In April of this year, Verizon debuted its standards-based mmWave 5G network in just two cities, promising to reach a total of 30 before the year is out. Just a week ago, the carrier had reached a total of 19, though, with less than half a month to go before the end of the year, so it may have seemed like that was going down the drain.
However, Verizon seems to have saved many of its 5G launches for the last stretch of 2019, and over the past few days, availability has expanded very quickly. Today, with the network launching in three more cities - Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, plus Hampton Roads, Virginia - Verizon"s 5G is officially available in 31 cities across the United States, surpassing the initial promised goal.
As usual, though, Verizon"s 5G is only available in specific parts of these cities, and that"s because Verizon uses mmWave, a network that"s carried out by very high-frequency waves. These waves have a very short range and can be easily blocked by objects like windows or even tree leaves. In addition to public areas and landmarks in each of the cities, you"ll also be able to get 5G in the John Glenn Columbus International Airport, as well as in "part of the lower sitting area" of the NFL Stadium in Cleveland.
Over the past week, Verizon has brought 5G to Des Moines (Iowa), Hoboken (New Jersey), Memphis (Tennesee), Salt Lake City (Utah), Miami (Florida), Charlotte and Greensboro (North Carolina), and Grand Rapids (Michigan). To know which areas are covered, you"ll want to check out the official coverage maps, but as of the time of writing, not all of the cities have maps available.