Following Verizon’s recent rollout of fixed wireless 5G service in four U.S. cities, T-Mobile CEO John Legere weighed in with his usual pointed commentary.
T-Mobile markets itself as the “Un-carrier,” a brand built on removing common frustrations associated with traditional wireless providers. Legere’s candid public criticism of competitors is consistent with that positioning.
In a series of social media posts, Legere criticized Verizon’s 5G offering and its marketing approach.
Verizon launched its initial 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) service in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Sacramento has emerged as a prominent example for Verizon because local leaders actively embraced innovation and partnered with the company to accelerate deployment.
Jonathan LeCompte, Verizon’s Pacific Market president, said:
“We were able to make Sacramento one of our first 5G cities because Mayor Darrell Steinberg and city leaders embraced innovation and developed a strategic vision for how 5G could be a platform for the larger Sacramento technology ecosystem.
We believe this vision will pay off big for the city, attracting new investment, businesses and next-generation services for residents.”
Over the past year, Sacramento worked with Verizon to install small cells on more than 200 utility poles and streetlights to support the new service.
Maria MacGunigal, the city’s Chief Information Officer, added:
“We have shown we can build the infrastructure for companies to come here and deliver new products that will improve the lives of our residents.
The arrival of 5G will change the technology landscape in Sacramento forever.”
At launch, Verizon’s initial 5G offering is focused on home broadband packages in those four cities. Verizon has stated that early “First on 5G” customers will receive complimentary upgrades to devices and equipment that support 3GPP 5G NR as compatible hardware becomes available.
If you want to check whether Verizon’s 5G home service is available at your address, Verizon provides an online availability checker on its site.
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