AT&T has claimed a first with the launch of a 5G mobile network in the US. The service is initially available in 12 cities using a mobile hotspot device.
The launch of a commercial, standards-based mobile 5G network follows Verizon's introduction in October of a fixed-wireless service over its own proprietary 5G standards. AT&T said its service will "evolve very quickly" after it worked hard with suppliers to achieve the milestone.
The mobile 5G network is live in parts of 12 cities: Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Florida, Louisville, Kentucky, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., San Antonio and Waco, Texas. In the first half of 2019 AT&T plans to expand the service to parts of seven additional cities: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, California.
First 5G device
As no 5G phones are available yet, customers can only use the service for mobile broadband. The first supporting device is the Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot, first previewed by AT&T in October using mmWave spectrum. AT&T has said it plans to launch two 5G smartphones in 2019.
AT&T is offering a select group of businesses and consumers the 5G device plus data usage at no cost for at least 90 days. Next spring, customers will be able to get the hotspot for USD 499 upfront and 15GB of data for USD 70 a month on a compatible plan with no annual commitment.
