Roger Fingas
Verizon will launch its 5G mobile network on Apr. 11 in just two U.S. cities, Chicago and Minneapolis, and charge $10 extra versus regular 4G service.
Prices will come in at $85 per month for a single-line Go Unlimited plan, $95 for Beyond Unlimited, and $105 for Above Unlimited, Verizon said. One advantage though will be a complete lack of throttling, something its 4G "unlimited" plans are subject to past certain data thresholds.
The first phone to support Verizon 5G will be the Moto Z3 with an attached 5G Moto Mod. Other compatible models are coming later this year, such as the LG V50 ThinQ and Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.
Verizon has yet to say what it expects in terms of speed, aside from promising things like "ultra low lag time" and millimeter wave, which enables the fastest forms of 5G.
Verizon's launch will be limited even within the two planned cities. In Chicago, the company is focusing mostly on The Loop, Gold Coast, River North, and Old Town. Minneapolis coverage is concentrating on Downtown East and Elliot Park. The carrier is expanding to over 30 markets by the end of the year.
Apple is expected to skip 5G in 2019 iPhones. The company would likely have to have a modem supplier lined up by this point, and its current modem partner, Intel, doesn't yet have a 5G modem that can meet Apple's needs. Even Qualcomm is relatively new to the 5G field, and its ongoing legal battles with Apple could keep it out of 2020 iPhones, never mind 2019.
It's believed that Apple may be working on its own 5G modem under the leadership of Johny Srouji. That could appear in a 2020 iPhone if the project is sufficiently advanced.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
19 Comments
These stories make me laugh.
Yeah no. Won't pay an extra $10 for a faster (supposedly) backbone. Upgrading their infrastructure appropriately is part of the basic service already being paid for, IMO. I'd rather pocket the $10 and keep my existing cellular until all the networks have all switched years from now.
Same with the Watch -- despite having the cellular I won't be paying an additional $10 (look now we're at +20/mo!) just to get an occasional text. Listening to John Gruber's podcast I see I'm not alone. The value proposition doesn't make sense.
Can someone explain WHY we need such fast speeds on our phone? What is it people would be doing on their phones that need to pay extra for 5G speeds?
To be honest, I'm not waiting for anything on my iPhone on 4G LTE that would be fixed by faster speeds. If anything, it's the apps and sites that cause delays.
Do I receive rebate on $10 when I don't receive 5G signal in many part of Chicago I travel ? What a hype ?
Does it come with unlimited tethering for that $10? If it did, it would be worth it.