Verizon has launched the first wave of its 5G Home Internet service in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Houston, and Indianapolis. The service, which accuses limited markets, boasts speeds of up to 300Mbps with Verizon throwing in an Apple TV 4K as an incentive to sign up.
Verizon is offering three months for free, then the service will retail for $50 per month for existing Verizon subscribers, $70 for everyone else.
Running on Verizon’s “proprietary 5G standard,” 5G Home is similar to a typical home broadband service, with Internet access provided via a single router, albeit one that uses the carrier’s cellular network instead of a physical connection. Speeds of around 300 megabits per second are touted, rising to nearly gigabit speeds in some areas, seemingly with no data caps.
If an Apple TV 4K isn’t your thing, Verizon is offering a choice of a Chromecast Ultra, provided at the time of installation, along with three months of YouTube TV access. Those signing up are also to receive “white glove installation” of the service, a 24-hour concierge line, access to the first wave of 5G-capable mobile devices when they become available, and free hardware upgrades when they become available in the first year.
Verizon is currently using its own 5G variant for the service, as opposed to the industry standard variant. As such, the iteration will only communicate with Verizon’s specialized devices, in this case 5G Home routers. When the company migrates to standard 3GPP 5G NR technology for future installations in new areas, hardware upgrades are likely to be offered to the earlier customers.
The rollout is expected to help Verizon get its foot in the door with its 5G network, which will drive future devices such as smartphones, tablets, etc.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and Verizon Wireless