‘Ultra-fast’ 5G: These parts of Sacramento are getting Verizon’s new mobile technology
Sacramento is among the first cities in the nation to receive ultra-fast Verizon broadband service on the provider’s mobile devices, a rollout that the city’s mayor says strengthens Sacramento’s standing as a testing ground for new technologies.
Verizon’s customers with 5G enabled mobile devices will be able to access the new 5G Ultra Wideband service in neighborhoods across Sacramento, North Sacramento, Natomas and Roseville. Seattle and Pensacola, Florida, are also part of Verizon’s Thursday U.S. rollout.
The upshot: wireless speeds up to 4 gigabits per second in some locations; enough, Verizon officials said, for users to download and stream TV shows and feature-length films in seconds, speed up remote work and videoconferencing communications, and allow business customers to more rapidly transition to a digital environment.
In a statement, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said of Verizon’s Thursday announcement to expand 5G service in the Sacramento area to mobile devices: “The arrival of Verizon 5G mobility better positions our city to continue its drive to be a testing ground for new technologies that rely on instantaneous communications.”
Sacramento service areas include but aren’t limited to the R Street corridor from 9th to 18th streets, downtown neighborhoods Southside Park and Richmond Grove south of the state Capitol, and blocks of the city’s midtown; Golden 1 Center and Downtown Commons; Sacramento Superior Court, the state Office of the Attorney General; Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park and Sacramento Executive Airport.
Verizon first partnered with Sacramento in 2017 ahead of the 2018 launch of the provider’s 5G home internet service making the city one of the first in the nation at the time to receive the service.
Houston, Indianapolis and Los Angeles were also part of that initial launch.
Verizon activated Wi-Fi service in 27 city parks across Sacramento as part of that first 5G wave and Steinberg said at the time that 5G would expand underserved communities’ digital access and boost city efforts to become a hub for autonomous vehicle testing, hailing the partnership as a “new era of Sacramento.
As part of the pact, Verizon was also to provide internships and career opportunity programs for local STEM students; utilize traffic easing technologies at the city’s intersections and tools to improve public safety.
Verizon would in turn get low-cost deals for 5G cell locations and be able to use 101 small cell towers at no cost for 10 years, The Bee reported at the time.
Three years later, Verizon has turned to Sacramento again.
Verizon officials cited the work needed to build infrastructure while adhering to zoning guidelines for the three-year gap.
“It takes time to select pole locations, go through the zoning process, lay fiber and install the small cell nodes,” spokeswoman Heidi Flato said in a statement. “We can’t achieve this goal without the support of forward-looking policymakers — such as Mayor Steinberg — at the local, state, and federal levels who understand the need for policies that promote 5G while preserving the pivotal role of localities in managing public rights-of-way.”
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