Verizon has been on the back foot throughout the first phase of 5G roll-out in the USA. Although it was first to deploy, even going to the lengths of using a pre-standard technology to ensure it beat AT&T by a nose, it has grappled with a shortage of the midband spectrum in which most of the world’s operators are rolling out first-stage 5G – because it provides significant new capacity, and so can deliver a visibly different user experience in selected locations, while broad coverage can be delivered, for now, by 4G. With the 3.5 GHz band occupied in the USA, and only set to be freed up federal and satellite incumbents after auctions later this year, Verizon and AT&T…