AT&T, the second largest mobile carrier in the United States, has confirmed that it’s going to launch its next-generation 5G mobile network in a dozen cities across the country by late 2018. The announcement follows the finalization of the international wireless standards for 5G. AT&T isn’t the only carrier that will be flipping the switch on its 5G network this year.
Verizon confirmed late last year that it’s going to launch its own commercial 5G network in five cities across the United States in 2018. The cities include Sacramento, California. Samsung will be supplying the hardware for Verizon’s new network.
Now that the international wireless standards for 5G have been finalized, the device, chipset, and hardware manufacturers can start development. This will enable mobile carriers like AT&T to provide customers with 5G service sooner.
“We’re moving quickly to begin deploying mobile 5G this year and start unlocking the future of connectivity for consumers and businesses,” said AT&T’s Melissa Arnoldi, the company’s president of technology and operations. The 5G network won’t just provide faster speeds but it will also reduce latency.
Aside from offering 5G to mobile customers later this year, AT&T expects to start testing 5G technology with businesses of all sizes across industries in 2018 as well.