Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1097515
DGA QUARTERLY 47 DGA QUARTERLY 47 VERIZON Verizon launched a 5G home product last October in parts of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Later this year, Verizon says, it will o er 5G mobile service in "more than 30 cities." To rapidly expand that, it also has launched an e ort to encourage citizens to lobby their local o cials for 5G coverage, in an e ort to eliminate expected municipal challenges as it seeks to add more towers. AT&T AT&T has already launched a service called 5G Evolution (or 5G E, for short), though it has faced strong criticism from competitors and tech writers that, despite the name, it's not really 5G. (AT&T denies the name is misleading.) It plans to fully switch on 5G in the fi rst half of 2019 in cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Las Vegas, and hopes to have nationwide coverage by 2020. T-MOBILE The nation's third-largest wireless provider laid the groundwork for its 5G presence in 30 cities last year, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas, and plans to launch that service later this year. Nationwide coverage should be available by 2020. SPRINT Sprint might not be the biggest carrier, but it's assuming the role of enforcer with 5G, suing AT&T in February over 5G E, saying the campaign made false claims of "o ering a 5G wireless network where it o ers only a 4G LTE Advanced network." It's also readying a partial 5G rollout in nine cities in the fi rst half of this year. There are lots of companies involved in the rollout of 5G technology. And they're all going about the process in a di erent way. The takeaway for users is the timetables for launches will vary widely by location. • Here's a look at some of the 5G world's major players—and where they stand today: HUAWEI Huawei's fi rst entry in 5G will be a foldable phone that's likely to create buzz among tech enthusiasts. The company's long-term advantage, though, is its lower prices, making its products attractive to a wide audience. Huawei faces a signifi cant disadvantage in its reported close ties to the Chinese government, raising fears the company's phones could be used to spy on users. The U.S. has banned government use of Huawei equipment and is moving to ban them completely in America. As that happens, though, Huawei is dramatically expanding its footprint overseas. SAMSUNG Samsung's going big with its fi rst entry in the market, announcing a 5G version of the Galaxy S10, its new fl agship. The phone, initially, will be exclusive to Verizon, and Samsung says it "can download a full season of a TV show in minutes, play graphics-rich cloud games with virtually no lag, [and] enjoy enhanced VR and AR experiences." Samsung hasn't yet given a price for the S10 5G, nor did it say how long the exclusive window with Verizon would last. APPLE Don't expect a 5G iPhone in the immediate future. While the company ferociously guards its future plans, Bloomberg reported last December that Apple will remain on the 5G sidelines until 2020, so the technical problems that often accompany the launch of new technology can be ironed out. That will also give carriers time to expand their networks, expanding the potential number of buyers. The Players The Operators The Vendors