This is Verizon's first 5G smartphone

Verizon's first 5G smartphone was not started as a 5G device. But it will when the wireless operator formally launches its next generation mobile service.

The first smartphone will be Motorola's Moto Z3, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg confirmed in an interview on the back of the CES 201[ads1]9 keynote presentation area on Monday. But the catch? This was originally launched in August as a 4G phone with the option of a Moto Mod attachment that would eventually give it a 5G feature.

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It turns out that the 5G Moto Mod will make the Moto Z3 the initial phone when Verizon turns on its mobile 5G service. A Samsung smartphone played by Verizon and Qualcomm at the Snapdragon Tech Summit last month will be the second device. And while AT&T and Sprint have both said they want to carry the Samsung phone, Vestberg confirmed that it has an exclusive deal. It indicates that the Samsung phone will probably come to Verizon only in an exclusive period before moving on to the other carriers.

While Vestberg refused to comment on the exact time of the launch, you can sketch the potential window. It is widely expected that Samsung will launch a 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 which is usually launched at the end of February around the World Fair. Vestberg's comments indicate that the service and 5G Moto Mod will launch before then.

This will benefit Verizon as the first operator to launch a 5G service with a smartphone. Carriers all over the world have fallen upon themselves to preach as the first to 5G, giving them bragging rights and helping to cement the perception of network superiority. It has become critically important as the competition for consumers is heated, as network quality remains a major factor.

5G is all the rage at CES 2019 and is one of the dominant trends on the show. The next generation of wireless services is expected to boost the speed and network response, opening the door to a better mobile experience as well as new areas of technology such as streaming VR or telemedicine.

Vestberg has long proclaimed that Verizon would be the first to launch 5G. A 5G version of home broadband service rolled out in October, although skeptics argued that it didn't count because it used non-industrial standard technology. AT & T launched its 5G mobile service in December, but customers in selected cities can only access the network using Wi-Fi hotspots, not smartphones.

Regardless of who is the first, it is clear that the 5G slows from hype to reality, especially as the wider distribution of the network is on the way with many carriers worldwide. T-Mobile promises to have wider commercial service available early this year, and Sprint and LG promise the first 5G smartphone. T-Mobile and Sprint promise to do even more together if they merge .

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