Verizon launches 5G in Sacramento, thanks mayor for leadership
Christipher Anglewirth (left) and his husband J. Michael Anglewirth had Verizon 5G installed in their home Monday.
Verizon on Monday turned on its lightening-fast 5G Home wireless network for customers in Sacramento and three other U.S. cities.
The introduction of 5G technology will not only drastically improve the internet experience, it is expected to create 22 million new jobs globally and an additional $12.3 trillion in economic revenue by enabling such technologies as remote surgeries, smart cities and digitization of agriculture, said Tami Erwin, Verizon’s Executive Vice President of Wireless Operations.
Erwin thanked Mayor Steinberg for his leadership in driving the creation of a public-private partnership agreement between Verizon and the City of Sacramento that resulted in Sacramento being one of the first four cities in the country to get Verizon 5G service. The others are Houston, Los Angeles and Indianapolis.
“It’s only thanks to his forward thinking, along with the support of others in the city, that we were able to break through the bureaucratic barriers we’ve seen from Bay Area communities and elevate Sacramento to a whole new level on the national scale,” Erwin said.
Mayor Steinberg joined Erwin Monday morning for a press briefing at the home of Christipher and J. Michael Anglewirth, who were having 5G installed in their Pocket neighborhood home. The installation was quick and involved placing a small tan antenna on the back of the house.
“For me as mayor, it’s another signal to the business world, the world of innovation and technology and entrepreneurs, that Sacramento is the place to be and the place to locate your next great invention or your next great idea,” Mayor Steinberg said.
At this point, Verizon 5G is available in select neighborhoods, including parts of downtown, East Sacramento, North and South Natomas, Oak Park and North and South City Farms. The company plans to rapidly to expand it to other parts of the city. To find out if your home is included, visit https://www.verizonwireless.com/5g/home/.
The cost for the home internet service is $50 a month for existing Verizon wireless cell phone customers and $70 for non-customers.
As part of the partnership agreement, Mayor Steinberg noted, Verizon is currently funding paid internships for 11 high school students placed in companies throughout Sacramento. It has also agreed to provide free wireless access in 27 of Sacramento’s public parks.
