Verizon launches 5G fixed wireless in parts of 21 more cities

Communications giant Verizon last week launched 5G for Business Internet in 20 new markets, targeting SMBs and enterprises alike.

The fixed-wireless plans provide download speeds of 100Mbps ($69/month), 200Mbps ($99/month), and 400Mbps ($199/month) with no data limits. Upload speeds are slower. Verizon is also offering a 10-year price lock for new customers with no long-term contract required.

“As 5G Business Internet scales into new cities, businesses of all sizes can gain access to the superfast speeds, low latency and next-gen applications enabled by 5G Ultra-Wideband, with no throttling or data limits,” Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business, said in a statement.

“We’ll continue to expand the 5G Business Internet footprint and bring the competitive pricing, capability, and flexibility of our full suite of products and services to more and more businesses all over the country.”

The service was previously launched in parts of Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Verizon started rolling out 5G services last year using lower spectrum bands. According to a study by IHS Markit’s RootMetrics, Verizon offers speeds similar to those of T-Mobile but behind AT&T.

The newly announced Verizon 5G markets include parts of Anaheim, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, all in California; Cincinnati and Cleveland in Ohio; Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota; St. Louis and Kansas City in Missouri; Atlanta, Georgia; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; DetroitMichigan; Indianapolis, Indiana; Las Vegas, Nevada; Miami, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; and Salt Lake City, Utah. Parts of Riverside-Corona, California, which adjoins Anaheim, will become available on April 22.

Customers who buy the service get a 5G receiver mounted on the roof or side of the building by Verizon, which requires the permission of the building’s owner. The service also requires a router that customers can buy from Verizon and have the provider install it or, if they have one that meets Verizon’s specifications, can use their own.

Earlier this month, Verizon and Amazon Web Services announced a 5G partnership to give enterprises a low-latency edge option with local, hybrid-cloud access to AWS software.