Verizon to launch 5G internet for businesses in 21 U.S. cities

STOCKHOLM, April 15 (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc , one of the largest U.S. telecom companies, said on Thursday it will launch 5G internet for businesses in 21 U.S. cities this month, expanding its presence from Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

Verizon is offering a 10-year price lock for new customers, no data limits and plans ranging from 100 Mbps to 400 Mbps to business users in cities such as Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

The wireless carrier started rolling out 5G services last year using lower spectrum bands, achieving speeds similar to those of T-Mobile but trailing AT&T, according to a study https://rootmetrics.com/en-US/content/5g-in-the-us-1H-2021 by IHS Market's RootMetrics.

Verizon plans to expand its 5G business internet footprint throughout the country, bringing its full suite of services from video-collaboration tools to edge computing.

Edge computing uses augmented reality and machine learning to analyse bulk data in the place in which it was gathered - be that on a factory floor or oil rig or in an office - but requires the fast data transfers made possible by 5G.

In its bid to target business customers, Verizon has also struck https://www.reuters.com/article/verizon-5g-microsoft/verizon-signs-up-microsoft-nokia-to-help-clients-build-private-5g-networks-idINKBN2750CD deals with Microsoft and Nokia to help clients automate factory floors, lower costs and speed up data traffic through private 5G networks. (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, European Technology & Telecoms Correspondent, based in Stockholm; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)