Verizon is planning to increase 5G network speeds to rural areas in December of this year, though where exactly has yet to be determined. The company discussed plans to expand its C-band 5G network during this week’s quarterly earnings report.
Compared to Verizon’s current 5G deployments, rural residents will have faster internet with fewer disruptions in service. That’s a big plus for those who are not thrilled with millimeter wave spectrum (mmWave), which is notorious for having spotty connections indoors.
While C-band spectrum isn’t exactly up to par with the speeds of mmWave, it would provide rural areas with noticeably faster service covering a significantly greater range all while requiring fewer cell towers. Verizon spent several billion dollars to acquire C-band spectrum in an auction last year, aiming to incorporate it more mainstream into their service.
“Our operational and financial results reflect the steps that we have taken to improve our performance. Compared to this time last year, we have added more postpaid phone gross additions to our network and have increased our cash flow from operations and free cash flow. Last month, we announced that our 5G Ultra Wideband now reaches more than 200 million people as we continue to undergo the most aggressive network deployment in our company’s history. With our mobile and broadband capabilities and our focus on network strength, we are giving more customers in more places a superior network experience,” said Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg during the quarterly call.
Sources state that Verizon’s C-band 5G coverage is currently “deployed to 70 out of the 406 available markets, mostly in urban and suburban areas.” CEO Hans Vestberg wants to launch C-band in the remaining 330 markets, though did not go into further details regarding which areas would be covered by the network’s expansion by December 2023.