AT&T and Verizon both expanded their 5G ultra-wideband reach in January AT&T much more than Verizon, but none of the cellular carriers made truly major moves in the past few weeks with the 5G network. That’s all about to change with the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup on February 11, and the Mobile World Congress trade show starting February 24. The two events will deliver what is expected to be the first truly popular 5G phones to US carrier.
Up until now, the major, mainstream flagship phones in the US haven’t been 5G. Most of the high-end phones sold here are either Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy Note, or Apple iPhone models, and up until now, only super-expensive variants of the S and Note have carried 5G support.
Samsung could duplicate last year’s strategy and only offer 5G on its highest-end Galaxy S20 models. But if it goes ahead and activates 5G up and down its line, millions more Americans will start to use 5G networks.