Verizon 5G coverage map, plans, phones and home internet

(Paradigm credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Verizon)

Verizon 5G, the first 5G network to launch in the U.Due south. two years agone, boasted the fastest speeds out of the gate — though with a crucial caveat about only how far those signals could achieve. Now, as Verizon continues to build out its network with nationwide coverage, information technology's looking to make certain its fastest 5G speeds accomplish more areas.

Part of that volition be to continue expanding millimeter wave-based 5G coverage in dense urban areas, while relying on lower-band spectrum to provide declension-to-coast 5G. And in the near future, Verizon hopes to ensure that more of its customers volition exist able to benefit from faster 5G through the use of something chosen C-band spectrum.

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If it sounds disruptive, that'southward because it is. After all, Verizon threw the switch on its initial 5G coverage in April 2019, and at that place's yet enough of ways to get earlier 5G really takes hold.

Here'due south a closer wait at Verizon 5G — including coverage maps, plans, 5G phones, 5G home internet, hotspot utilize and more.

Verizon 5G network: How it works

To get its 5G network off the ground in 2019, Verizon leaned heavily into millimeter wave (mmWave), which Verizon markets as its Ultra Wideband network. While both AT&T and T-Mobile take used mmWave to some extent, their initial 5G efforts take concentrated more on using lower-band spectrum for more all-encompassing coverage.

The different approaches explain the contrasting feel you might accept on the carriers' respective 5G networks up until now. Verizon'south Ultra Wideband 5G is fast, as we'll detail beneath. But information technology has a hard time going around obstacles or penetrating walls and glass. The sub-6GHz spectrum that makes upwardly the bulk of 5G coverage for AT&T and T-Mobile has a more extensive reach, just speeds were merely marginally faster than LTE at launch.

Verizon isn't relying solely on mmWave for its 5G network whatever more. Information technology'southward turned to a engineering chosen dynamic spectrum sharing that volition allow the wireless carrier to share spectrum between 4G and 5G, with more demanding tasks like downloads and live streams getting the college spectrum. "Nosotros're going to have depression band, mid band, loftier band, and nosotros'll exist using utilise cases to direct the right usage for the correct network," said Nicki Palmer, Verizon'southward chief product development officer when nosotros spoke to her at the end of 2019.

To that extent, Verizon announced the launch of a nationwide 5G network at the same time the iPhone 12 launched last fall. The speeds aren't as fast equally Verizon'due south Ultra Wideband deployment, only information technology reaches more people. Verizon's nationwide 5G coverage at present reaches 230 meg. That'south not equally extensive as the T-Mobile 5G network, which covers 287 1000000 people, simply it'southward better than it was when Verizon solely relied on Ultra Wideband for 5G.

Verizon 5G coverage map

As of this writing, Verizon offers Ultra Wideband service in 71 cities. That, combined with the slower nationwide coverage, gives Verizon a wider reach than before, equally you can see from the 5G coverage map on Verizon'due south website.

Verizon 5g map april 2021 — Verizon 5G coverage (Image credit: Verizon)

Merely because Verizon has Ultra Wideband coverage in a particular metropolis, that doesn't mean the entire city is covered. Rather, Verizon's high-speed 5G coverage is unremarkably concentrated in highly trafficked areas downtown. You likewise mostly need to be within line of sight of a Verizon 5G pocket-sized cell in social club to get 5G coverage — so don't expect 5G to be everywhere you roam. Verizon's working on expanding coverage in the cities where it already has Ultra Wideband even as it works to add together more cities to the mix.

In addition to mmWave-based 5G towers in cities, Verizon has too put its high-speed 5G cells inside NFL stadiums as well as basketball and hockey arenas, which people will finally go to experience as coronavirus restrictions loosen. The 5G coverage in those venues doesn't always extend to all areas — just select sections in some cases — but Verizon is promising to have expanded 5G coverage in 28 of the NFL's thirty stadiums this yr. It goes to illustrate that one of the best uses of mmWave 5G is in specific areas where there are a lot of people looking for cellular coverage.

Verizon 5G speed

Await fast speeds if you've got a 5G-phone tied to Verizon'due south network, and you're around one of those Ultra Wideband towers.

Hans Vestberg at Apple's iPhone 12 event. — Hans Vestberg at Apple's iPhone 12 issue. (Image credit: Apple)

Our experience with the Galaxy S20 Ultra when that phone shipped a year ago is illustrative. Using the phone on Verizon's network, we saw download speeds top 1.iv Gbps via mmWave; T-Mobile's performance over 5G was barely faster than its LTE network at the time. And while Verizon's 5G coverage was initially limited to only download speeds, fast uploads now occur over 5G as well.

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg says that his company's download speeds can reach 4Gbps while upload speeds peak at 200 Mbps. Of form, those speeds are achieved nether what Verizon calls "ideal conditions." And they likely don't reflect what you'd experience in the newly launch nationwide coverage. In fact, in December, a written report suggested in some cases that those non-mmWave speeds were worse than LTE in some parts of the country.

