Verizon to Launch 5G Services in LA by Q4, CEO Discloses

Verizon plans to launch 5G services in Los Angeles by Q4, CEO Lowell McAdam said Tuesday on CNBC, which the company later confirmed. Verizon earlier announced Sacramento as one of three to five cities to get 5G later this year (see 1804240059). The carrier will deploy more than 1,000 cellsites for the launch in California cities, McAdam said. He also noted a strong Verizon partnership with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (D). Verizon has been “plowing money” into 5G for the past three years and expects it to be more disruptive than previous wireless generations, he said. The carrier is busting myths about 5G, including that millimeter-wave spectrum requires line of sight and doesn’t go through foliage, he said. The technology will bring a different pricing model, with the old model of charging $90-100 per subscriber per month going “out the window” with 5G, said McAdam. The company is focused on digital content and has “no interest in [acquiring] a linear content company,” he said.