AT&T has switched on its 5G service for consumers in 10 markets across the US, including California’s main cities, double the number promised last month. Consumers and businesses in Birmingham, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rochester, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose can now access the network via the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. The USD 1,300 smartphone is available to AT&T customers at prices starting at USD 350 when they trade in an old device in combination with certain unlimited plans.
In a statement, AT&T confirmed that the initial 5G rollout uses low-band 850MHz spectrum technology that offers broad coverage but slower speeds than mmWave, the spectrum used by the company for the 5G+ service launched last year for selected businesses in 21 cities. The 5G+ service is now available in 23 cities and AT&T said it plans to reach parts of 30 cities in early 2020.
The low-band 5G network that’s being used as the backbone of AT&T’s 5G network across the US “will continue to rapidly expand”, said the company, adding that availability in Boston, Bridgeport, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Louisville and New York City will be added shortly as it works toward offering nationwide coverage in the first half of 2020.
