Despite what T-Mobile says about their own 5G network, Verizon continues to call its 5G Ultra Wideband, “the nation’s most reliable 5G network.” It may become more reliable now. Verizon has gained headway in their efforts by deploying more C-Band spectrum. It’s now using 100MHz in many US markets. This is almost double what they had been working with prior to this point.
With more spectrum in use, customers should see significantly higher speeds. The cell towers will also be able to handle a much greater capacity to accommodate more devices and more robust services. It even opens up Verizon’s 5G Home broadband and Business Internet services to more customers.
“This increase from using 60MHz to 100 MHz of C-band – which we will ultimately have available in many markets across the US – allows us to support more network traffic, deliver even better performance to our customers and add new products and services on top of the mobile and fixed wireless access solutions we provide today,” said Kyle Malady, EVP and President, Global Networks and Technology. “Reaching new levels of innovation and digital transformation in our society requires a fundamental transformation of the networks our world runs on. The continued evolution of our network is paving the way for this tremendous growth.”
Verizon started by running trials. Engineers achieved download speeds up to 1.4 Gbps near active cell sites. At distances further from the towers (distance not specified), they got up to 500 Mbps. Once agreements with satellite providers cleared C-Band spectrum, they were finally able to make it available months earlier than expected (it was originally scheduled to be cleared in December 2023).
This is only the start of customers gaining access to more spectrum. More spectrum should be cleared in the coming months and years. Verizon expects that customers will have access to between 140-200 MHz of C-Band spectrum across the nation.
