Verizon accelerates 5G network deployment

BASKING RIDGE, NJ -- Verizon continues to expand 5G Home Internet service across the country. Beginning today, customers in parts of Houston will have access to enhanced 5G Home service. The super fast Internet is perfect for those who are working from home, homeschooling kids, binging content or powering a smart home. Recently Verizon expanded 5G Home service to Detroit and enhanced service in Indianapolis and Los Angeles. By the end of 2020, 5G Home Internet will be available in 10 cities nationwide. 5G Home availability can be found here: verizonwireless.com/5g/home.

New Network trials will accelerate 5G Home and mobile deployment to more places

Verizon recently partnered with Pivotal Commware, Inc., a Verizon Ventures portfolio company, to conduct trials in Dearborn, Michigan that improve 5G coverage and performance for residents and visitors by strategically placing intelligent repeaters to enhance and boost Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wide Band signal.

“Compared to lower spectrum bands, 5G over mmWave offers far more speed and throughput, is more energy efficient, experiences less signal interference over the air, and has a much greater capacity for expansive scalability,” said Kevin Smith, Vice President of Network Planning for Verizon. “As we’ve known since our very early trials, high band spectrum provides more limited coverage from macro cells. Introducing repeaters like the ones we are trialing from Pivotal will help us expand the footprint of our new 5G Ultra Wide Band network and provide another tool in the toolbox for robust network design.”

A network repeater takes signals from nearby cell sites, amplifies the signals from those sites and retransmits them to previously underserved areas. Pivotal’s solution is an innovative way to efficiently enhance the design of the network and improve service in hard to reach areas.

The trials in Dearborn focus on providing coverage to larger, multi-unit dwellings such as apartments or dormitories with multiple buildings and floors where repeaters are particularly helpful. By installing repeaters between the cell site and the location, the 5G signal can be cost-effectively retransmitted to cover additional areas. Repeaters are small, consume less power than a small cell or macro site and do not require a fiber connection. This makes them a lower cost, quicker path to supplementing traditional cell sites.

“The enhancement of our 5G Home service and Pivotal’s repeater technology are the latest examples of accelerating our 5G network deployment to more quickly deliver the experience our customers are hungry for,” said Smith.