Verizon will launch its mid-band 5G in the major "missing" cities of Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and Washington D.C. this year, thanks to an agreement the carrier just made with satellite firms previously holding the spectrum.
This will give Verizon even more mid-band 5G bandwidth in these new areas than it does in the 46 "primary economic areas" where it currently has its C-band network, the carrier tells PCMag. Verizon will get access to 100MHz of spectrum in "at least 30 additional major market areas" this year, it says, although it only named the ones above. It currently uses 60MHz of spectrum for its C-band network.
“This early spectrum clearance is just the latest development that allows us to bring 5G Ultra Wideband to our customers faster,” says Kyle Malady, EVP and President of Global Network and Technology.
At least some of the spectrum comes from Luxembourg-based satellite firm SES, which will be paid up to $170 million by Verizon to speed up the clearing, SES says in a press release. Verizon confirmed that SES is "not the only satellite provider clearing early for us."
“Providing 5G services to as many Americans as soon as possible supports the US economy and enables the delivery of valuable services to the population. We will leverage the experience we have gained over the past year and shorten the clearing timeline for Verizon’s spectrum,” says Steve Collar, CEO at SES.
Why Denver Got Left Out
The C-band spectrum held mostly by Verizon and AT&T came in two phases. The first phase, released this year, let the carriers launch 3.7-3.8GHz in 46 "partial economic areas," in which Verizon got 60MHz and AT&T got 40MHz. You can see those initial 46 areas by going to Spectrum Omega, scrolling down on the right and choosing "3.7GHz A1-Int."
Those areas most notably excluded Denver, Atlanta, and Washington/Baltimore, because those regions have concentrations of satellite ground stations, and the satellite firms said they needed more time to shift technology there. They also excluded Honolulu, which is highly dependent on satellite connections.
The rest of the spectrum, which would include the rest of the country and the bands from 3.8-3.98GHz, doesn't legally have to open up before the end of 2023. But Verizon just jumped the queue through its deal with the satellite companies.
AT&T and T-Mobile both have C-band allocations in that 2023 section, but they don't get any of what Verizon just opened up. AT&T said it's focused on combining its 40MzH of early C-band with its 40MHz of nationwide 3.45GHz, which it bought in a different auction. T-Mobile has said that it's happy for now with its 2.5GHz mid-band, and it's pushing to be able to buy more of that.
"Our mid-band spectrum plans remain on track including ramping up by the second half of the year our one-touch tower deployments with C-Band and additional nationwide mid-band spectrum from the 3.45 GHz auction," an AT&T spokesperson said.
Back of the napkin math has Verizon now with 60-100MHz of C-band depending on where you are; AT&T with 40-80MHz; and T-Mobile with more, but T-Mobile has various deployment complexities, which mean the amount of mid-band spectrum it uses in a given city varies.
Verizon has previously said it will cover 175 million of the 191 million people in its planned 2022 coverage area with C-band. The company now tells me that it has not yet changed its guidance as to the number of people covered, so that may mean coverage in the 46 previously cited areas will be less comprehensive now that there are more cities available to cover.
AT&T previously said it will cover 70-75 million people with mid-band this year. T-Mobile has said it's targeting 260 million by the end of the year.
Editors' Note: This story was updated with additional information from AT&T and Verizon.