Verizon will launch its new C-Band 5G network in 46 major metro areas on Jan. 19, company execs said today, covering more than 100 million people across the country.
News of the Jan. 19 date, also announced by President Joe Biden, comes after Verizon promised earlier today to provide that coverage "this month." Verizon already has the 100 million points of presence (POPs) ready to go today, CTO Kyle Malady said; it just needs to flip the switch. "We have 100 million right now and we're building every single day," he said.
What Will C-Band Do?
Verizon's C-Band currently consists of 60MHz of airwaves sandwiched between its current 4G allocations and the 5GHz Wi-Fi band. When it flips on, it will at least double the bandwidth available to most Verizon devices. Verizon's earlier fast 5G system, millimeter-wave, has incredible speed and massive capacity, but it covers very little area. C-Band's coverage will be closer to existing 4G systems.
If you're in an area that's regularly congested, that'll be a relief. Otherwise, new applications will likely follow once the network is widespread. That hasn't happened for 5G yet because "nationwide" 5G systems from AT&T and Verizon aren't noticeably different from their 4G ones. In general, though, the idea is for your mobile internet connection to feel more like a good home internet connection.
5G users on the new network "can download the highest definition movies in minutes, import songs to giant CAD files, download huge documents and more... it allows for more seamless HD audio and video streaming, including video chats, video conferencing and FaceTime calls with clear sound and video," the company said in a press release.
C-Band will let Verizon offer new home internet options, Verizon Consumer CEO Manon Brouilette said. The Home Internet service will be primarily offered in areas that don't have Verizon Fios. The two service plans will be a $50/month plan ($25 for some Verizon Wireless customers) with a 300Mbps hard throttle, and a $70/month plan ($35 for some Verizon Wireless customers) with no throttle, but advertising "up to 1Gbps." Neither has a monthly data cap.
This then turned into a complicated conversation with the Verizon folks about whether anyone who doesn't have millimeter-wave coverage should sign up for the more expensive plan, because if you're in a C-band-only area Verizon promises "typical download speeds of 90-170Mbps." The answer seems largely to be "buyer beware."
Malady noted Verizon is still expanding millimeter-wave coverage, and that millimeter-wave and C-Band will complement each other.
"Where we've put mmWave in for fixed wireless access, we're finding it's fine for mobility. If some of the usage is on C-Band for fixed wireless, that's OK with us, and the mmWave can pick up some of the mobility traffic in the area," he said.
Where Will C-Band Be?
While only 46 FCC-certified areas can get C-Band before 2024, many of the 46 "areas" include huge rural regions. The New York area includes the entire state of Connecticut, for instance, and the Miami one includes the entire southeast quarter of the Florida peninsula.
All 46 regions will get C-Band on Jan. 19. While Verizon will eventually fill in the blanks, the network will start in center cities and work outwards, Malady said.
As part of the deal with the FAA, Verizon and ATT have agreed to create "exclusion zones" around no more than 50 airports in the 46 areas, for the next six months. Malady said Verizon will generally follow France's strategy for creating exclusion zones.
As opposed to Canada, where exclusion zones knock out large parts of surrounding suburbs, France's exclusion zones seem small. While I couldn't find the spec online, nPerf has a crowdsourced map of 4G and 5G coverage in France and the 5G coverage includes all of the roadways around Charles-de-Gaulle, France's largest airport.
In any case, the areas excluded have been counted out of the 100 million people covered, Malady said; when they're finally turned on, that will just increase Verizon's population count.
What Phones Will Use C-Band?
"Every iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, iPad 5G series, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Flip3 and Galaxy Fold 3 can access the full Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network, including C-Band and mmWave, with the latest software update," a Verizon spokesman told me.
"Some additional 5G phones will receive software updates to enable C-Band access in the coming weeks, including the Pixel 6 series. Going forward, every 5G device Verizon sells to postpaid customers will be C-Band compatible and we will have more than 20 C-Band compatible devices by the end of the year," he added.
The network will also be available to Visible customers as well as to Verizon MVNOs like US Mobile as long as they have contracts which let them access "UWB" networks, Brouilette said.
How Much Will Plans Cost?
The carrier's three "new" plans do not have different pricing than existing plans, Brouilette said. Verizon is just changing some of its plan terms.
The Get More plan, which still costs $90/month (but much less if you have multiple lines) now has unlimited unthrottled data on your phone, instead of 50GB previously; and now has 50GB of nationwide hotspot rather than 30GB. The $80 Do More and Play More plans have 25GB of nationwide hotspot instead of 15GB. However, currently, those plans offer unlimited hotspot on millimeter-wave. We're checking to see if that applies to C-Band as well.
The Play More and Get More plans now also include either Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass for the life of the plan, where they were formerly just six- to 12-month promos.
We look forward to testing Verizon's new network as close to launch as we can.