AT&T is expected to launch its 5G services by the end of 2018. However perhaps in a bid to allow users to experience how fast 5G can be, the company has rolled out what they called “5G Evolution” hotspots which allows users around those hotspots to experience what 5G speeds feel like.The good news is that if you weren’t near one of those hotspots, not to worry as AT&T has since announced the expansion of 5G Evolution where they bringing it to more than 100 markets. According to AT&T, they are calling this rollout of its 5G hotspots as a way to lay foundation to its 5G network.
According to AT&T’s CTO Andre Fuetsch, “Deploying 5G is like building a home – you start with the foundation. It needs to be strong and sturdy. After all, it supports everything you are constructing on top. For example, before you can build out the playroom or open-concept kitchen, you need a strong foundation in place. It must also be built the right way. Just ask anyone who’s ever dealt with a foundation issue, it’s extremely difficult and expensive to go back and repair later.”
That being said in order to truly take advantage of 5G, users will require devices that are compatible. At the moment there aren’t many that have 5G compatible modems, just like how it was back in the day when 4G was launched, but presumably many companies already have them in the works.