AT&T rolls out mobile 5G service in 12 US cities, connection requires accompanying Netgear...
AT&T on Monday announced its standards-based mobile 5G network is now live in 12 U.S. cities, though customers will need Netgear's Nightawk Mobile 5G Hotspot to access the speedy wireless platform.
Netgear's Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot is required for accessing AT&T's initial 5G network.
Initially, the service is available in 12 metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Ga., Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., San Antonio and Waco, Texas. AT&T first committed to 5G in January, promising to deliver limited 5G capabilities across the U.S. by the end of 2018.
The network is slated to go live in another seven cities -- Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. -- in the first half of 2019.
Customers will connect to the 5G -- technically 5G+ -- network via Netgear's Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot, which AT&T plans to debut on Friday. The telecom is making the device and data plans available at no cost to select early adopters for "at least 90 days."
"This is the first taste of the mobile 5G era," said Andre Fuetsch, AT&T CTO and president of AT&T Labs. "Being first, you can expect us to evolve very quickly. It's early on the 5G journey and we're ready to learn fast and continually iterate in the months ahead."
AT&T plans to offer the Nighthawk to general consumers next spring for an upfront fee of $499. The device will be offered alongside a 15GB data plan that runs $70 a month with no annual commitment.
AT&T's 5G+ network is built on mmWave spectrum technology, providing faster connections than the current LTE standard. In addition to 5G+, AT&T continues to expand access to its 5G Evolution network that combines existing 4G technologies to achieve faster speeds. The interim technology will be used as a foundation for the firm's full-fledged cellular 5G network.
Competing U.S. carriers are also preparing their own 5G technology rollouts. Verizon, for example, launched what it calls the world's first commercial 5G deployment in October with the introduction of 5G Home Internet. Though not standards-based, cellular 5G Home Internet competes against traditional broadband tech with connection speeds of up to 300Mbps.
Smartphone manufacturers are likewise ramping up to join the 5G revolution. Verizon this month said it expects Samsung to field a compatible handset in the first half of 2019, while Qualcomm anticipates every Android maker to field a 5G model by the end of next year.
It appears Apple is once again taking the wait and see approach to 5G, as reports indicate iPhone will remain reliant on LTE until 2020 at the earliest.
Netgear's Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot is required for accessing AT&T's initial 5G network.
Initially, the service is available in 12 metropolitan areas including Atlanta, Ga., Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., San Antonio and Waco, Texas. AT&T first committed to 5G in January, promising to deliver limited 5G capabilities across the U.S. by the end of 2018.
The network is slated to go live in another seven cities -- Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif. -- in the first half of 2019.
Customers will connect to the 5G -- technically 5G+ -- network via Netgear's Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot, which AT&T plans to debut on Friday. The telecom is making the device and data plans available at no cost to select early adopters for "at least 90 days."
"This is the first taste of the mobile 5G era," said Andre Fuetsch, AT&T CTO and president of AT&T Labs. "Being first, you can expect us to evolve very quickly. It's early on the 5G journey and we're ready to learn fast and continually iterate in the months ahead."
AT&T plans to offer the Nighthawk to general consumers next spring for an upfront fee of $499. The device will be offered alongside a 15GB data plan that runs $70 a month with no annual commitment.
AT&T's 5G+ network is built on mmWave spectrum technology, providing faster connections than the current LTE standard. In addition to 5G+, AT&T continues to expand access to its 5G Evolution network that combines existing 4G technologies to achieve faster speeds. The interim technology will be used as a foundation for the firm's full-fledged cellular 5G network.
Competing U.S. carriers are also preparing their own 5G technology rollouts. Verizon, for example, launched what it calls the world's first commercial 5G deployment in October with the introduction of 5G Home Internet. Though not standards-based, cellular 5G Home Internet competes against traditional broadband tech with connection speeds of up to 300Mbps.
Smartphone manufacturers are likewise ramping up to join the 5G revolution. Verizon this month said it expects Samsung to field a compatible handset in the first half of 2019, while Qualcomm anticipates every Android maker to field a 5G model by the end of next year.
It appears Apple is once again taking the wait and see approach to 5G, as reports indicate iPhone will remain reliant on LTE until 2020 at the earliest.
Comments
Do they think we’re idiots? You’d blow your wad in hours.
What do they mean buy 'standards based?' I thought 5G standards were still undecided?
With an expected life of 3-5 years, who would want to be stuck with today's equivalent of a 3G phone -- when every carrier and every smart phone manufacturer (except one holdout) is rolling out modern technology ?
Why is a new technology dependent on 1 manufacturer?
Sounds like hype we have all heard before and you’re eating it up with a spoon.
The issue with the carriers is overselling the network, limiting your unlimited data, and throttling you. We haven’t even hit the bandwidth limit on 4G and the carriers are already trying to change to 5G.
When everyone was hyped about 4G and Apple was still on 3G, people were complaining.
That is, until they bought a 4G device and saw their battery life drain right in front of them rapidly. I saw a person throw his HTC thunderbolt 4G phone on the ground at an Apple store and tell the employee that it was a POS and had terrible battery life. He said 4G wasn’t worth the cost and he ended up buying an iPhone 4S. This was in 2011.
Just wait until 5G is everywhere and wait for your bill to be upgraded. It’s a shell game like 4K, 8K, 16K is for TVs.
I especially like how you have to buy a hotspot to get 5G for $500. What a fleecing.
How come we can’t use every other smartphone that has “modern technology” connect directly to the 5G network George?