Apple and Verizon say 5G is here. That's not exactly true yet.

5G remains a work in progress throughout the United States. Access to 5G networks is limited to a handful of US cities, and in some instances, it’s currently slower than 4G speeds. The fastest early deployments have been concentrated in areas most Americans aren’t visiting very much since the pandemic began — such as stadiums. “It will likely be a few more years before we see what kind of revolution 5G will bring about in the tech world,” said Stan Adams, the deputy general counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Washington policymakers broadly agree that 5G is important — especially when it comes to the United States maintaining its tech dominance and competing with China, which has aggressively embraced the next generation of wireless networks. But there are competing proposals for how the federal government could most quickly and effectively commercialize the most valuable airwaves. Many experts say the future of 5G depends carriers having greater access to airwaves known as mid-band spectrum, which is ideal for 5G deployment because it provides both fast speeds and greater coverage. But much of that is controlled by the Pentagon, which currently uses the spectrum for radar and aviation. And the future of those airwaves is in doubt.