Home › News ›

Verizon Launching 5G on April 11 in Chicago, Minneapolis

Mar 13, 2019, 10:47 AM by Rich Brome

Verizon's first standards-compliant mobile 5G network will launch in select areas of Chicago and Minneapolis on April 11th. 5G service will cost an extra $10/month. The country's first 5G smartphone solution will be the 5G Moto Mod for the Moto z3, which customers can pre-order starting tomorrow, March 14th. For a limited time, the 5G Moto Mod is available for just $50, after which it will sell for $350. The $10/month 5G data plan offers truly unlimited 5G data and requires an existing "Unlimited" service plan. The first three months of 5G service are free. The 5G Moto Mod is only compatible with the Moto z3, and Verizon will only sell it to customers they can confirm have a Moto z3. Verizon has also announced plans to carry the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and LG V50 ThinQ phones, both of which have 5G fully integrated. Verizon's initial 5G NR network relies on the 28 GHz frequency band, which is considered mmWave. Such high frequencies have limited range and do not penetrate well indoors. The initial Chicago coverage will include West Loop, South Loop, Gold Coast, River North, Old Town, Union Station, Willis Tower, Art Institute, Millennium Park, Chicago Theatre, and near the Verizon Store on the Magnificent Mile. The Minneapolis coverage will include Downtown West, Downtown East, areas of Elliot Park, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis Central Library, Mill City Museum, Target Center, The Commons, and U.S. Bank Stadium. 5G offers lower latency (delay) and faster data speeds overall. Verizon's 5G phones are only compatible with the new 5G NR network launching in April, and not the company's existing 5G Home network, which uses an incompatible, non-standard technology.

Related

Review: Motorola Moto Z3 for Verizon Wireless

The Moto Z3 is the first 5G-upgradable phone thanks to a forthcoming Mod from Motorola and Verizon. This mid-range device sports a 2:1 screen, metal-and-glass design, and compatibility with Motorola's ecosystem of swappable modules.

Motorola's 5G Moto Mod Explained

Motorola and Verizon Wireless hope consumers will buy into the idea of upgrading their Moto Z3 phone with a modular 5G attachment some time next year. The Mod promises to bring a 10x improvement in data download speeds without sapping the battery too much.

Hands On with the Motorola Moto Z3

The latest entry in Motorola's Moto Z series of devices is the Z3, a thin slab that's compatible with Moto Mods modular attachments. The Z3 is an improved version of the Z3 Play thanks to a better processor and camera configuration.

Motorola Updates 5G Moto Mod, Adds Z2 Force Compatibility

Aug 16, 2019
Motorola has updated the software for its Moto Mod accessory that adds 5G to existing Moto Z-series phones, improving functionality for all phones, and adding compatibility with the Z2 Force for Verizon. The update improves both 5G download speeds, and enables two-way charging between the phone and the Mod when the battery is low in either.

Motorola, Verizon Successfully Test Data On Moto Z3's 5G Mod

Nov 14, 2018
Motorola and Verizon Wireless say they've successfully completed a 5G NR data transmission test between the Moto Z3 paired with a 5G Moto Mod and Verizon's network. Motorola announced the Moto Z3 for Verizon in August along with a Moto Mod capable of adding 5G to the Z3.

Motorola Moto z3

6" display FHD+ resolution
Snapdragon 835 processor 4 GB RAM
3,000 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, NFC, Fingerprint Reader, Water-Resistant

more news about:

Comments

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

Mark_S

Mar 14, 2019, 12:53 PM

Now everyone going to have to change out their phones again. More $$$ to the carriers and less in our own wallets.

Tofuchong

I don't see how 5G is necessary unless you live in a dense urban centre. I live near a city of about 100,000, and when I run an Ookla speed test on my Moto Z2 Play, I get on average 70 Mbps. The only advantage that a human might notice is reduced pi...
(continues)

decisivemoment

The truly unlimited part is noteworthy. At the very least it implies a trend toward far less restrictive data caps. Which, after all, is logical...if it only takes you a half second on the network to pull in what would have taken a minute before, they...
(continues)

Page 1 of 1