Verizon is betting that customers will pay up for Samsung's new 5G smartphone, even though the price point is high and the technology's infrastructure is still being built up.

"It's a great experience," Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said in an interview with CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Thursday.

"I believe that there's going to be people taking it. We are seeing tens of thousands of customers taking it already," he said. "And today is the first day you can actually buy it."

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is the first device that supports Verizon's new 5G network out of the box. It follows the Motorola Z3, which also runs on 5G but only if you buy an additional $200 accessory that enables it.