Minneapolis, Chicago 1st Cities In World To Get Verizon's 5G

MINNEAPOLIS — Customers in Minneapolis and Chicago are the first in the world to get 5G-enabled smartphones connected to a 5G network, Verizon announced Wednesday, the first day of its rollout.

The new 5G network is concentrated in the downtown Minneapolis area, inside and around U.S. Bank Stadium, the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Minneapolis Central Library, the Mill City Museum, Target Center and First Avenue venues, The Commons, areas of Elliot Park and in the Verizon store in The Mall of America.

When customers move outside Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband coverage area, the 5G moto mod hands off the signal to Verizon's 4G LTE network.

Customers need a 5G enabled phone, and can expect typical download speeds of 450 Mbps, with peak speeds of nearly 1 Gbps.

Verizon engineers are continuing to upgrade the network with technology partners, the company said. Customers can expect to see regular software updates pushed to their devices and see network advancements throughout the rest of the year.