5G is on its way; But what about supporting devices?

The 5G hype now omnipresent. Dubbed “the next-generation of wireless network”, several US carriers have made a wave of announcements pertaining to their 5G plans. Even as the carriers aggressively plot their strategies, the 5G is expected to considerably alter the way the wireless industry do business. And it looks like customers don’t have to wait till 2020 to experience 5G service.

AT&T is currently fixated on 5G and has vowed to bring the service to customers before the year ends. The first three locations to avail the service will be Dallas, Waco and Atlanta.  Announcements of further expansion into other cities are expected in the coming months.

Devising a plan

One of the primary obstacles facing AT&T at the moment is lack of devices or smartphones that can support this technology. No smartphones that are currently in the market supports 5G. However, the company is pinning hopes on mobile giants to have what they need by the end this year.

  The first three locations to avail the service will be Dallas, Waco and Atlanta. 

AT&T, which had recently teamed up with Ericsson to offer professional services for IoT solutions, said it plans to virtualize 75% of its network by 2020. To meet this timeline, the company will soon be opening a new 5G lab in Austin, Texas.

But rival T-Mobile’s CTO Neville Ray recently attacked AT&T and Verizon, stating that their “5G hype machine shifted into overdrive.” According to him, T-Mobile is still the only wireless company that is committed to deploying a nationwide 5G network, as other two carriers have either failed to live up to their timeline or to roll out details of their plan.

The only risk factor for AT&T apart from the stiff competition from Verizon and T-Mobile is the national 5G network. President Trump’s national security team is mulling a US 5G network as an option to counter China. But if this becomes a reality, it could spell doom to the private players.