Verizon has reached agreements with satellite providers for early clearance of more C-band spectrum it acquired in 2021, allowing it to roll out America’s most reliable 5G Ultra Wideband service to more consumers in more locations this year.

Verizon expects to deploy 5G Ultra Wideband service this year on at least 60 MHz of spectrum and up to 100 MHz of spectrum in some areas to at least 30 additional major markets areas, including the large population centers Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Washington, DC; and Denver, CO, thanks to the early clearance of the second phase of C-band spectrum, which was originally scheduled to be cleared in December 2023.

Verizon reported in January that the nation’s most reliable 5G Ultra Wideband service had reached 100 million people in 1,700 cities, more than two months ahead of schedule. Then, in March, Verizon announced yet another acceleration of its deployment plans, claiming that by the end of 2022, at least 175 million people will be covered, a full year ahead of schedule.

“This early spectrum clearance is just the latest development that allows us to bring 5G Ultra Wideband to our customers faster,” said Kyle Malady, EVP and President of Global Network and Technology. “We’ve been able to accelerate deployment because we’re driving more efficiency and coverage from the C-band spectrum, leveraging opportunities like the one we are announcing today, and leveraging our already in place infrastructure. In my career with Verizon, I have never experienced a network deployment move so quickly.”

Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband gives you the power and performance of a broadband internet connection at the tip of your hand. With download speeds of up to one gigabit per second and the ability to handle data-intensive actions from many devices at the same time, 5G Ultra Wideband allows consumers to perform things on the go that they previously could only do when connected to their home internet connection. This includes everything from downloading large files and seamlessly streaming HD audio and video movies to playing console-quality games and performing clear video chats, video conferencing, and FaceTime conversations.

The ability to connect to the network is important to the 5G experience, but it’s only one of several factors that must be in place to deliver the robust experience, reliability, security, and performance that 5G promises. A network that is properly designed and deployed will be able to accommodate a growing number of 5G users and use cases. A well-planned community will not create unlimited apartments and homes unless it also builds the necessary roads, schools, and electrical infrastructure to support the additional population.

That’s why Verizon is continuing to expand its core and fiber networks at the same time to support customers’ access to the 5G Ultra Wideband. It’s not enough for people to see a 5G icon on their phones.

“The guts of the network must manage the additional capacity, support the additional speeds, and support the additional intelligence and programmability needed for customers to take advantage of the advanced performance of 5G,” said Malady. “We’re laser focused on expanding our fiber network and capabilities, deploying virtualization throughout the network, using the most advanced technologies available, and strengthening the core of the network to take full advantage of the possibilities of 5G Ultra Wideband service.”

Verizon continues its differentiated 5G deployment with:

• mmWave deployments continue across the densest parts of the network, including high-population venues, arenas, airports and gathering spaces.
• Ongoing investments in fiber deployment allow Verizon engineers to scale transport needs easily and cost-effectively, and improve reliability and performance for customers. Verizon is in the process of upgrading backhaul from one gigabit per second to 10 gigabits per second to support the new spectrum deployments. This increased backhaul bandwidth will allow mobile and fixed wireless access customers to take full advantage of 5G peak speeds.
• Built on a webscale platform, the Verizon network is designed to be a multi-cloud network platform to support private networks, private and public MEC, in-building cloud systems, and multi-cloud management.
• Through the development of the Intelligent Edge Network, Verizon’s multi-purpose fiber and multi-service IP edge allow the network to serve a variety of use cases efficiently and at scale. Deploying these capabilities creates a highly efficient network that reduces both router and transport equipment while providing massive capacity for traffic growth.
• Virtualization of the core to the far edge, something Verizon has led the world on for years, drives efficiency and allows functionality to be distributed throughout the network with latency in mind, resulting in best-in-class latency for customers.
• Technology advancements in Massive MIMO and carrier aggregation pave the path for increased spectral efficiency, speed and capacity.
• Lastly, as the partner of choice for many of the world’s largest brands, Verizon continues to drive the 5G ecosystem.

“We will continue to give more customers access to 5G,” said Malady, “while building the entire network infrastructure and ecosystem to provide the most meaningful 5G experience possible for our customers.”