The spread of 5G in the US is currently well underway, with all the major carriers having already launched 5G networks and looking to expand them across the country. Different carriers are using different technologies for implementation, leading to some variance between the performance of the various networks. To make 5G in USA a practical reality, some of the major network providers are relying more on millimeter wave (mmWave) technology for higher speeds, while others are turning to low-band spectrums for better coverage.
Here’s how the major carriers are delivering on their 5G promises, and how 5G USA is shaping up from the perspective of geographical spread.
AT&T 5G
AT&T is deploying its 5G services on two strands. 5G Plus is the faster option, as it uses the mmWave technology, but this translates to less coverage and more difficult penetration of the network into buildings, making its use indoors problematic.
The company is using the term 5G to describe its 850Mhz network, which provides better coverage, but at a reduced speed. AT&T says it will soon offer 5G service to customers of its budget-priced Cricket Wireless subsidiary with compatible phones and plans.
Sprint and T-Mobile
Since their merger, these two carriers are in the process of combining their 5G networks.
Sprint is using the 2.5GHz spectrum to deliver 5G, which in comparison to Verizon’s high-band mmWave spectrum, is considered mid-band. On a field test in Dallas, Texas, the average download speed was around 190Mbps, with a maximum speed of 690Mbps (Megabits per second). The network is quite stable, delivering consistent speeds for users on the move.
T-Mobile is using its collection of 600MHz spectrum bands as the foundation for its 5G service. Sometimes referred to as Band 71, the 600MHz band is quite capable of penetrating buildings and works well over longer distances. However, it lacks the speed of mmWave. The carrier also offers a limited millimeter-wave coverage, at 39GHz and 28GHz.
T-Mobile activated its “nationwide network” back in December 2019, covering around 5,000 cities and 200 million people. Combined with the mid-band spectrum 5G service that Sprint offers, the network now has a foothold in all 50 states.
All of T-Mobile’s existing plans include 5G, but Sprint is still offering its own service plans, including Unlimited Premium – the only one that includes 5G service.
Verizon 5G
Verizon’s 5G network uses the high-band millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies at 28GHz and 39GHz. The network can deliver high speeds, but its performance is less impressive when it comes to coverage and building penetration, making it extremely difficult to use 5G indoors.
Very close to a 5G node, a maximum peak download speed of 1.256Gbps (Gigabits per second) has been observed – quick enough to download a 50-minute Netflix television episode in about 12 seconds. The average download speeds on the street are around 594Mbps.
To qualify for Verizon’s Ultra-Wideband 5G service, you have to sign up for a Play More, Do More, or Get More unlimited plan.
5G in the US: Cities
As of June 21, 2020, the “5G Cities in US” map breaks down like this:
AT&T 5G Cities
- AL: Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Franklin County, Florence, Gadsden, Huntsville, Mobile, Tuscaloosa
- AK: Anchorage
- AZ: Gila
- AR: Clay County, Cleburne County, Cross County, Fayetteville-Springdale, Fort Smith, Franklin County, Madison County, Ouachita County, Pope County
- CA: Alpine County, Bakersfield, Chico, El Dorado County, Fresno, Kings County, Los Angeles, Madera County, Modesto, Mono County, Oxnard, Redding, Sacramento, Salinas, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Sierra County, Stockton, Tehana County, Vallejo, Visalia-Tulare, Yuba City
- CO: Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins-Loveland, Greeley
- CT: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, New London-Norwich
- DE: Kent County, Wilmington
- DC: Washington
- FL: Bradenton, Calhoun County, Citrus County, Collier County, Fort Myers, Fort Walton Beach, Gainesville, Glades County, Jefferson County, Lakeland, Tallahassee, Walton County, Dixie County, Fort Pierce, Hamilton County, Hardee County, Melbourne, Miami, Ocala, Orlando, Pensacola, Sarasota, Tampa, West Palm Beach
- GA: Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Bleckley County, Chattooga County, Dawson County, Early County, Hancock County, Jasper County, Liberty, Macon, Marion, County, Warren County, Whitfield County, Worth
