All the cities and phones supporting C-Band 5G in the US
After amassive spectrum auction over a year agothat saw Verizon and AT&T set to radically expand their 5G networks, the last couple of months have seen the carriers finally spring into action. C-band 5G hadfaced several delaysin the face ofpushback from airlinesand theFAA alike, but on January 19th,both carriers flipped the switch on improved experiencesfor customers. Not every city in the US is getting the benefits of C-band spectrum just yet, but if you’re looking to check it out for yourself, we have a pretty good idea of where you should start looking.
What is C-band 5G?
In 2020, the FCC announced its decision to auction off unused spectrum previously used for satellite TV. Ranging between 3.7 to 4.2 GHz,Verizon and AT&T quickly swooped inwith the highest amounts of cash, with the former spending as much as $53 billion just to help build out its network. T-Mobile spent far less, committing $9 billion as it opted to utilize what it had gained from its then-recent Sprint acquisition. Overall, the three US carriers bid over $80 billion combined.
Fast-forward to the present, and we’re finally seeing the results in action. Verizon and AT&T initially planned to launch C-band 5G in December of 2021, but the possibility of interference with radio altimeters used in airplanes across the globe forced a delay into January. After a little more turbulence — pun mostly intended — the two carriers went live with C-band 5G on January 19th, 2022.
As for what you’ll get out of C-band, the answer is surprisingly complex. In the simplest of terms, utilizing C-band gives the carriers more spectrum for their networks than they previously had. All three US networks are in a mad dash to get as much spectrum as they can 5G, and C-band represents a large swatch of once-dormant frequencies. All told, it should lead to a more reliable experience, especially in denser areas of the US.
AT&T’s keeping its initial launch relatively small, intending to cover 200 million people by the end of 2023. If you’re in any of these eight metro areas, you can check out C-band 5G starting today:
Of course, it’s not enough just to live in these cities — you need a compatible device as well. These are the phones that are compatible so far:
That’s a decent lineup to start, comprising the most popular Android flagships from 2021 alongside the newly-launched Galaxy A13 and every 5G-compatible iPhone. If you meet both the geographic and hardware requirements for C-band, you’ll see a 5G+ indicator on your phone — something AT&T has also been doing to signify when you’re actively using its mmWave network.
Even two months out from launch, Verizon continues to keep its full list of supported cities close to the chest. Since January, we’ve learned the company has C-Band live in 1,700 cities across the US, blanketing 100 million people with its latest technology. Verizon is simply referring to C-Band as “Ultra Wideband,” mixing its mmWave signal into one brand. Some of those cities now appear on thecarrier’s online coverage map, blinking red to indicate support for Ultra Wideband. Obviously, not all 1,700 cites are on the map, so you’ll have to play it by ear. Chances are if you started seeing “UW” appear on your phone since the start of 2022, you’re in a C-Band city.
On March 21st,Verizon announcedit would add C-Band to 30 additional “major markets,” including Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and Washington, DC. We’ll have to wait and see if the company fills us in on the remaining 26 cities — and indeed, if Verizon does give us more detail, we’ll be sure to update this post.
Thankfully, we do know what devices can access Verizon’s newly-enhanced 5G, with a very similar list to AT&T’s:
Although T-Mobile isn’t part of this year’s C-band launch, it did acquire licenses to a small amount of spectrum it plans to launch in late 2023. As a spokesperson informed us in a comment:
“T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network uses a different frequency than what the FAA is concerned about, which is primarily from the Sprint acquisition. It does not pose a risk to airplane operation and the FAA has not raised any concerns with it. Similarly, parts of Verizon and AT&T’s 5G networks use other spectrum and do not pose an issue. T-Mobile does also have C-band licenses, but we plan to put them into use in late 2023, by which time we’re confident any issues will be resolved. Already today, this part of the airwaves is being used successfully for 5G networks – with no adverse effects – in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.”
If you’re rocking one of thebest 5G phoneson either AT&T or Verizon, it’s an exciting time. Even if you don’t live in a city where C-band 5G is currently active, the next couple of years should bring about some real changes to how you use your smartphone when you’re on the move.
UPDATE: 2022/03/21 18:39 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG
More cities, more devices
We’ve updated this post with additional information about Verizon’s C-Band coverage. Supported devices now include the S22 series and thePixel 6 and 6 Pro on Verizon.
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