Verizon is launching 5G in these 20 cities this year

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Verizon is giving hope to anyone that’s eager to jump on the 5G mobile internet this year.

The company announced on Thursday 20 U.S. cities it plans to launch 5G internet service to this year. The cities include Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Washington D.C. 

Verizon did not specify when it plans to launch 5G coverage in these places, but says it wants to launch 5G in more than 30 U.S. cities by the end of the year. The company started rolling out 5G in Chicago and Minneapolis earlier this month.

Early tests of Verizon’s 5G network have been far from perfect. The company’s existing 5G coverage is extremely limited — even in launch cities — and it requires a compatible smartphone to use. 

Verizon plans to lean heavily on Samsung’s first 5G-compatible smartphone in order to serve the first 5G customers. The company announced on Thursday that pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G are  available now. The company is also offering  discounts for those  who trade in eligible phones or sign up for Verizon Unlimited.

We should also mention that you won’t be able to access Verizon’s 5G network without the carrier’s “Above and Beyond Unlimited” mobile plan. Verizon said it would temporarily waive the $10 monthly 5G fee for early adopters, but didn’t give a timeframe for when people would have to start paying it again.

It’s also worth noting that the phone will also be available on other mobile carriers later this year.

It will be a little while before we know exactly how well Verizon’s 5G network works in conjunction with the Galaxy S10 5G, but there’s something to be said for being first to market. Samsung is launching a 5G phone at least a year before Apple feasibly can, but that means it’s also launching before much of the U.S. has widespread access to 5G.

Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T are all in various stages of rolling out their 5G networks, but it could take some time for the rapid wireless network to become the standard.