summary
- Verizon successfully used its in-building network and 250 5G radios to provide high-speed network services to customers attending the Super Bowl.
- High-band 5G, also known as millimeter wave, offers the fastest connectivity, but is not yet widely supported and may have stability and connectivity limitations.
- When considering a new phone, keep in mind that mmWave technology may only be available on higher-end models.
If you’ve ever attended an event with hundreds of people nearby, you’ve probably experienced a drop in mobile connectivity. When everyone carries around devices connected to the same radio waves, it can quickly become difficult to contact the outside world via mobile phone. The Super Bowl in Las Vegas is an example of an event where communication outages could have been widespread, but Verizon said it was able to reduce traffic for customers.
Verizon announced that it has spent two years preparing to maintain a viable high-speed network for customers attending Super Bowl LVIII, and the effort has been successful. The telecommunications giant said it served customers through its in-building network at Allegiant Stadium, where the game was played. During the game, Verizon deployed about 250 of his 5G radios, which are designed to transmit millimeter waves (a high-frequency type of 5G). As a result, customers attending the Super Bowl can now more easily stay connected in crowded spaces.
When it comes to device connectivity, 5G comes in multiple types and can be categorized as low-band, mid-band, or high-band. Low-band 5G offers wider coverage than 4G LTE, but the speeds are similar. While mid-band 5G is known for its good combination of coverage and capacity, high-band 5G is at the top of the list. High-band 5G, also known as mmWave, is the fastest of the bunch, but obstacles can limit stability and connectivity.
Another limitation of high-band 5G is that it is not yet widely supported. For example, the service may be more readily available in the United States than in other countries overseas, where coverage is limited. Some devices do not yet have the ability to support mmWave connectivity. Interestingly, the Pixel 8 debuted without such support at its 2023 launch. Naturally, this wasn’t a problem for anyone interested in buying a new Google phone, especially for those who didn’t already know about the benefits of mmWave or opted out of paying for it. . Additional charges apply for such services. However, this could become an issue in the future as the benefits of high-band 5G become more apparent and some of its drawbacks are addressed.
If you’re planning on buying a new phone in the next couple of years, mmWave is a technology you’ll want to keep in mind. Many manufacturers may consider including support in future devices, but it may be limited to top models initially. Knowing these details allows you to invest in only the latest and highest-performing technology.