- HI: Maui County
- ID: Boise City, Boundary County, Elmore County, Idaho County
- IL: Adams County, Alton-Granite City, Aurora-Elgin, Bureau County, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago, Clay County, Joliet, Mason County, Montgomery County, Springfield, Vermilion County, Washington County
- IN: Bloomington, Brown County, Decatur County, Elkhart-Goshen, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Huntington County, Indianapolis, Kosciusko County, Muncie, Newton County, Randolph County, South Bend, Warren County
- KS: Brown County, Lawrence, Topeka, Wichita
- KY: Fulton County, Lexington-Fayette, Louisville, Mason County, Meade County, Spencer County, Trimble County
- LA: Baton Rouge, Beauregard Parish, Caldwell Parish, Claiborne Parish, Houma-Thibodaux, Iberville Parish, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Morehouse, Parish, New Orleans, Shreveport, St. James Parish, West Feliciana Parish
- ME: Portland
- MD: Baltimore, Cumberland, Frederick, Hagerstown, Kent County
- MA: Boston, New Bedford, Springfield, Worcester
- MI: Alger County, Allegan County, Benton Harbor, Cass County, Detroit, Flint, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Manistee County, Muskegon, Newaygo
- MN: Chippewa County, Duluth, Le Sueur County, St. Cloud
- MS: Jackson
- MO: Bates County, Callaway County, Columbia, De Kalb County, Joplin, Kansas City, Moniteau County, Saline County, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis
- MT: Beaverhead County, Billings, Lincoln County, Mineral County
- NV: Lander County, Las Vegas, Reno, Storey County
- NH: Portsmouth
- NJ: Atlantic City, Hunterdon County, Long Branch, New Brunswick, Ocean County, Sussex County, Trenton, Vineland-Millville
- NM: Las Cruces, Lincoln County, San Juan County
- NY: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Chautauqua County, Elmira, Jefferson County, New York City, Orange County, Otsego County, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Yates County
- NC: Anson County, Hickory
- ND: Fargo-Moorhead
- OH: Ashtabula County, Cincinnati, Clinton County, Columbiana County, Columbus, Dayton, Hamilton, Hancock County, Lima, Mansfield, Mercer County, Morrow County, Perry County, Ross County, Sandusky County, Springfield, Steubenville-Weirton, Tuscarawas County, Williams County, Youngstown
- OK: Grant County
- OR: Clatsop County, Eugene-Springfield, Lincoln County, Medford, Portland, Salem, The Dalles
- PA: Allentown, Altoona, Bedford County, Bradford County, Crawford County, Erie, Greene County, Harrisburg, Huntingdon County, Jefferson County, Johnstown, Lancaster, Lawrence County, Lebanon County, Northeastern, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, Sharon, State College, Union County, Wayne County, Williamsport, York
- PR: Aguadilla, Aibonito Municipality, Arecibo, Mayaguez, Ponce, Rincon Municipality, San Juan
- RI: Newport County, Providence
- SC: Anderson, Calhoun County, Laurens County, Oconee County
- TN: Chattanooga, Fayette County, Giles County, Lake County, Maury County, Memphis, Nashville
- TX: Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Bryan-College Station, Concho County, Dallas, Fannin County, Galveston, Killeen-Temple, Lubbock, Navarro County, Newton County, Parmer County, Runnels County, Sherman-Denison, Tyler, Victoria, Waco, Wilson County
- UT: Beaver County, Provo, Salt Lake City
- VA: Caroline County, Danville, Frederick County, Madison County
- WA: Bellingham, Clallam County, Ferry County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County, Olympia, Pacific County, Richland-Kennewick, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Yakima
- WV: Charleston, Grant County, Huntington-Ashland, Monongalia County, Parkersburg-Marietta, Raleigh County, Tucker County, Wheeling
- WI: Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Wood County
AT&T 5G Plus Cities
- AZ: Phoenix
- CA: Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Oakland, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, West Hollywood
- FL: Jacksonville, Miami, Miami Gardens, Orlando
- GA: Atlanta
- IN: Indianapolis
- KY: Louisville
- LA: New Orleans
- MD: Baltimore, Ocean City
- MI: Detroit
- NC: Charlotte, Raleigh
- NV: Las Vegas
- NY: New York City
- OH: Cleveland
- OK: Oklahoma City
- PA: King of Prussia, Philadelphia
- TN: Nashville
- TX: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Waco
Sprint and T-Mobile
Sprint’s 5G cities include:
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Phoenix
- Washington, D.C.
