BOISE, Idaho — If you’re a Verizon Wireless customer, you could be getting a big boost in your internet speed. But as usual, that increased speed comes with a price.
Verizon Wireless is the first cell phone carrier to implement a 5G network in Boise. They implemented the 5G network in Boise, New York City, and Panama City on Thursday.
Here’s the catch though, if you want that advanced speed, you’re going to need a new device.
“We’ve committed to 30 markets by the end of the year, so we’re at about 13-15 right now,” said Paul Ulreich, Communications Manager for Verizon Wireless.
And Boise just so happens to be on that list. Verizon Wireless is the first cell phone carrier to roll out the high speed internet in Boise, and it’s available right at your fingertips.
“When we went from 3G to 4G, that’s when all of the sudden we got Netflix and Hulu and Uber, and every TV station their own content and video content everywhere. 4G to 5G we’re talking over 10 times faster, maybe 20 times faster,” said Ulreich.
So we put it to the test, downloading an hour long Netflix show on a 5G device versus on a 4G device. The 5G device took about five seconds to finish the download, whereas the 4G device took nearly four minutes.
“We’re working with state and local government affairs to get as many, uh, as many poles and as many nodes lit up as we can,” said Ulreich.
The coverage already reaches many places in Boise and Meridian, that is, if you’ve got a device equipped for the task.
In order to utilize the 5G network, you’ll need a 5G device. It hasn’t arrived for iPhone, but if you’re team Samsung, LG or Motorola, you’ve got some options.
Other cell phone networks like AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint have started rolling out 5G across the U.S., but none of them have reached Idaho yet.
