C Band launch on Jan. 19 will make 5G available to 100 million PoPs
Despite an ongoing back-and-forth with the airline industry, FAA and FCC around the impact C Band-based 5G could impact aircraft operations, Verizon is committed to activate its mid-band 5G network on Jan. 19. Once that happens, the operator’s Ultra Wideband 5G service, comprised of mmWave and C Band, will be available to 100 million points of presence.
Along with this major expansion of its mobile network, Verizon is also expanding the reach of its fixed wireless access broadband internet offerings, 5G Home and 5G Business.
Speaking to RCR Wireless News, Verizon EVP and Business Group CEO Tami Erwin called the upcoming C Band launch “the second phase of our 5G era” combining fixed and mobile mmWave and mid-band with MEC into a “21st century infrastructure.”
Erwin said the expansion of 5G Business is all about “choice for customers.” She noted that the new offering, paired with existing national mobility distribution and leadership in every segment served, is “a natural extension” for business customers looking to bundle mobile and fixed broadband. “It really does give customers choice and value,” she said. “The other thing we’re pretty excited about in our promotion at launch is…no price increase for 10 years.”
In terms of deriving new 5G service revenues from businesses, Erwin has talked before about the need to shift from transactional to consultative sales. “It’s really the mission we’ve been on since we became Verizon 2.0,” she said. Before that, “We were selling boxes. Now we’re really working with our customers in every segment we serve to say, ‘What is the transformation journey that businesses are on?’”
That means understanding, for example, the desired outcomes of a hospital or manufacturing operation or retail chain, then feeding those learnings back into Verizon to inform strategy related to, as Erwin put it, “people, process, product, and platform. You can no longer just sell the pieces…How do I package a roadmap of transformation for business and really be able to say, ‘Here are all the things you need from a connectivity standpoint, from a platform standpoint, and from an applications and solutions standpoint. Customers really want one place to call. If they have a problem, they know they can call their Verizon team.”
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