Verizon’s big 5G upgrade will enable high-speed home internet to reach nearly 20 million customers – CNET [CNET]

Verizon’s expansion of its 5G network on January 19 won’t just increase speeds on the go. The carrier has also been increasing its coverage for home internet, and in two weeks, nearly 20 million customers will be able to sign up for it.

The update is in an increase from the carrier’s previously stated plans to offer home internet over 4G LTE or millimeter-wave 5G to 15 million customers by the end of 2021. 

Verizon’s home internet service translates the mobile network signals to WiFi, allowing folks to get the same high speeds they experience on the go on their devices, computers and TVs. But the expansion of the carrier’s 5G service with the activation of the so-called C-band frequencies on January 19 will enable more customers to access those speeds as part of a home internet service.

When connected to 5G Home, what Verizon calls its home internet service that is available over 5G, the carrier says that users can expect “typical” download speeds around 300 Mbps and peaks up to 1 gigabit per second. These are comparable to the speeds offered by the wired fiber-optic Verizon Fios service. 

Verizon has no data caps for its home internet service and taxes and fees are included in its starting price of $50 per month (with automatic payments enabled). To attract subscribers the carrier has been bundling a host of perks, including Google Nest devices, price lock guarantees and even a free first month of service. On Tuesday it added a new incentive for those with its Do More, Play More or Get More wireless plans, allowing them to save 50% on the monthly cost of 5G Home if they have both services.

The perks show the long road Verizon has ahead of it as looks to go in adding 5G Home customers. The service had around 150,000 subscribers split between consumers and businesses, Verizon executive VP Matt Ellis stated during the carrier’s third-quarter 2021 earnings call (PDF transcript).

The expanded 5G Home customer base will be spread across many of the country’s largest cities included in the C-band rollout, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Miami. Not just the cities, either, as the coverage will expand over 46 partial economic areas (PEAs) that are covered by Verizon C-band, mmWave, and 4G LTE networks. 

More cities and PEAs will be added over time, though Verizon did state that the service won’t come to areas where it already offers wired Fios high-speed internet. The carrier hasn’t clarified whether it will offer its wireless internet service to households that are in areas with Fios but don’t have access to it.

Along with AT&T, Verizon had previously expected to flip the switch on C-band on January 5th, but both agreed to a last-minute deal with the Federal Aviation Administration to delay its activation for two weeks. In that time, all parties will address concerns that the 3.7-3.8GHz frequencies used by the carriers in their C-band 5G networks might interfere with aviation instruments.

Even after announcing the delay, Verizon updated its timetable for bringing C-band 5G to 100 million customers and now says it plans to hit that mark when it goes live in January, up from its original goal of March. 

On January 19, customers will be able to sign up for Verizon Home 5G in 900 cities within 46 PEAs, which are listed below:

• New York, NY
• Los Angeles, CA
• Chicago, IL
• San Francisco, CA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Boston, MA
• Dallas, TX
• Miami, FL
• Houston, TX
• Detroit, MI
• Orlando, FL
• Cleveland, OH
• Phoenix, AZ
• Seattle, WA
• Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
• San Diego, CA
• Portland, OR
• Tampa, FL
• Sacramento, CA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Saint Louis, MO
• Cincinnati, OH
• Las Vegas, NV
• Salt Lake City, UT
• San Antonio, TX
• Jacksonville, FL
• Kansas City, MO
• Indianapolis, IN
• Nashville, TN
• Virginia Beach, VA
• Fresno, CA
• Austin, TX
• New Orleans, LA
• Columbus, OH
• Milwaukee, WI
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Birmingham, AL
• Syracuse, NY
• Charlotte, NC
• Rochester, NY
• Raleigh, NC
• Little Rock, AR
• Brownsville, TX
• Harrisburg, PA
• Albany, NY
• Greenville, SC