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
