Minneapolis has cutting-edge 5G wireless network – barely, but it’s here

A light pole near U.S. Bank Stadium is mounted with 5G antennas, the rectangles near the top, that are for Verizon's new ultra high speed wireless service. Minneapolis and Chicago are among the first places in the world to get next-generation wireless coverage. Consumers need new phones to access it. (Verizon/TNS)

Minneapolis is at the leading edge of cellphone technology for the first time. Barely. But it is. 

Just as tens of thousands of people were descending on Minneapolis for the Final Four on April 6, the city became one of the first places in the world to have a fifth-generation, or 5G, wireless network. Data travels four to 10 times faster on 5G than on the 4G networks that have been around about a decade.