Verizon Projects Wireless CapEx Slowdown as 5G Network Builds Stabilize

By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor

Verizon’s (NYSE: VZ) big bet on C-band spectrum is about to pay off. The company went live on January 19, with cell sites using mid-band C-band (3.7-3.98 GHz) spectrum in the top 46 U.S. markets or partial economic areas (PEAs) as the FCC designates them. With this deployment, Verizon provides its 5G Ultra-Wideband (UWB) service to around 95 million people, nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population, in millions of homes in more than 1,700 cities. Verizon’s deployment completes Phase I of the Auction 107 fulfillment requirements. The 280 MHz of C-band spectrum allocated for 5G was made available in 20 MHz blocks (5 A-Blocks, 5 B-Blocks and 4 C-Blocks). The A-Block holders, namely Verizon with 60 MHz of A1, A2 and A3 blocks and AT&T with 40 MHz of A4 and A5 blocks, were required to activate those licenses in the top 46 PEAs by December 5, 2021. The remaining A-, B-, and C-Block licenses held by all winning bidders must be activated by December 5, 2023. Continue Reading