Major carriers around the world have set 2019 as the year they will start deploying 5G services. For AT&T this will be the case in 12 cities across the United States, and small businesses in these locations will be the first to have access to the new technology.
AT&T says it will be the first and only company in the US which will be offering a mobile 5G device over a commercial, standards-based mobile 5G network.
Where 5g Service is Live
This network is now live in parts of Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., San Antonio and Waco, Texas.
Additionally, AT&T said it will be deploying the network in parts of seven more cities in the first half of 2019. They are Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.
For small businesses in these cities, the availability of 5G services will mean getting a head start in providing innovative services for their customers. This is what Mo Katibeh, chief marketing officer, AT&T Business, pointed out in the press release.
Katibeh said, “We expect that our initial adopters will be innovative, growing businesses. They’re the starting point for what we think will be a technology revolution like we’ve never seen before.”
Early Adopters
The early adopters in the cities will be able to use the NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot on AT&T’s mobile 5G+ network. The service is going to deliver fast mobile speeds over the mmWave spectrum when compared to standard LTE.
As part of the initial deployment, AT&T is offering its select business and consumer clients the company’s first mobile 5G device along with 5G data usage for free for a minimum of 90 days.
In spring 2019, customers can start purchasing the NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot for $499 upfront and 15GB of data for $70 a month.
This is the early days for the technology, so AT&T is saying device availability and 5G+ coverage areas will be limited.
Initially, AT&T will provide the service in dense urban areas, with the goal of eventually covering all of its customers across the country as the company continues to deploy 5G networks beyond 2019.
5G Innovation
The name 5G represents the fifth generation of mobile networks, which is set to open new use cases because of the speed it is capable of delivering.
With download estimates from 1Gbs (1,000Mbits) to 10Gbs (10,000Mbits), it opens the door for many possibilities.
Beyond the blazing speed, 5G will also provide lower latency, greater capacity, increased reliability, more flexibility, and improved battery life for mobile devices by up to 10 times.
This will benefit businesses in new and different ways. According to a study by Qualcomm in 2017, 5G is expected to create 22 million jobs and produce up to $12.3 trillion of goods and services by 2035.
Qualcomm goes on to say the full economic benefits of 5G will be realized globally across a wide range of industries. This includes everything from retail to education, transportation, entertainment, and everything in between.
Image: AT&T