Earlier this year, AT&T promised that it would launch a standards-based 5G network sometime in 2018. Now, CEO John Donovan has confirmed those plans, promising that the network would roll out "in the coming weeks."
The novelty would be an authentic next-generation 5G network, as opposed to the "5G Evolution" network that was launched last year, which basically featured improvements in 4G LTE.
It is worth mentioning that AT & T has been testing its network since February and it seems that it will even deliver on what it promised in early 2018.
Verizon eventually overtook AT&T with the launch of the 5G network in the United States for the cities of Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento in early October. Verizon's current network is a 5G fixed network for fixed residential Internet, not targeted at mobile devices such as cell phones.
The AT&T network, however, would be the first network in the United States to fully roll out a 5G NR system based on 3GPP standards, as well as a mobile network, even if there are no devices supporting the network yet.
The fifth-generation mobile network is expected to start in at least "parts of 12 cities" including Atlanta, Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Dallas, AT&T said. Seven more are expected to begin offering service in early 2019, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando.
5G network
The 5G network is expected to bring many improvements, representing the future generation of mobile telecommunication. The technology will enable download speeds in excess of 1 Gbps (gigabits per second) and an even greater focus on connected products.
In Spain, the expectation is that the 5G network will be deployed later than in developed countries, all due to a lack of adequate infrastructure.
"5G opens up more opportunities than our society has ever seen, turning connectivity into possibilities for everyone," said Ronan Dunne, president of Verizon, during the Mobile World Congress, held in San Francisco, USA, earlier this year.
Source: The Verge
