Verizon’s latest tech deployment seems like just a snapshot, from Chickasha, Rush Springs, Lawton, and Geronimo (45, 60, 90, and 100 miles southwest of OKC, respectively), to Dibble (35 miles south), to Oilton and Pryor (85 and 150 miles south) miles northeast), but the goal is to blanket the state with the capacity and speed of portable 5G internet.
That’s a pretty big announcement: C-band spectrum usage that Verizon acquired two years ago, and that’s about as technical as I need to get. What matters is what people can do with up to 10 times the capacity they had before.
“Verizon’s 5G ultra-broadband allows people to do things on their mobile device that many previously could only do when connected to their home Internet service. This includes everything from downloading large documents and streaming movies to HD audio and video, to playing console-quality games and conducting video chats, video conferencing and FaceTime calls with clear audio and visuals.”
Verizon’s big advance in 5G announced for some small towns in Oklahoma
Equally important is where: it targets certain nooks and crannies of Oklahoma. Lawton, Chickasha, and Pryor aside (populations 91,055, 15,786, and 9,453, respectively), that increase in speed and capacity is now in Oilton, Dibble, Rush Springs, and Geronimo (populations 877, 925, 1,008, and 1,162, respectively).
Verizon 5G goes country, in other words, respectfully.
Expanding 5G service to more communities will greatly benefit people in every corner of Oklahoma as it represents an important step forward in our efforts to build a truly connected state, said Mike Fina, executive director of the Oklahoma Municipal League , in a press release from Verified. Not only will this technology bring faster speeds and more reliable connectivity, but the expansion of 5G service into more rural areas of Oklahoma will unlock new opportunities for innovation and economic growth for residents and visitors across our great state.
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Verizon builds on its 5G network with progress in Oklahoma
In the same press release, Phillip French, vice president of engineering and operations at Verizon, said, “Verizon is widely known for having an exceptionally reliable 5G network experience and it is exciting to see the positive impact our work has had on Oklahoma. Our network engineers work tirelessly to provide unmatched connectivity to our customers throughout Oklahoma and we won’t slow down.
In addition to faster mobile service, Verizon said, as more customers have access to Verizon Home Internet service, first responders and public safety agencies using Verizon Frontline will see network improvements.
Verizon has even more online firepower, if you will, at its disposal. More bandwidth will be rolled out to more Oklahoma markets later this year, according to the press release, which hit my email inbox at 9:14 am Wednesday.
Interestingly, there was another press release, which came in at 7:50 am Wednesday, from AT&T.
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AT&T is honking its horn for its recent progress in Oklahoma
Verizon’s Wednesday news was known to arrive on Tuesday. Did AT&T send its release, more of a roundup of recent advances, ahead of Verizon to perhaps ride the shotgun with attention? When asked, the AT&T shipper replied, “No!”
Okay. Safe. Sure, a suspicious mind is a journalism demolition tool. Scattershot, target, firepower, deployed, shotgun, fire return, demolition perhaps the allusions to guns had my suspicions happy trigger. Perhaps.
OK, I’ll keep the rest of my powder dry. It’s all important. Here’s what AT&T wanted to brag about. It’s legit.
“AT&T is upgrading its network in Oklahoma,” AT&T said. “With an investment of nearly $925 million from 2020 to 2022, AT&T has expanded wireless connectivity, increased access to high-speed broadband and enhanced the First Responders network, FirstNet.”
That means more than $475 million spent in Oklahoma City and nearly $200 million in Tulsa, AT&T said.
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Other highlights include:
- Expanding Fiber Access: “With nearly 2.1 million miles of fiber in Oklahoma, AT&T Fiber is now available to more than 350,000 customer locations statewide.”
- First network: “In Oklahoma, we are connecting first responders in 250 communities and have deployed Band 14 at 1,200 sites statewide, providing public safety with truly dedicated network coverage vital to emergency response efforts.”
- Unlocking the Power of 5G:“AT&T is America’s most reliable 5G network, connecting hundreds of millions of Americans to what matters most to them.”
“From rural communities to urban areas, our combined wireless voice and data network covers more than 99 percent of all Americans, including Oklahoma,” AT&T said. “We work with companies from manufacturing to healthcare to create new innovations and increase efficiency with AT&T 5G.
“We’re ramping up performance in high-traffic areas, including airports, stadiums and venues, including the Paycom Center.”
How AT&T continues to help bridge the digital divide in Oklahoma and the United States
AT&T said it continues to help bridge the digital divide:
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Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize.
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