UScellular expands 5G network in Nebraska

UScellular expanded its low-band 5G network to more communities in Nebraska. The company initially launched 5G in Nebraska in 2020 but recently expanded the service to 26 more communities in the state. Those communities include Coleridge, Crofton, Hartington, Osmond, Pierce, Verdigre, Wausa and Wayne. In total, more than 100 Nebraska towns now have 5G network access.

A UScellular spokesman told FierceWireless that the company invested $74.9 million in its Nebraska network in 2021. Of that $74.9 million investment, $8.2 million went to general network upgrades, $20.5 million was spent on 5G modernization and $46.2 million was for 5G spectrum.

Although UScellular already offered LTE in these areas, the 5G expansion now provides customers with either mobile or fixed wireless services but uses the 600 MHz low-band spectrum.

UScellular also has 5G Home Internet+ that uses mmWave spectrum and delivers speeds of up to 300 Mbps. That service launched in April and is available in a few Nebraska cities including parts of Grand Island, Kearny, Lincoln and Omaha. 

The company also has spent more than $1.28 billion on C-band spectrum and more than $579 million on 3.45 GHz spectrum.UScellular said in May that it will use gear from Ericsson and Nokia to build out is mid-band 5G network.

Update: This article was updated to include the Nebraska cities where USCellular offers 5G Home Internet+.