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LG Wing and Pixel 5 owners have something to look forward to: The Federal Communications Commission has approved these devices to use faster 5G C-band frequencies, according to a PCMag prognosticator. The two phones joined an exclusive company made up of some of the first devices licensed to use the new frequencies. The Samsung Galaxy S21 phones and the iPhone 12 line are the only others that currently offer support for these frequencies in the United States.
The C-band will provide much-needed speed boost for 5G in the United States, especially for Verizon and AT&T customers. Currently, their national networks rely primarily on slower low band spectrum. This so-called medium frequency band was auctioned off at the end of 2020, and US operators have offered a record $ 80.9 billion to secure blocks of spectrum for their use.
These frequencies won’t be available until late 2021 / early 2022, but LG and Google seem to be getting a head start. With this FCC approval, companies can offer software updates to enable the use of C-band frequencies on these specific devices.
As it stands, not all 5G phones work with all types of 5G frequencies. Some devices, especially budget models, only support low and medium bands. Others are also broadband compatible, such as Verizon’s Ultra Wideband, which the operator indicates by selling certain “UW” brand models. C-band will complicate matters even more; Manufacturers must obtain FCC approval to retroactively add support for their existing devices in order to take advantage of the new spectrum.
There’s no doubt that the C-band will be a welcome addition to 5G networks in the US, but that’s another thing to know if you’re planning to buy a new phone this year. T-Mobile customers won’t have to worry so much since the carrier’s network already uses other mid-range frequencies. But if you’re on Verizon or AT&T and plan to hang onto your phone for a few years, it’s worth buying a device that supports C-band now or will in the future.
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