AT&T has outlined its 5G roadmap for businesses, built on three core pillars designed to bring experiences into the future.
These three pillars are:
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Mobile 5G
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Fixed Wireless
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Edge Computing
AT&T highlights that there are roughly 15 million businesses in the United States looking for innovations that provide a competitive edge. Emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) can drive significant business improvements when paired with fast, reliable connectivity.
Mo Katibeh, Chief Marketing Officer of AT&T Business, said:
“The 5G services we’re rolling out, combined with our advanced network capabilities, will help businesses transform for the better. They will open up opportunities to increase revenue, reduce operational costs, and ultimately create exceptional new experiences for employees and customers.
Whether it’s a local startup, a growing regional company, or a national enterprise—these three pillars are going to be groundbreaking.”
From AT&T’s perspective, its network can connect a single location or multiple facilities. Compared with previous generations, 5G promises greater speed and reliability, unlocking new opportunities across industries.
Mobile 5G
With 4G/LTE, many workers became more productive on the move, using email, video calls, and other mobile tools with ease. 5G expands those capabilities and enables faster uploads and downloads, making it easier for businesses that handle heavy video content to move files immediately without relying on fixed broadband.
AT&T’s first consumer 5G device was the NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot. The operator has also confirmed plans to launch Samsung 5G smartphones. AT&T is deploying business-focused 5G experiences in the initial 12 cities where its network is live and will use lessons learned there as it extends coverage nationwide.
Fixed Wireless
Broadband downtime is disruptive: frustrating for consumers and potentially costly for businesses, which can lose revenue, deals, and customer trust. Fixed wireless provides a resilient backup and, with 5G, narrows the gap between wireless and wired broadband in terms of speed, latency, and reliability.
Jason Leigh, Senior Research Analyst at IDC, commented:
“5G is the gateway to an entirely new world for businesses, but it needs multiple technologies coming together to achieve its true potential.
Leveraging the low latency, increased connection density, and high bandwidth of 5G will allow businesses to deploy integrated solutions that accelerate digital transformation, drive productivity improvements, boost efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction faster than ever before.”
Fixed wireless is increasingly being used as a primary connectivity option in locations where fiber isn’t available or where businesses need to get online quickly. AT&T says its current fixed wireless offerings prepare customers to upgrade and take advantage of 5G as it becomes available in their area.
Edge Computing
Edge computing enables businesses to run low-latency, high-bandwidth applications closer to where they’re used, reducing delays and improving performance for time-sensitive workloads.
AT&T offers a solution called AT&T Multi-access Edge Compute (MEC), which can be deployed over LTE or 5G for both mobile and fixed wireless connections. The operator has demonstrated MEC capabilities in projects with major partners such as AT&T Stadium and Rush University Medical Center, using 5G combined with edge computing to enable new applications.
Dr. Shafiq Rab, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Rush University Medical Center and the Rush System for Health, said:
“Healthcare systems use a lot of networking power, and 5G is going to be a turning point in how mobile networks are used in caring for patients.
With multi-access edge compute, robotics and expanded telehealth are two areas we plan to explore.
Ultimately, it’s about creating better outcomes for our patients. 5G combined with MEC will give us a foundation to provide improved services and increase the quality of care.”
AT&T says edge computing will breathe new life into technologies such as autonomous vehicles, AR/VR, and drones. The operator plans to share more details about its edge computing services throughout the year.
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