Verizon and Samsung to release 5G smartphone in the U.S. in first half of 2019

Verizon and Samsung announced their plan to bring one of the first commercial 5G smartphones to market in the first half of 2019. The companies will unveil a proof of concept, powered by the upcoming flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platform with the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem and antenna modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF front-end and antenna elements, at the annual Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui this week. This is the result of years of collaboration to deploy an end-to-end solution for commercial 5G services using Samsung network equipment and personal devices.

5G mobility service will provide massive bandwidth, greater opportunities for connectivity and improved network reliability. When fully implemented, it will offer capacity and download speed many times faster than today’s 4G LTE network. Along with network latency that is faster than the blink of an eye.

“5G will usher in a new era of mobile connectivity, allowing people to connect to data, experiences and other people in ways never thought possible,” said Brian Higgins, vice president, wireless device and product marketing at Verizon. “Together, Samsung and Verizon have made huge gains in bringing 5G commercial services to consumers in several cities. Now, we’re partnering to create a smartphone to put the power of 5G in the palm of your hand.”

Verizon launched the world’s first commercial 5G service in October when 5G Home went live in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Verizon 5G mobility service will go live in early 2019 and expand rapidly. Once available, Samsung 5G smartphone users will immediately benefit from the speed and capacity of Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network, and over time, experience all the new and exciting services, games and features that will be available.

“Samsung offers end-to-end solutions that are accelerating the wide scale adoption of 5G and help us realize our vision of truly connected living,” said Justin Denison, senior vice president, Mobile Product Strategy and Marketing at Samsung Electronics America. “We’re proud to work alongside innovative partners like Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies to deliver a smartphone that will fundamentally transform how people work and play.”

Samsung has partnered with Verizon on its 5G Home offering since the beginning of 2018 and has been a leader in the 5G space for even longer. Samsung has been an active contributor, with Verizon, to develop standards that make 5G deployment possible and was the first company to earn FCC approval for its 5G commercial products.

Verizon – first to 5G

Today’s announcement is the culmination of a year of 5G firsts for Verizon, including the opening of 5G Labs in New York, Cambridge, MA and Washington, DC, the first ever 5G NR call made on a commercial network, the first over-the-air data transmission on a commercial 5G NR network, and, most importantly, the launch of Verizon 5G Home – the world’s first 5G home broadband internet service.