Verizon is considering the possibility of partnering with either Apple or Google to be a television provider as part of its new superfast 5G service rollout, Bloomberg reports. The 5G service is expected to launch Los Angeles and Sacramento later this year, and following Verizon’s failure to develop is own live online TV service, the company is now seeking a partner to fill in the gap.
Negotiations are apparently ongoing, according to sources, and Verizon may not even end up reaching an agreement with either company. Verizon plans to use new fifth-generation wireless technology to deliver services to home receivers at speeds that were previously only available over wired broadband connections, and the company’s longer-term plan is to compete with AT&T and Comcast in delivering internet and online TV packages over 5G wireless connections.
Debuting 5G TV with either Apple or Google would be used to promote the technology, but Verizon may not be looking for a long-term partnership, with Chief Financial Officer Matt Ellis telling investors in May that it’s only looking to bridge the gap until it gets “comfortable” delivering its own internet-based video services. The company has struggled to develop a television service, however, scaling back its own ambitions and ceding the market to streaming providers like Netflix, Sling TV, and DirecTV Now.
