Verizon 5G gets a big boost in 34 cities starting today

Verizon is giving its 5G network a bit of a boost, as the carrier has just turned on 5G uploads in 35 major cities for mobile users and in Chicago’s 5G home market. These cities already had 5G support for download speeds, but this change will give users a massive boost to how fast they can upload data. This announcement comes hot on the heels of the company announcing a new Samsung Galaxy S20 with faster mmWave 5G support.

The carrier announced the upgrade today, which should make using its network for sending files and streaming videos a faster experience. Additionally, the company announced that it is improving its 5G range and ability to reach indoors, which is critical during this time when more people are stuck at home.

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According to Verizon, the 5G upload speeds should be about 30% faster than before. However, that estimate might be a little low, as Ookla Speedtest crowdsourced Verizon uploads in Providence, RI. It found speeds increased by an impressive 78.8% from 28.28Mbps to 50.55Mbps.

OpenSignal recently put 5G networks to the test and found that Verizon was by far the fastest. However, the study also found that Verizon’s customers only spend 0.5% of their time connected to its 5G network. Of course, this means the speed isn’t effective if not many people are able to use it.