Midband spectrum covers broad geographic areas, unlike mmWave spectrum, but it doesn't provide the same blazing speeds that are supported on mmWave. Click here for a larger version of this image.īut because Verizon is using the '5G Ultra Wideband' label for both midband 5G and mmWave 5G, other markets show broad coverage that's clearly fed by midband spectrum, not mmWave spectrum. Verizon's online coverage map shows midband and mmWave 5G, both dubbed '5G Ultra Wideband'. For example, Verizon's mmWave network is clearly visible in its Memphis, Tennessee, coverage map, which shows each street with mmWave signals.

That deployment can be seen in some of its coverage maps. Verizon is the only big 5G provider that has embarked on a major outdoor deployment of 5G in its short-range mmWave spectrum holdings. Verizon hopes to cover around 175 million people with its C-band midband 5G network by the end of this year, while T-Mobile expects to cover around 260 million people with its own 2.5GHz midband 5G network by then.ĪT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are all taking a slightly different approach to 5G, and the differences are reflected in their respective coverage maps. Click here for a larger version of this image.ĪT&T uses the '5G+' label for its midband network, and the company has deployed its highband, millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum in some stadiums, airports and other locations, which it refers to as '5G+ venues.' Like Verizon, AT&T uses the regular '5G' label for its lowband 5G network.ĪT&T trails both Verizon and T-Mobile in the deployment of midband spectrum for 5G. AT&T's online coverage map now displays its midband 5G coverage, dubbed '5G+'.

Att wireless coverage map