Verizon adds three new regions to its 5G mmWave service

Verizon's 5G millimeter wave network is now available in parts of Seattle, Sacramento, and Pensacola, Fla. Those cities are also covered by Verizon's 5G low-band network, which uses lower frequency bands but isn't as fast as services that use higher frequency bands.

Verizon announced last fall that it would launch a new 5G CPE device to make its home 5G service more attractive. At the time, Verizon said the new device would be available in multiple cities, but customers in Sacramento wouldn't be able to get it until 2021. Now, it's available to eligible Sacramento customers, too.

Not including clearing costs, Verizon spent more than $4.5 billion in the auction for 5G spectrum to acquire C-band 3.7 GHz licenses. Some of that spectrum will be ready by the end of this year, but much of it won’t be available until 2023.

Verizon has also been criticized for focusing too much on mmWave, whose signals have shorter range and propagation characteristics that limit their ability to travel through buildings or other obstructions.