5G is here, or at least it is in parts of Sacramento in the US state of California. Verizon today formally launched what it says is the first commercial 5G network today.
That being said, this isn't yet about people buying 5G phones - those aren't available yet. Verizon's initial 5G rollout is targeted at bandwidth to the home.
The operator has built on 5G TF and it offers WiFi speeds of up to 300Mbps, offering a cord-cutting alternative for some $70/month. The effort is backed by recent buildouts of some 200+ small cells mounted on poles and street lamps around Sacramento.
That seems like a price point that might work if the network performance holds up. It might even compete with Verizon's Fios fiber broadband service in some cases, though I don't know if any current territories overlap just yet.
The initial roll-out is also hitting parts of Houston in Texas, Indianapolis in Indiana, and Los Angeles in California. I doubt it is a coincidence that Verizon sold its Fios networks in California and Texas to Frontier a few years ago.
This article was authored by Rob Powell and was originally posted on Telecomramblings.com
Rob Powell is founder & editor of Telecom Ramblings, which was set up in 2008. The website is dedicated to discussing trends and developments in the telecom industry.