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

CHICAGO — Customers in Chicago and Minneapolis 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 Gold Coast, Old Town, River North, West Loop and South Loop neighborhoods. 5G coverage is also available around landmarks such as Union Station, Willis Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park and The Chicago Theatre.

When customers move outside Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband coverage area, their phone will hand 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.