Verizon has turned on its super-fast 5G mobile network in two cities, and there's actually a phone you can buy right now to use with it

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Verizon has turned on its super-fast 5G mobile network in two cities, and there's actually a phone you can buy right now to use with it

verizon 5g

Associated Press

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  • Verizon on Wednesday has turned on its mobile 5G network, promising significantly faster speeds than the 4G LTE networks we've been using so far.
  • So far, only one phone can connect to Verizon's 5G mobile network: The Motorola Moto Z3, which needs a "5G "Moto Mod" attachment to connect to Verizon's 5G network.
  • So far, the only other 5G-compatible phone coming to the US is the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, which is coming in the first half of this year as an exclusive to Verizon to start with.
  • AT&T has already activated its own 5G network, but there are no phones that support AT&T's 5G network yet.

Verizon has officially turned on its mobile 5G network in Minneapolis and Chicago.

Verizon promises that its 5G network delivers speeds up to one gigabit-per-second (Gbps). Those speeds are significantly faster than the 4G LTE network we've been using so far to browse the web, stream videos and music, and lurk on social media.

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To put Verizon's 5G speed claim into perspective, I'm lucky to get around 20 megabits-per-second - 2% the speed of one gigabit-per-second - on Verizon's 4G LTE network in and around New York City.

For now, the only phone that can connect to Verizon's 5G network in Minneapolis and Chicago is the $480 Motorola Moto Z3, which requires a separate $350 5G "Moto Mod" that attaches to the back of the Z3 smartphone to let the phone connect to Verizon's 5G network.

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moto z3

Motorola

Verizon is selling the Moto Z3 for a discounted $240, and the 5G mod for a discounted $200. Verizon says the 5G mod for the Z3 is available to buy starting on Wednesday.

More 5G smartphones are coming out later this year. The $1,200 Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is coming out in the first half of 2019 and will be a Verizon exclusive to start with. It'll be available on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint after the second half of 2019.

Currently, only AT&T has an active 5G network in 12 cities, which it calls "5G+," which is a supposedly faster network than AT&T's regular 5G network that hasn't yet rolled out. AT&T's 5G and 5G+ shouldn't be confused with its "5G E" network that's simply a renamed version of its existing 4G LTE Advanced Pro network that most recent smartphones can connect to.

Unfortunately for AT&T customers, AT&T doesn't sell a phone that can actually connect to its 5G+ network. That's set to change when the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is made available to AT&T customers in the second half of the year.

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5G network availability from T-Mobile and Sprint is still vague.

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