For the 5,000-plus cities covered by T-Mobile’s nationwide network, you can consult this map.
Verizon
Cities covered by Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service include:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Boise, Idaho
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Chicago, Illinois
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas, Texas
- Denver, Colorado
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Detroit, Michigan
- Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Greensboro, North Carolina
- Hampton Roads, Virginia
- Hoboken, New Jersey
- Houston, Texas
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Los Angeles, California
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Miami, Florida
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- New York, New York
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Panama City, Florida
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Providence, Rhode Island
- Saint Paul, Minnesota
- San Diego, California
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Spokane, Washington
- Washington, D.C.
Summary:
5G in the US
As of June 21, 2020, the “5G Cities in US” map breaks down like this: AT&T 5G Cities: AL: Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Franklin County, Florence, Gadsden, Huntsville, Mobile, Tuscaloosa AK: Anchorage AZ: Gila AR: Clay County, Cleburne County, Cross County, Fayetteville-Springdale, Fort Smith, Franklin County, Madison County, Ouachita County, Pope County CA: Alpine County, Bakersfield, Chico, El Dorado County, Fresno, Kings County, Los Angeles, Madera County, Modesto, Mono County, Oxnard, Redding, Sacramento, Salinas, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Sierra County, Stockton, Tehana County, Vallejo, Visalia-Tulare, Yuba City CO: Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins-Loveland, Greeley CT: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven, New London-Norwich DE: Kent County, Wilmington DC: Washington FL: Bradenton, Calhoun County, Citrus County, Collier County, Fort Myers, Fort Walton Beach, Gainesville, Glades County, Jefferson County, Lakeland, Tallahassee, Walton County, Dixie County, Fort Pierce, Hamilton County, Hardee County, Melbourne, Miami, Ocala, Orlando, Pensacola, Sarasota, Tampa, West Palm Beach GA: Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Bleckley County, Chattooga County, Dawson County, Early County, Hancock County, Jasper County, Liberty, Macon, Marion, County, Warren County, Whitfield County, Worth HI: Maui County ID: Boise City, Boundary County, Elmore County, Idaho County IL: Adams County, Alton- Granite City, Aurora-Elgin, Bureau County, Champaign-Urbana, Chicago, Clay County, Joliet, Mason County, Montgomery County, Springfield, Vermilion County, Washington County IN: Bloomington, Brown County, Decatur County, Elkhart-Goshen, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Huntington County, Indianapolis, Kosciusko County, Muncie, Newton County, Randolph County, South Bend, Warren County KS: Brown County, Lawrence, Topeka, Wichita KY: Fulton County, Lexington-Fayette, Louisville, Mason County, Meade County, Spencer County, Trimble County LA: Baton Rouge, Beauregard Parish, Caldwell Parish, Claiborne Parish, Houma-Thibodaux, Iberville Parish, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Morehouse, Parish, New Orleans, Shreveport, St. James Parish, West Feliciana Parish ME: Portland MD: Baltimore, Cumberland, Frederick, Hagerstown, Kent County MA: Boston, New Bedford, Springfield, Worcester MI: Alger County, Allegan County, Benton Harbor, Cass County, Detroit, Flint, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Manistee County, Muskegon, Newaygo MN: Chippewa County, Duluth, Le Sueur County, St. Cloud MS: Jackson MO: Bates County, Callaway County, Columbia, De Kalb County, Joplin, Kansas City, Moniteau County, Saline