The focus here is on residential home service, rather than mobile broadband. Verizon is stepping in to provide high-speed internet service for under-served communities. "We will be the first to offer commercial 5G service and our work with Houston put us one step closer to delivering that promise," said Verizon's incoming CEO Hans Vestberg. "With 5G we are ushering in a fourth industrial revolution that will help reshape cities and lead to unprecedented innovation, and Houston will be at the forefront of that innovation." It's not clear how well this service will work in the real world, although the low latency and high speeds show real promise. That's likely why Verizon is rolling it out slowly. If it's 5G mobile service you're after, then you'll have to wait until next year before the first 5G-capable handsets are even available.
US telco Verizon said Houston will join Sacramento and Los Angeles as the launch cities for its 5G residential roll out, starting later this year. The company is also working with local governments to build out a network of “gigabit cities” that would be home to up to 1 million people in total. Analysts have said the system shows promise ahead of 5G mobiles becoming available from next year.