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The fifth generation of wireless technology, 5G, is generating significant interest across the industry. With Mobile World Congress approaching, many announcements will follow, but AT&T has already released a clear roadmap: the company plans to begin 5G field trials before the end of the year.
Ericsson is enabling AT&T to move beyond 5G lab tests to gain a greater understanding of 5G’s potential in their own network environments
5G promises to be one of the most transformative standards yet. For consumers, it means dramatically faster downloads—films and large files that once took minutes could download in seconds. For businesses and public infrastructure, 5G is expected to become the backbone for connected vehicles and the expanding Internet of Things, which will link millions of devices. AT&T projects that its 5G network could deliver speeds 10 to 100 times faster than current 4G connections.
“New experiences like virtual reality, self-driving cars, robotics, smart cities and more are about to test networks like never before,” said John Donovan, Chief Strategy Officer and Group President, AT&T Technology and Operations. “These technologies will be immersive, pervasive and responsive to customers. 5G will help make them a reality.”
AT&T announced plans to collaborate with Ericsson and Intel in the second quarter, followed by field trials in Austin, Texas, later in the year. Verizon, a major competitor, has also indicated plans to conduct its own field tests during the year.
“AT&T’s 5G field trials will play an important role in ensuring rapid and wide-scale adoption of this next generation mobile technology,” said Arun Bansal, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Unit Radio, Ericsson. “5G will impact the entire mobile network—from devices to access and core to cloud—and open up exciting new IoT applications for consumers and industry, so Ericsson is enabling AT&T to move beyond 5G lab tests to gain a greater understanding of 5G’s potential in their own network environments and markets.”
Industry analysts expect 5G to become widely available around 2020. As demand for faster and more reliable connectivity grows, conducting field trials now helps ensure the technology is mature and ready to support the new services and applications that will rely on it.
“As early 5G development and trials get underway, industry collaboration is necessary to implement new network architectures and prepare for commercial availability,” said Aicha Evans, corporate vice president and general manager of the Intel Communication and Devices Group. “At Intel, we know that working with partners like AT&T and Ericsson is essential to bringing faster and more efficient wireless networks that will bring new and richer experiences to our lives.”
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