the carrier a $78.8M Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) task order to provide advanced network modernization services to the Air National Guard (ANG) Readiness Center.
The latest deployment will include c-band radios installed outdoors at each facility, as well as a mix of 4G and 5G mmWave frequency some indoor locations. Verizon stated that the installation will bring “higher speeds, increased bandwidth and lower latency for the base personnel and the surrounding community.”
In 2019, Verizon secured 10 Air Force contacts under the government’s Offer to Lease (OTL) program. The latest news, then, brings the total number of U.S. Air Force bases using or planning to use Verizon’s 5G network and other wireless services to 17.
“Serving as an indispensable partner to the military and their strategic digital transformation objectives is one of our highest priorities,” said Jennifer Chronis, senior vice president for Public Sector at Verizon. “Air Force leadership describes their modernization as a transition from an industrial-age force to an information-age force and Verizon Public Sector is their partner in that journey, providing a 5G network with the right technology solutions to meet their needs today, and into the future.”
Verizon has previously said that it expects to launch 5G C-band service in the first quarter of 2022 in 46 markets and provide 5G mmWave service to 100 million people. Then, throughout 2022 and 2023, coverage is expected to increase to more than 175 million people. By 2024, when the remaining C-band spectrum is cleared, said the carrier, more than 250 million people are expected to have access to Verizon’s mmWave service on C-band spectrum.
