In hot pursuit of Verizon, AT&T begins testing 5G technology in Austin, Texas

By Christian de Looper December 5, 2016

att plans explained at amp t — Jonathan Weiss/123RF

AT&T apparently isn’t going to take the news that Verizon has started testing 5G without doing anything itself — in fact, AT&T is now set to start testing the next generation of data transfer technology itself. In a new blog post, the company said it would begin testing 5G out in the real world in partnership with Intel and Ericsson. The tests are taking place in one of AT&T’s Austin, Texas, offices.

As mentioned, AT&T isn’t the only company testing the new technology — all four of the major carriers are working on 5G, but Verizon and AT&T seem to be the furthest ahead in the testing process.

The news isn’t all that surprising — AT&T announced earlier this year that it would be testing 5G in Austin by the end of the year. According to the company, it specifically wants to test how 5G handles 4K video, butit will be testing a range of use cases, including using 5G for VoIP.

Before you get too excited, it’s important to note that it will probably be a while before we mere humans have access to 5G. The 5G standard still has yet to be defined, which means it will still likely be a few years before it can actually be implemented. Most companies seem to be targeting a 2020 launch for the new standard, but whether they can hit that goal still remains to be seen.

It’s also likely that once 5G implementation begins, it will only be in select areas. The new standard is likely to require all-new infrastructure, especially considering that it uses millimeter wave technology, which can’t really travel long distances or through many obstacles.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christian de Looper

Contributor

Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…

Mobile

Here’s how fast 5G on your Samsung Galaxy S23 really is

Samsung Galaxy S23 cameras against greenery

If you’ve been on the fence about picking up one of the latest Galaxy S23 phones, some new research from Ookla may help tip the scales in Samsung’s favor.

In a new speed test report, Ookla tcompared the 5G performance specs of the Galaxy S23 models to last year’s Galaxy S22 in several countries — with some surprising results across the board.
A worthwhile 5G upgrade

Mobile

What is 5G UW? The real meaning behind the icon on your phone

Woman holding up smartphone with speed test results on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband network.

You've probably noticed that there's been much more hype around 5G than for any of the wireless technologies that came before. Some of that is just marketing, of course; we are living in an increasingly connected era, and there are far more people toting smartphones now than there were in 2012 when 4G/LTE was just beginning to go mainstream. However, it's also not an exaggeration to say that with considerably faster speeds and the ability to handle many more devices, 5G is a much bigger step into the next stage of global connectivity. You've also probably noticed it yourself with a "5G UW" icon at the top of your phone.

As with most new technologies, 5G comes with some new challenges for both carriers and consumers. One of the most significant of these has been working out the best way to deploy 5G services across the much wider range of frequencies that it's capable of operating on. This wasn't nearly as significant a problem in the days of 3G and 4G/LTE services, which all operated in a much narrower range of radio spectrum.

Mobile

What is 5G? Speeds, coverage, comparisons, and more

The 5G UW icon on the Samsung Galaxy S23.

It's been years in the making, but 5G — the next big chapter in wireless technology — is finally approaching the mainstream. While we haven't yet reached the point where it's available everywhere, nearly all of the best smartphones are 5G-capable these days, and you're far more likely to see a 5G icon lit up on your phone than not.

There's more to 5G than just a fancy new number, though. The technology has been considerably more complicated for carriers to roll out since it covers a much wider range of frequencies than older 4G/LTE technology, with different trade-offs for each. It's also a much farther-reaching wireless technology, promising the kind of global connectivity that was once merely a dream found in futuristic sci-fi novels.