Newfangled Verizon 5G coverage at the Jersey Shore gets a speed test and wins... on the beach
As more and more people get vaccinated, says Verizon, it has noticed an increase in travelling, or, the way it measures it, "mobile handoffs, the times when a data session moves from one cell site to another as users walk or drive around, have increased 28% since mid-January, and have increased 31% compared to last year at this same time."
This is why Big Red is getting ready for increased summer activity, compared to 2020, and it started to is boost its Ultra Wideband 5G coverage at popular vacation hotspots first, so that it is ready for the crowds of people emerging from the long and tiring lockdowns.
Popular beaches and sightseeing spots where Big Red expanded its fast mmWave network include the Jersey Shore (Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Long Beach Island), Delaware beaches, Ocean City Maryland, and even Niagara Falls. Those famous long-weekend destinations now enjoy enhanced 5G coverage but how fast is it in reality, compared to the plain 4G network there?
Verizon 5G vs 4G speeds at the Jersey Shore beaches
Well, as usual, Sascha Segan from PCMag has the test results to show, and Verizon really delivered what it said on the tin. Since the actual big promise of a modern 5G network is capacity, rather than speeds - those are already fast enough for every day usage on the last-gen 4G networks, too - crowded holiday places are a perfect spot to test that promise.
Needless to say, the speeds were fast outdoors, as you can see from the 1.6Gbps snapshot here, but, more importantly, they were constantly available for those uninterrupted Zoom meets with multiple participants, video streaming, or downloading games quickly.
Entering inside, however, is another beer, as mmWave networks work best not more than a 1000 feet from the tower, and indoors the signal drops like a rock. Given that these were crowded touristy destinations, though, most people stay outside and can take advantage of Verizon's newfangled 5G coverage at the Jersey Shore, and that was the moral of the story to know heading into your beach weekend.
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