AT&T to run field trials of 5G wireless in Austin this year
5G wireless technology this summer in Austin, Texas.
The 3GPP industry standard for 5G, also known as
Fifth Generation wireless, is not expected to be
completed until 2020, with the earliest phase completed
in 2018.
Wireless speeds with 5G could be 10 to 100 times faster
than with 4G LTE, which generally averages in the 10
Mbps to 20 Mbps range for users downloading data.
Both AT&T and Verizon have ambitious 5G rollout plans,
prompted by the recent explosion of wireless video and
Internet of Things connectivity. AT&T estimates that its
wireless network grew 150,000% from 2007 to 2015,
largely because of video traffic; more than 60% of its
wireless traffic in 2015 was video.
Self-driving cars, robots, smart cities and other
technologies are expected to test networks like never
before, and "5G will will help make them a reality," said
John Donovan, chief strategy officer at AT&T
Technology and Operations.
AT&T said it is working with Ericsson and Intel on
laboratory tests of 5G in the second quarter, with the
outdoor tests and trials starting in the summer. By the
end of the year, AT&T expects to make 5G connections
to fixed locations, such as buildings and homes, while
wireless connections to moving objects, like cars and
devices used by passengers aboard trains, are harder to
achieve.
AT&T's trials are intended to precede full 5G standard
adoption so that the carrier can "pivot to compliant
commercial deployments once 5G technology standards
are set," AT&T said in a statement.
The advent of 5G will be more efficient and cost-
effective for carriers. AT&T plans to build its version of
5G on a software-centric architecture that adapts
quickly to new demands, Donovan said. That means AT&T
will deliver 5G in connection with software defined
networks (SDN), big data, new security tools and open
source software, he added.
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