I expected 5G to shake up both wireless Internet for cellphones and home Internet services by offering wireless 1 Gbps Internet to home and cellphone users alike.
Now AT&T says it has made a major step forward in its testing of 5G. Last week AT&T and Nokia tested a new 39 GHz 5G service using DIRECTV NOW.
According to the test, AT&T says it can offer low network latency and high throughput services with its 5G standard. This likely means 5G will be something that cord cutters could use in their homes to replace their traditional broadband Internet services.
“With this trial, we’re doing something that no other operator has done – regionally or globally,” noted Tom Keathley, SVP for wireless network architecture and design at AT&T, in a statement tied to the latest trial. “We expect 39 GHz to be an important 5G band in the United States and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with Nokia to further advance 5G technology in this band. The work coming out of AT&T Labs will provide valuable contributions to future 5G standards, and allow us to pave the way for delivering significantly faster speeds and a better overall network experience for our customers across the U.S.”
AT&T is planning to continue these tests in Austin, Texas this year with a DIRECTV NOW test. Not only is AT&T working on 5G, but also are Google, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile US, c Spire, US Cellular, and Dish Network. Last week Verizon announced 11 markets that would get 5G this year as part of 5G testing.
The hope is 5G will remove the limitations of 4G with lower latency, making it better for streaming and gaming, and better throughput removes the need for network management techniques such as throttling and data caps.
Dish and others have announced that they plan to have most of the United States covered with 5G by the end of 2020—just 3 years from now.
Source: RCR Wireless News
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