5G coming on April 11 on the Motorola z3 handset
Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband Network is set to light up parts of Chicago and Minneapolis on April 11. Beginning March 14 customers can pre-order Motorola’s clip-on 5G mod for the moto z3 handset and the carrier, perhaps most significantly, has detailed pricing for the next-generation service.
According to the carrier, postpaid subscribers with an unlimited plan–Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited or Above Unlimited, can get unlimited 5G for a $10 per month up-charge with fees waived for the first three months.
Last year Verizon activated its 5G Home fixed wireless broadband service in four markets. Those deployments were based on the company’s Verizon Technical Forum standard rather than the 3GPP’s 5G NR standard. The mobile service, and all other future 5G services, will be based on 5G NR, Verizon said.
Verizon Chief Technology Officer Kyle Malady said in a statement noted the relationship between 5G and LTE, which the company continues to enhance with 4X4 MIMO, 256 QAM, multi-channel carrier aggregation and Licensed Assisted Access.
“Not all 5G networks are the same,” Malady said. “Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network is built by the company with the nation’s best and most reliable 4G LTE network. It will change the way we live, work, learn and play.”
Beyond the two launch cities, Verizon has articulated plans to offer mobile 5G in 30 cities in the first half of the year using its millimeter wave spectrum holdings. Speaking last month at an investor event, CEO Hans Vestberg said the company is committed “to be on the leading edge of technology to provide customers with the best network experiences in the world, to deliver growth in revenue and profitability, to expand our 5G leadership, to sustain value to shareholders, and to enable services that benefit society and make the world a better place.”
Following on the moto z3 with the 5G mod, Verizon also plans to offer Samsung’s Galaxy S10 5G device and LG’s V50 ThinQ, both of which were unveiled last month ahead of Mobile World Congress Barcelona.
