Verizon Lights Up First Commercial 5G Network With 1Gbps Speeds And Loads Of Freebies

Right on schedule, Verizon today turned on the first fully-functional 5G wireless network in the world. Now before you run down to your local Verizon Wireless store to grab a 5G smartphone, we'll have to temper your expectations. There still aren’t any 5G-capable smartphone available, and this initial service is called Verizon 5G Home, which is only for residential internet services.

And we should also mention that it is only available in four U.S. cities at the moment: Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. If you live in one of these cities, you'll be able to access "typical" network speeds ranging from 300Mbps to 1Gbps. We doubt that it'll rival Google Fiber's sustained symmetrical 1Gbps transfers, but the 1Gbps top-end is still higher than what many Americans are able to achieve with their cable connections.

verizon 5G

Verizon 5G Home is priced at a [relatively] reasonable $70 per month and there are no data caps attached, which is somewhat surprising (and appreciated). If you already have a qualifying Verizon Wireless smartphone plan, your monthly price is just $50 per month.

In addition, Verizon will give those who sign up a free router and you'll get free installation. And if that wasn't enough to entice folks to ditch their current ISP, Verizon gives you a choice of a free Google Chromecast Ultra or an Apple TV 4K. Want more freebies? You'll also get three months of YouTube TV for free.

The nation's largest wireless carrier says that Verizon 5G Home is based on the open 5G TF network standard. According to the Verizon, relying on 5G TF allowed it to quickly bring 5G speeds to residential customers while it works on its end goal of blanketing the county with a wireless network based on the 3GPP 5G NR standard.

“We’ve formed incredible partnerships with many of the world’s leading technology companies, the international technical standards bodies, public officials, developers and our own customers to drive the 5G ecosystem forward, faster than most had predicted," said Verizon Wireless President Ronan Dunne. "And now, actual customers. It’s been an incredible journey...and we’re just at the starting line.”