Verizon’s 5G network is getting a big boost this month, promising faster speeds and wider coverage for the phones, tablets and other devices in its service. Verizon’s 5G upgrade is happening on January 19 after a two-week delay. The move will cover 100 million people this month and will help Verizon catch up to T-Mobile, which currently has the largest 5G network in the US, due to its merger with Sprint two years ago.
If you want to take advantage of the fast Verizon 5G network right away, you need to have the right device. Good News? By the time the network becomes operational in two weeks, “above 90%” of Verizon’s 5G users are expected to be able to tap into new connections, Verizon Chief Technology Officer Kyle Malady told CNET in an interview. Told.
A lot of devices already have the right software,” Maladi said. “We’re testing the devices, and we’ve been working with manufacturers for a long time, so all the software is ready to go.”
What to know about Verizon’s new 5G network
Verizon spent more than $50 billion last year to buy C-band spectrum. Verizon’s current 5G network relies on a combination of 5G technologies known as millimeter-wave and low-band spectrum. Millimeter-wave has excellent performance but a fairly limited coverage that is often only available on certain street corners or in select parts of stadiums, airports or arenas. Low-band offers strong coverage, but its performance is often on par with 4G LTE, rather than better.
With the addition of C-band, Verizon will be able to add a 5G network that operates in the middle, which brings much faster performance than low-band 5G, while providing significantly better coverage than millimeter-wave .
On Tuesday, the carrier said it would cover 100 million people with the new C-band network, which will operate with millimeter-wave under its Ultra Wideband branding when it goes live on January 19.
A Verizon spokesperson says other phones, such as Google’s Pixel 6 line, “will receive software updates to enable C-band access in the coming weeks.” Going forward, every 5G device sold by Verizon to postpaid customers will be C-band compatible, and by the end of the year we will have more than 20 C-band-compatible devices, the spokesperson adds.
While having the right equipment is important, Verizon also requires that anyone planning to use the C-band or its millimeter-wave network subscribe to its higher-priced unlimited plans. This includes the Play More, Do More and Get More options that are available today as well as the older Above and Beyond Unlimited plans that the carrier introduced a few years back.
People on other plans won’t be able to use C-band even if they have a device that supports it.
Unveiled on February 9 at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung’s latest devices include the Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra – successors to the Galaxy S21 series, as well as the Galaxy Note series, which was launched late last year. was closed in. The phones are officially available for purchase starting February 25th, but availability is a bit low right now, so you may have to wait a few weeks before you can get your hands on it.
The Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra all feature several major camera improvements, including larger Pixel sensors and Adaptive Pixel technology for better night photography and video. You can also expect an improved Portrait Mode as well as a new Auto Framing feature, which can detect and track up to 10 people to capture all in one picture clearly.
However, it is the Galaxy S22 Ultra that made the biggest splash. Samsung’s top-of-the-line phone introduced the S Pen for the first time in the S series, paying homage to the now-canceled Note series.