Kicking off the next generation of wireless.
All of the major U.S. carriers are hard at work on their strategy. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon have launched 5G networks and are aggressively expanding those networks through 2019. 5G service not only provides faster speeds but also reduced response times allowing for new services and cloud computing not previously available. For now, the major difference between LTE and 5G will be speed but as coverage continues to roll out to new areas, more services that rely on instant connectivity should become possible.
Verizon is starting small with two cities deploying what it calls 5G Ultra Wideband (UWB). In short, this version of 5G uses large chunks of high-frequency bandwidth that produce very high speeds but suffer in other areas such as coverage over distance and building penetration. While coverage is dense enough in cities to be included on the list, coverage is still only available in parts of the cities outdoors.
Verizon has released a to help you pinpoint where 5G is available in your cities. This is a helpful addition but it does show off some of the main coverage weaknesses of UWB.
At this time, it is easy to be discouraged about such minimal 5G coverage but this deployment is only a start for Verizon — it has continued to regularly deploy new cities. Early tests have been positive with . Although these massive speeds are impressive, they probably won't hold up under a full Chicago load, but it's still exciting to see.
We're also seeing more specific expansion to places like NFL stadiums or While great as a tech demonstration, this doesn't offer much to the customer just yet.
Verizon 5G
Ultra Wideband Service
A fast-growing millimeter wave network
High-speed downloads and a quickly expanding network make Verizon's 5G implementation of the most complete in the nation.
Sprint
Sprint is brought its 2.5Ghz 5G to nine different cities so far with dense coverage. With a good selection of 5G compatible devices such as a hotspot and several phones, Sprint's 5G network is one of the closest to being fully useable with good coverage density, similar to LTE, and speeds
Even with the purchase by T-Mobile, Sprint moved ahead with its service upgrades and even shows its 5G coverage alongside 4G to demonstrate its confidence. Sprint has also announced that it is continuing to improve its 5G footprint with expanded coverage in
It remains to be seen just how Sprint's 5G services will transition to T-Mobile's expanded network, especially on older devices, but the future is bright for the combined network.
Sprint has coverage in these cities right now.
- Atlanta, GA
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Houston, TX
- Kansas City, KS/MO
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York, NY
- Phoenix, AZ
- Washington, D.C.
Mid-band 5G
2.5Ghz means better coverage and stable speeds
More coverage makes Sprint's 5G network a strong option with speeds that are much faster than 4G. This 5G service will cover more people with fewer towers and fewer dropped connections.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile started building a high-band mmWave network in the middle of 2019 before following it up with 5G on its 600MHz spectrum. While this lower-frequency 5G isn't as fast as we've seen with mmWave networks, it's large coverage area makes it much more practical. Add to that T-Mobile's future usage of its Sprint 5G spectrum and the T-Mobile 5G network is poised to be one of the most capable in the nation. Samsung's Galaxy S20 series phones will all support both the low-band and mid-band spectrum with the larger S20 models supporting high-band as well.
Sub-6 5G is here
T-Mobile already has an ready to go. The , as well as the , are confirmed to work with both the Sprint and T-Mobile 5G network when the time comes. The older and work with T-Mobile's 600MHz 5G as well.
As it stands, the raw speed on 600MHz increases but the coverage is promising and should be great for covering gaps not covered by Sprint's 2.5GHz spectrum.
Metro by T-Mobile is on all of its plans with the same phones as T-Mobile. This will also be available on December 6.
High-band, millimeter wave coverage is available in parts of these cities.
- Atlanta
- Cleveland
- Dallas
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- New York
T-Mobile 5G
Low and high-band
Nationwide coverage
T-Mobile is building a nationwide 5G network on low-band and high-band spectrum. It isn't charging customers any more to get on it. With T-Mobile, all you need is the phone and coverage to get 5G.
MVNO 5G
Metro by T-Mobile
Prepaid 5G is still 5G
Metro by T-Mobile is an MVNO with a big focus on data and that isn't changing. Like its big brother T-Mobile, all plans on Metro get 5G for no extra charge.
AT&T
AT&T certainly has one of the most impressive lists of cities with available 5G coverage. AT&T has launched the majority of its 5G network for business use. AT&T started with millimeter wave, or mmWave before the more recent release of the alongside its low-band 850Mhz deployment for consumers.
