5G is the fifth generation of wireless technology that will have a massive impact on how we live, learn, work and play, paving the way for unprecedented innovations that will reshape the world. But not all 5G is the same.¹

In addition to its 5G Ultra Wideband network, Verizon recently launched 5G Nationwide, a low-band 5G network. This allows customers with 5G-enabled devices to use the high-frequency millimeter spectrum 5G Ultra Wideband network where it’s available and fall back on the low-frequency Nationwide 5G network where it’s not.

The 5G Ultra Wideband network uses the high-band, ultra-wide millimeter wave spectrum to deliver our best 5G experience available today. Think of 5G Ultra Wideband like an incredibly wide, superfast highway, with millions of trucks traveling inches apart from one another at breakneck speeds. The ultrafast speeds and reduced lag time (latency) can provide smartphones with new capabilities for activities like multi-player gaming on the go, streaming 4K ² movies and video chatting in HD. And with its massive bandwidth, 5G Ultra Wideband will be able to support many more devices of the future in the Internet of Things.

5G Nationwide, meanwhile, uses a different, low-band spectrum that involves dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS). DSS is a technology that allows 5G service to run simultaneously with 4G LTE on multiple spectrum bands. With DSS, whenever customers move outside Verizon’s high-band Ultra Wideband coverage area, their 5G-enabled devices will remain on 5G technology using the lower bands. By deploying both technologies together, Verizon is able to use its full portfolio of current spectrum resources to serve both 4G and 5G customers, maximizing their customers’ 5G experiences on the Verizon network.