Verizon expanded its ultra-wideband 5G service to Atlanta, unlocking a potential 1 million additional customers and advancing a goal to cover 175 million people by the year-end.

To date, Verizon covered approximately 113 million people across 1,700 cities and plans to hit 250 million by the end of 2024.

The ultra-wideband service uses Verizon’s mmWave and C-Band spectrum, and edge compute capabilities.

Verizon stated the deployment in Atlanta was “18 months earlier than projected due to agreements” struck with satellite service providers in March to clear C-Band spectrum.

Verizon spent close to $53 billion on the spectrum, including the purchase price and cost of reimbursing satellite companies for clearing the frequencies earlier than an original deadline of end-December.

The Atlanta deployment included Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expressed concern late in 2021 that AT&T and Verizon’s C-Band deployments could interfere with radio altimeters on aeroplanes.

After several delays, Verizon and AT&T started using their C-Band spectrum in January.

In June, the FAA announced an agreement had been reached with mobile operators regarding the use of C-Band spectrum near airports.