Verizon has announced that Houston will join Sacramento and Los Angeles as being one of the first cities where it activates a 5G service in the second half of this year.

The focus of Verizon’s four market 5G deployment plan, which is now missing only missing one city, is to deliver a residential broadband service – as opposed to a 5G mobile service.

“We will be the first to offer commercial 5G service and our work with Houston put us one step closer to delivering that promise,” said Verizon’s incoming CEO Hans Vestberg. “With 5G we are ushering in a fourth industrial revolution that will help reshape cities and lead to unprecedented innovation, and Houston will be at the forefront of that innovation.”

Verizon’s 5G entry into Houston is said to be supported by both state and local officials, and the broadband service will serve five under-resourced neighbourhoods in a pilot as part of the city’s ‘Complete Communities’ program.

“We expect 5G will be a game changer helping us usher in a new wave of progress and innovation,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “We’re delighted to be one of the first cities to bring 5G to our local communities and look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with Verizon.”

Verizon rival AT&T has similar ambitions. The Dallas-headquartered telecoms company has plans to bring 5G to 12 US cities by the end of the year.