Verizon said it plans to increase the number of its 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission sites from around 14,000 today to 30,000 nationwide by the end of 2021.
Some analysts aren't impressed. For example, LightShed Partners analyst Walter Piecyk noted that 30,000 mmWave transmission sites wouldn't cover Delaware, given the diminutive propagation characteristics of signals in highband spectrum.
If we assumed a 700ft radius on these 30k small cells, it wouldn't cover Delaware. #mmWavehttps://t.co/RVEh5rSCzA— Walter Piecyk (@WaltLightShed) January 26, 2021
Nonetheless, Verizon said its buildout efforts would bring its mmWave services to more markets. Specifically, Verizon said it will expand its 5G mobile mmWave service (dubbed Ultra Wideband) to another 20 cities by the end of 2021, which would raise its total to 81. The company also said it would expand its 5G Home fixed wireless Internet service to an additional 20 cities in 2021, which would raise its total to 37. (It's likely that many, if not all, of those markets overlap.) And Verizon said it will double the number of locations where it is offering edge computing through Amazon Web Services – from ten to 20 – by the end of 2021.