The world's fastest internet speeds will be up and running in Sioux Falls within the next two months.

That's according to Verizon Wireless, which will formally announce Sioux Falls as one of the first city's in the country where fifth generation (5G) internet service is launched.

Officials with Verizon as well as Senator John Thune and Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken will hold a news conference Friday to announce the service "will be up and running by the end of the year," Verizon's communication Steve Van Dinter said in an email announcing the event.

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"Thanks to the outspoken, progressive leaders, the network will launch by the end of the year, making Sioux Falls one of the first cities in the nation with 5G technology," a news release said.

Verizon earlier this year installed 10 small cell tower poles in downtown Sioux Falls to eventually house 5G antennas, used to transmit the ultra-wideband network. Van Dinter said some of those antennas are "already live."

Mayor Paul TenHaken and the City Council last year created a licensing system allowing telecommunications to equip light poles with cellular antennas, a move aimed at making the city more inviting to companies like Verizon that are pioneering 5G technology.

"It's not my intent to profit off carriers to deploy 5G infrastructure," TenHaken said during a field hearing of the U.S. Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held in Sioux Falls last October. "We seek fair and reasonable compensation for city staff time to review applications from carriers. In kind, we (would) offer a reasonable time frame to approve or deny applications or work with carriers on an alternative site."

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Along with the announcement that 5G will be available by year end, Verizon will also be sharing news about a $50,000 grant to support STEM education in Sioux Falls.

That funding will allow teachers at any of Sioux Falls’ public schools to apply for a grant of up to $10,000 to develop curriculum, enhance innovation and promote collaborative learning in science and technology.

The news conference is at 1 p.m. Friday at DocuTap, 101 S. Phillips Avenue.