Verizon targets 10M-15M US metro sites for 1 Gbit/s mmWave FWA

TL;DR: Verizon said on its Q3 earnings call that it plans to use a new mmWave fixed wireless access approach to extend 1 Gbit/s service to an additional 10 million to 15 million US metro locations, with initial rollouts starting in Q4 2026 and continuing into 2027.

Verizon said on its Q3 earnings call that it plans to extend 1 Gbit/s fixed wireless access service over millimeter wave spectrum to an additional 10 million to 15 million US metro locations. CEO Dan Schulman said the company has 1,700MHz of mmWave spectrum and has already completed trials with what he described as operational success.

Verizon said initial rollouts of the new mmWave FWA approach will begin in Q4 2026 and continue into 2027. Verizon EVP and CFO Anthony Skiadas linked the effort to the multiple-dwelling unit market, saying the company is scaling its MDU program to deliver fiber-like speeds over FWA connections.

Verizon acquired Starry in 2025 after launching an MDU-focused FWA product in January 2025. Starry brought a 1 Gbit/s-capable mmWave FWA platform for MDUs, coverage in parts of five markets, and existing customers. Analysts cited in the report said Verizon's new FWA plan likely uses Starry technology and in-building wiring to improve gigabit delivery inside apartment buildings.

Verizon added 159,000 FWA subscribers in Q3, down 39.1% from 261,000 a year earlier and below analyst expectations of 194,000. Verizon ended the quarter with 6.36 million FWA subscribers. Ookla data cited in the report showed mmWave appeared in 2.2% of Verizon samples in urban and metro testing in the second half of 2025, compared with 0.2% for AT&T and almost 0% for T-Mobile, with Verizon mmWave connections rising from 75 markets in the first half of 2024 to 91 markets in the second half of 2025.