If you're on AT&T and you want to access 5G, you'll need either the Unlimited Elite or Unlimited Extra plan. While there will likely be some improvement over LTE using this 850Mhz 5G, it's not going to hit the super-fast speeds we've seen with millimeter-wave. Still, the 850Mhz deployment should have much better coverage than mmWave and be faster than 4G LTE. AT&T also has some coverage maps but note that the maps show projected coverage for February 2020.
5G is now shown on AT&T's which makes it easier than ever to see how far this coverage has made it. It does take a while for these maps to get updated so check out the entire list for the most up-to-date locations.
Low-band coverage is available in these areas.
- Atlantic City, NJ
- Albany, GA
- Albany, NY
- Allentown, PA
- Athens, GA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Beaverhead County, MT
- Birmingham, AL
- Binghamton, NY
- Bridgeport, CN
- Brown County, IN
- Boston, MA
- Buffalo, NY
- Chattooga County, GA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Columbus, OH
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Detroit, MI
- Erie, PA
- Flint, MI
- Frederick, MD
- Gila, AZ
- Hamilton, OH
- Hancock County, GA
- Hancock County, OH
- Harrisburg, PA
- Hartford, CT
- Hunterdon County, NJ
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Kansas City, MO
- Kent County, DE
- Lancaster, PA
- La Cruces, NM
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington-Fayette, KY
- Liberty, GA
- Lincoln County, MT
- Long Branch, NJ
- Louisville, KY
- Los Angeles, CA
- Macon, GA
- Madera County, CA
- Madison County, VA
- Milwaukee, MN
- Modesto, CA
- Mono County, CA
- New Bedford, MA
- New Brunswick, NJ
- New Haven, CT
- New York City, NY
- Newago, MI
- Northeast, PA
- Ocean City, NJ
- Orange County, NY
- Otsego County, NY
- Oxnard, CA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, OR
- Providence, RI
- Provo, UT
- Raleigh County, WV
- Reading, PA
- Reno, NV
- Rochester, NY
- Ross County, OH
- Salem, OR
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Sandusky County, OH
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Springfield, OH
- St. Louis, MO
- State College, PA
- Storey County, NV
- Sussex County, NJ
- Syracuse, NY
- Topeka, KS
- Trenton, NJ
- Tuscarawas County, OH
- Utica-Rome, NY
- Vallejo, CA
- Washington County, IL
- Washington D.C.
- Whitfield County, GA
- Wichita, KS
- Wilmington, DE
- Worcester, MA
- Worth, GA
- York, PA
AT&T has added a section to its phone specifications called "5G Evolution Capable." This stat doesn't say anything about whether a phone is 5G capable and as 5Ge service is actually 4G LTE Advanced. Every other carrier calls this LTE, LTE-A, or LTE Plus.
AT&T's fastest millimeter-wave 5G is still being built, but for now, it is only accessible to business accounts and it's impossible to tell precisely which areas in the city are covered.
Millimeter-wave 5G for business
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Baltimore, MD
- Charlotte, NC
- Cleveland, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Detroit, MI
- Houston, TX
- Indianapolis, IN
- Jacksonville, FL
- King of Prussia, PA
- Las Vegas, NV
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Menlo Park, CA
- Miami, FL
- Miami Gardens, FL
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York City, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Ocean City, MD
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Orlando, FL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Raleigh, NC
- Redwood City, CA
- San Antonio, TX
- San Bruno, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Waco, TX
- West Hollywood, CA
AT&T 5G
Coverage 5G
5G in ten cities
AT&T's high-band 5G is still moving along but for consumers, 850Mhz low-band 5G is available today in a few cities. Grab an unlimited plan and the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G to get connected.
5G devices are becoming more capable with advancements in 5G modems such as the newer X55 modem from Qualcomm that has as the most capable 5G chip.
5G is one of the more exciting things to happen to wireless networking in years and has the same exciting feeling that the move to 3G had. If you are a wireless enthusiast and want an easy way to see how 5G is shaping up worldwide, Ookla, the company famous for its internet speed test, showing new locations as providers send them in.
Verizon 5G
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G
Fast, smooth, and cutting edge.
Adding 5G to the Note lines makes the Galaxy Note 10+ 5g one of the best phones to get work done on the go. You also get the great S-Pen and great display.
Sprint 5G
OnePlus 7 Pro 5G
Only the best hardware
OnePlus brings one of the best Android experiences to Sprint with 5G support. Add in a notch-free 90hz screen with a great battery for a great phone.
Update, April 2020: New information about T-Mobile's purchase of Sprint added.
The next big thing in connectivity
5G
