Sprint And Verizon Launch 5G In Phoenix, Promising Consumer Perks

PHOENIX, AZ – The Phoenix metropolitan area is a proverbial hot spot every August, but perhaps more so now than ever with two telecom giants launching new 5G services in the area. Sprint’s new 5G Phoenix network launched today, while Verizon’s launched Friday. Both companies promise consumers and industry a plethora of real-time computing and IoT benefits.

Sprint officials chose Phoenix for its 5G network because it’s one of their larger markets, for one thing, said VP of Network Scott Santi. “Phoenix is a very important market to us. It has a really good existing footprint with our LTE network…and a really dense subscriber base,” he explained. (LTE, also known as 4G, is 5G’s predecessor.)

“As far as demographics, we know there’s a really up-and-coming technology industry in Phoenix, so our 5G can grow along with the industry growth,” Santi added. “Having companies like Intel and others located in [the Phoenix metro area] is a positive for us.”

Benefits for consumers

Many Phoenix area consumers have heard of 5G, but might not be sure what it means for them. “Customers can enjoy real-time experiences with higher capacity, higher throughput and lower latency,” says Heidi Flato, a media relations rep at Verizon. So in other words, faster processing times closer to real time.

Sprint reports its average 5G download rate is 203.8 Mbps, almost 6 times faster than the company’s LTE average download rate of 35.2 Mbps.

5G speeds like those mean almost no buffering is required during 4K movie streaming. It also means more responsive gaming and virtual reality goggles, near real-time HD video chats and downloads formerly taking minutes that now only take seconds.

“For example, you can literally download a movie in 15 to 20 seconds and not minutes. … So while your popcorn is still cooking in the microwave, your movie has finished downloading,” explained Santi. Video and photo storage, texting, and email will remain very similar to what is already available without 5G, however.

Consumers aren't the only ones who stand to benefit from Phoenix's new 5G networks, though. The education, transportation, business, healthcare, public safety and government sectors will also see new lifestyle-changing technology advances powered by 5G, said Flato and Santi.

Education and the virtual classroom

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality (AV/VR) enabled by 5G is an emerging technology allowing educators to replicate a physical classroom, bringing an interactive learning environment and “hands-on” learning to students hundreds or thousands of miles away, Flato said.

IoT (Internet of Things) in transportation and business

IoT is another area that stands to grow new technologies that aren’t even of conceived of yet, Flato and Santi say. IoT refers to Internet-connected devices that collect and communicate data with one another. 5G IoT is necessary for driverless vehicles to meet their full use potential, according to Flato. For example, current LTE networks provide 40 to 50 millisecond latency. However, 5G is expected to eventually provide a round trip latency of 10 milliseconds, which is faster than an eye blinks, she added.

IoT powered by 5G can also involve smart traffic lights and smart street lights communicating with cars enabled with IoT, which could warn drivers of impending collisions or traffic issues.

IoT also has applications in the business realm, for example Sprint’s 5G is being put to the test currently at a furniture store, used in an application facilitating workers’ comfort. “The device is going to be in their chairs and desks and different things, allowing very quick response time to see what the person is doing and how they’re reacting,” Santi said. The sensors can collect data on a worker such as when the worker starts fidgeting, and will then send the worker a message that they need to stand up or take other action to get more comfortable.

“Enterprises will log an estimated $15 trillion in aggregate IoT-related expenditures in the next eight years,” Flato detailed. “And by 2020, more than half of all new businesses will rely on IoT to cut costs, build efficiencies and grow their bottom lines.”

Healthcare, public safety and government

Remote healthcare or “telemedicine” also stands to benefit from 5G, which will enable more real-time doctor’s visits to occur remotely. Additionally, public safety data and information on locations of other personnel can be transmitted quickly to first responders. For government offices, 5G can enable monitoring of lighting and HVAC systems and even smart parking applications that help employees and visitors find available spaces.

5G consumers will need a new mobile device

For consumers who switch to 5G, also making the switch to a 5G-enabled mobile device is required. A 4G/LTE device can’t function on a 5G network, but a 5G handheld device will work in a 4G/LTE-only area.

The Verizon 5G network is active in downtown Phoenix in the areas of The Orpheum Theatre, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Chase Field, CityScape and the Phoenix Convention Center. It can also be accessed by those with 5G mobile devices on the ASU campus.

Meanwhile, Sprint’s 5G network is available in Phoenix near Grand Canyon University, The Heard Museum and the Biltmore area. It can also be accessed near ASU at Sun Devil Stadium and Mill Avenue, in addition to Old Town Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Waterfront at Stetson Canal.

Santi says that Phoenix area residents visiting those outdoor and indoor areas with 5G network coverage and a 5G mobile device should be able to access the 5G network while out and about. Consumers in homes located in either company’s 5G coverage areas can also access the new 5G network at their house, if they have a 5G plan in place and a 5G-specific device.

5G mobile devices sold by Sprint range from $600 to $1,300, depending on the model, while Verizon’s range from $500 to about $1,300. Both companies offer smaller monthly payment plans for 5G mobile devices.

Verizon reports that 5G plans are about an extra $10 per month versus LTE, while Sprint reports about a $20 per month plan upgrade fee. Interested consumers should ask their local Sprint or Verizon representatives for more details on plans and devices.

How much is 5G costing Sprint and Verizon to implement?

Santi says Sprint’s monetary investment in 5G is probably less than people might think, as “Massive MIMO” (or Multiple Input/Multiple Output) Nokia radios enabled the company to implement its 5G network on its existing 4G network, and to run the two side-by-side. However, he said, “In a market like Phoenix, we add probably hundreds of millions of dollars every year in network investment, upgrading our towers with new capacity, new technologies.” In addition to Phoenix, Sprint today launched 5G networks in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and New York City, with 5G networks already activated in Kansas City, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago and Atlanta.

When asked about Verizon’s 5G monetary investment, Flato responded, “We’ve said that capital spending for 2019 will be in the range of $17 billion to $18 billion, including the expanded commercial launch of 5G.” Verizon has 5G networks launched already in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Providence, St. Paul and Washington, D.C.

Will the rumored Sprint and T-Mobile merger happen?

Announced in April 2018 by the Washington Post, a planned Sprint-T-Mobile merger remains unfinished. “Yeah, we are still in the last stages of getting all the approvals,” reported Santi. The feds recently approved the merger, which had been under scrutiny amidst antitrust law issues. The state-level lawsuits pertaining to the merger are still unresolved, however, but Santi is undaunted. “We feel that the merger with T-Mobile is the right thing for us, T-Mobile and the industry.

“But for today, we’re still competitors and we still operate separately,” continued Santi. “The long-term plan is that if we come together, we’ll be in the best position to roll out a nationwide 5G network as well as a really, really solid 4G network.”

For now, Sprint plans to continue adding more Phoenix cell sites within the next 18 months, with the goal of covering the greater Phoenix metro area with 5G by then.