Verizon Network Looks More Like Pre-Pandemic

Verizon’s network is returning to normal, 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Consumer Group CEO Ronan Dunne told a virtual Bank of America conference Monday. “We’re definitely seeing a return to normal levels of activity we can measure,” he said: “Many of the cities in the U.S. are now at or above the level of network activity back pre-pandemic.” Retail stores are also getting rising activity, he said. Dunne said smartphone adds are partially responsible for U.S. postpaid phone net gains of 8 million in the past year, compared with 4.6 million the previous year. Younger and older people saw more need to be connected during these times, he said. Part of the growth is tied to new businesses and migration from prepaid to postpaid phones, he said. Verizon is seeing “very strong trends” of people adding cellular-enabled tablets, watches and other connected devices, he said. People also are spending more in general, he said: “There’s real growth out there.” More than 20% of the handsets on Verizon’s network now are 5G, the “vast majority” of them “C-band capable,” he said.