In what it’s calling the world’s first commercial 5G service, Verizon (News - Alert) is preparing for the Oct. 1 launch of fixed 5G to select residential customers in Sacramento. City residents can now check whether their home is covered by the carrier’s initial 5G service rollout by entering their addresses online. Those who are covered can sign up for Verizon 5G Home service at FirstOn5G.com.
Those who sign up now get their first three months of 5G service free. After that, the cost is $50 a month. There’s no annual contract.
5G Home will offer speeds of around 300 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second. There are no data caps. The service comes with a router and the resident’s choice of Apple TV or Google (News - Alert) Chromecast (sothere’s no need for a separate cable box). YouTube TV is included for the first three months.
Verizon also talks about its “white glove installation” for 5G Home. Subscribers will also have access to a 24-hour customer support line.
“5G Home is just the beginning,” says Verizon. “Next, the first wave of 5G capable mobile devices will become available. And because you’re first on 5G, you’ll be first in line to get them in your area.”
Plans call for Verizon to roll out the service more widely – including to areas outside homes, including public parks, and to offer mobile 5G, starting in 2019.
In June of 2017, as they were working to finalize details of their relationship, Verizon and the City of Sacramento talked about developing a program to:
- Help bridge the digital divide by providing free Wi-Fi access in 27 of Sacramento’s public parks;
- Support education initiatives with internships and opportunities for elementary, middle and high school students to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and math;
- Further Sacramento’s Vision Zero initiative, which focuses on reducing traffic related fatalities and severe injuries, by having Verizon improve public safety at key city intersections through technology as well as advanced signal controls to manage vehicle flow, decrease congestion, improve public transit, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions;
- Drive citizen engagement via digital kiosks with features like Wi-Fi, security, wayfinding, notice boards, and more.
In addition to Sacramento, Verizon also expects to launch 5G residential broadband services this year in Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Houston.
Edited by Erik Linask