LG Wing and Pixel 5 owners have something to look forward to: The Federal Communications Commission has approved these devices to use faster C-band 5G frequencies, according to a PCMag tipster. The two phones have joined an exclusive company made up of some of the first devices approved to use the new frequencies. Samsung’s Galaxy S21 phones and the iPhone 12 series are the only others that currently support these frequencies in the US.
C-band will provide the much needed speed boost for 5G in the US, especially for Verizon and AT&T customers. Currently, their nationwide networks rely mainly on a slower low band spectrum. This set of so-called midband frequencies was auctioned in late 2020, and US carriers are bidding a record $ 80.9 billion to secure spectrum blocks for their use.
These frequencies won’t be available for use until late 2021 / early 2022, but LG and Google seem to be leading the way. This FCC approval allows the companies to offer software updates to enable the use of C-band frequencies on these specific devices.
As things stand, not every 5G phone will work with every kind of 5G frequency. Some devices, especially budget models, only support low and mid band. Others are also high band compatible like Verizon’s Ultra Wideband, which the carrier indicates by selling certain models with the ‘UW’ brand. C band will complicate matters further; Manufacturers require FCC approval to retroactively add support to their existing devices to take advantage of the new spectrum.
No doubt C-band will be a welcome addition to 5G networks in the US, but there’s one more thing to keep in mind if you’re planning to buy a new phone this year. T-Mobile customers need to worry less because that carrier’s network already uses different midband frequencies. But if you’re on Verizon or AT&T and plan to stick with your phone for a few years, it’s worth buying a device that supports C-band now or in the future.