AT&T has promised to begin rolling out a true next-generation 5G network in a dozen U.S. cities by the end of the year.
The pledge follows international 5G standards being agreed upon last month by 3GPP, the body responsible for developing and governing cellular standards.
“With faster speeds and ultra-low latency, 5G will ultimately deliver and enhance experiences like virtual reality, future driverless cars, immersive 4K video and more,” Melissa Arnoldi, president of AT&T technology and operations, said in a press release Thursday.
AT&T has also stated that it plans to trial 5G technology with businesses. It has yet to reveal which areas will receive 5G first.
The new technology promises to bring speeds 10 to 100 times faster than current cellular data capabilities.
The big four carriers’ plans
AT&T is the last of the big four carriers in the United States to announce 5G rollout plans.
Verizon reportedly hopes to offer 5G in select cities by the end of 2018, and Sprint suggested that its 5G technology will become available by the end of 2019. Finally, T-Mobile says it plans to begin rolling out its 5G network in 2019, and offer coverage across the nation by the close of 2020.
A recent report suggested that Intel currently has a “small army” of several thousand people working on its 5G chips, which it hopes will be ready for the iPhone in 2019 or 2020.
Via: CNBC
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
One response to “AT&T promises blazing-fast 5G in U.S. by end of 2018”
This “blazing new service” will be launched in a couple of cities on the east coast and a couple on the west coast and be branded as “nationwide” even though most places in between will not have it for many years to come. Today one cannot drive from coast to coast and enjoy 4G (LTE) service the entire way, in every city and town.