In its written report on mobile network performance for the 2d one-half of 2020, testing firm RootMetrics hailed Verizon's "potent 5G speeds," though it noted the launch of the slower nationwide network was causing average speeds to drib. (RootMetrics all the same ranks Verizon as the summit network overall.)

opensignal Q1 2021 results — (Image credit: Opensignal)

OpenSignal draws much the same conclusion in its Apr 2021 report on 5G functioning. Rival T-Mobile dominates most categories, with Verizon only managing to share top honors with AT&T in the 5G gaming experience category. In the crucial area of speed, Verizon notches an boilerplate download speed of 47.seven Mbps, trailing both T-Mobile and AT&T. As well, Verizon tallied the worst 5G availability score, according to OpenSignal, with subscribers getting a 5G indicate 11.2% of the time. (T-Mobile dominates that category with 33.i% 5G availability.)

Verizon 5G phones

Given Verizon's status as one of the best phone carriers, if in that location'south a 5G phone available, yous'll likely find it at Big Blood-red. That includes 5G-capable flagships from Samsung, with the 5G-set iPhone 12 available from Verizon. The Galaxy S21 lineup is now available there, also.

Verizon has fifty-fifty lined upwards a few exclusives for 5G phones. Information technology's the but place you tin go the Motorola Edge Plus, a $999 flagship telephone from Motorola likewise equally the $399 TCL x 5G UW, one of the cheaper 5G phones.

5G phones at Verizon by and large cost as much as they do at other carriers, merely there are some exceptions. In a few cases, phone makers accept to develop special versions of phones to work with Verizon's Ultra Wideband network, and that translates to higher costs. Concluding twelvemonth'southward Samsung Galaxy A71 5G, for example, debuted $649 at Verizon — a $l premium over what other carriers charged. The LG Velvet and OnePlus viii as well cost $100 more at Verizon than they did at other carriers.

Here's a choice of some of the 5G-capable phones currently bachelor at Verizon.

Apple iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G
Kyocera DuraForce Ultra 5G UW
LG Fly
Motorola Edge Plus and Motorola I 5G UW
Nokia 8 V 5G UW
OnePlus 8
Samsung Galaxy S21, Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy A42
Samsung Milky way Note 20 and Annotation xx Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
TCL 10 5G UW

Verizon 5G plans and costs

Here'southward some good news — calculation 5G coverage to your Verizon service won't cost anything extra. That is, if you accept the right unlimited data programme.

Three of Verizon'south iv current unlimited information plans include 5G coverage equally an included do good. So if you want 5G at no extra toll, sign up for a Verizon Play More, Exercise More or Go More than programme. The showtime two plans each toll $80 a month for a unmarried line of data; Get More is the virtually expensive plan at $90 a month. There are discounts as you add more lines, so a family of four would pay $180 a month for four lines of Play More, which happens to exist the best Verizon phone plan.

There'due south one other unlimited data program available at Verizon — First Unlimited. It's the cheapest of Verizon's electric current unlimited data options at $70 a month, but information technology also doesn't include 5G coverage. To go 5G with a Beginning Unlimited programme, you'll need to pay an actress $10 a calendar month. At that point, you're ameliorate off opting for the Play More than or Get More than plans.

Prepaid customers can now get 5G coverage, also. Nationwide 5G coverage comes with every prepaid plan, including the 15GB/$45-per-calendar month selection that tops the all-time prepaid phone plans. Only the $lxx-per-month unlimited data plan for prepaid customers includes admission to Ultra Wideband service from Verizon.

Verizon 5G hotspot

Verizon restricts hotspot speeds on its unlimited data plans to LTE. If you want a 5G hotspot, you'll need to get a dedicated device. Verizon recently upgraded the 5G hotspot device it sells to the Inseego MiFi M2100 5G UW. Information technology costs $399, or $250 less than Verizon's previous 5G hotspot, and its Wi-Fi half dozen support lets it connect to 30 devices. More importantly, information technology supports dynamic spectrum sharing for when Verizon uses that technology to build out is 5G coverage. No wonder we include the M2100 on our list of the best mobile hotspots.

Verizon 5G home internet

Verizon'due south 5G efforts extend beyond merely wireless coverage. The company will offer 5G home internet service in 33 cities, once Memphis, Tenn., and San Antonio, Texas come online in early May.

You'll need to check Verizon for 5G abode internet availability, but unless you live in specific parts of the 31 cities, you're out of luck until Verizon further expands its service. 5G home internet costs $l a month if you have a qualifying phone programme with Verizon and $lxx without; the offset three months are gratuitous. New 5G customers get a Samsung Chromebook iv from Verizon — thats one of the best Chromebooks available correct at present.

Verizon has said to await typical speeds of 300 Mbps with habitation 5G coverage with top speeds reach 940 Mbps. Withal, new 5G dwelling equipment released with the expansion of 5G home service to new cities has increased the peak speed to one Gbps.

Verizon 5G: What's side by side

Verizon ended 2019 with 31 cities enjoying some 5G coverage. It then went and came one city shy of doubling that footprint last yr. More chiefly, Verizon has moved beyond mmWave-based 5G to offer more extensive coverage, merely as the most popular smartphone is calculation 5G compatibility.

The focus this year is non only expanding that nationwide coverage but bringing faster speeds to more areas. The C-ring spectrum Verizon recently won in an auction will play a big role in that. C-band can travel further than mmWave, and presumably Verizon will utilize that to expand the reach of fast 5G speeds. At any charge per unit, Verizon says that 100 million people volition be covered past C-band past year'southward cease.

Verizon's laid a lot of the background to handle the added interest in 5G, merely the Verizon 5G network remains a work in progress, especially with coverage at present bachelor to more than people.

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Philip Michaels is a senior editor at Tom'south Guide. He has strong opinions virtually Apple tree, the Oakland Athletics and old movies. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.