5G Ahead of Schedule

VentureBeat
With Verizon’s promised 5G launch date rapidly approaching, CFO Matthew Ellis confirmed this morning that the carrier is “full steam ahead” on its 5G deployment plans for the second half of 2018, saying that the company’s network is being readied to launch as soon as 5G customer equipment is ready. On a quarterly conference call with investors, Ellis said Verizon already has the necessary assets in place for the launch and is largely focused on developing compelling services to win customers.

Despite jockeying by other carriers in China, South Korea, and the United States, it appears increasingly likely that Verizon will indeed be the world’s first carrier to launch commercial 5G services — albeit with several previously announced caveats. “The launch this year will be on our proprietary standard,” said Ellis, who reaffirmed that Verizon will start in three to five markets and will focus on in-home broadband rather than mobile devices. “Over time, we want to move to standards-based consumer premises equipment.”