County, Springfield, St. Joseph, St. Louis MT: Beaverhead County, Billings, Lincoln County, Mineral County NV: Lander County, Las Vegas, Reno, Storey County NH: Portsmouth NJ: Atlantic City, Hunterdon County, Long Branch, New Brunswick, Ocean County, Sussex County, Trenton, Vineland-Millville NM: Las Cruces, Lincoln County, San Juan County NY: Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Chautauqua County, Elmira, Jefferson County, New York City, Orange County, Otsego County, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Yates County NC: Anson County, Hickory ND: Fargo-Moorhead OH: Ashtabula County, Cincinnati, Clinton County, Columbiana County, Columbus, Dayton, Hamilton, Hancock County, Lima, Mansfield, Mercer County, Morrow county, Perry County, Ross County, Sandusky County, Springfield, Steubenville-Weirton, Tuscarawas County, Williams County, Youngstown OK: Grant County OR: Clatsop County, Eugene-Springfield, Lincoln County, Medford, Portland, Salem, The Dalles PA: Allentown, Altoona, Bedford County, Bradford County, Crawford County, Erie, Greene County, Harrisburg, Huntingdon County, Jefferson County, Johnstown, Lancaster, Lawrence County, Lebanon County, Northeastern, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Reading, Sharon, State College, Union County, Wayne County, Williamsport, York PR: Aguadilla, Aibonito Municipality, Arecibo, Mayaguez, Ponce, Rincon Municipality, San Juan RI: Newport County, Providence SC: Anderson, Calhoun County, Laurens County, Oconee County TN: Chattanooga, Fayette County, Giles County, Lake County, Maury County, Memphis, Nashville TX: Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, Bryan-College Station, Concho County, Dallas, Fannin County, Galveston, Killeen-Temple, Lubbock, Navarro County, Newton County, Parmer County, Runnels County, Sherman-Denison, Tyler, Victoria, Waco, Wilson County UT: Beaver County, Provo, Salt Lake City VA: Caroline County, Danville, Frederick County, Madison County WA: Bellingham, Clallam County, Ferry County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County, Olympia, Pacific County, Richland-Kennewick, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Yakima WV: Charleston, Grant County, Huntington-Ashland, Monongalia County, Parkersburg-Marietta, Raleigh County, Tucker County, Wheeling WI: Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Wood County AT&T 5G Plus Cities AZ: Phoenix CA: Los Angeles, Menlo Park, Oakland, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, West Hollywood FL: Jacksonville, Miami, Miami Gardens, Orlando GA: Atlanta IN: Indianapolis KY: Louisville LA: New Orleans MD: Baltimore, Ocean City MI: Detroit NC: Charlotte, Raleigh NV: Las Vegas NY: New York City OH: Cleveland OK: Oklahoma City PA: King of Prussia, Philadelphia TN: Nashville TX: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Waco Sprint and T-Mobile Sprint’s 5G cities include: Atlanta Chicago Dallas-Fort Worth Houston Kansas City Los Angeles New York Phoenix Washington, D.C. For the 5,000-plus cities covered by T-Mobile’s nationwide network, you can consult this map.Verizon Cities covered by Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband service include: Atlanta, Georgia Boston, Massachusetts Boise, Idaho Charlotte, North Carolina Chicago, Illinois Cincinnati, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Columbus, Ohio Dallas, Texas Denver, Colorado Des Moines, Iowa Detroit, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Greensboro, North Carolina Hampton Roads, Virginia Hoboken, New Jersey Houston, Texas Indianapolis, Indiana Kansas City, Missouri Little Rock, Arkansas Los Angeles, California Memphis, Tennessee Miami, Florida Minneapolis, Minnesota New York, New York Omaha, Nebraska Panama City, Florida Phoenix, Arizona Providence, Rhode Island Saint Paul, Minnesota San Diego, California Sioux Falls, South Dakota Spokane, Washington Washington, D.C.
