“We’re building a 5G network that will fundamentally change the way the world lives and works. 5G will provide a wireless experience that is faster, more responsive and more secure for our customers.”
Andre Fuetsch of AT&T weighed in,
“We’re laying the 5G network foundation with 5G Evolution and LTE-LAA. In technology terms, that means we’re upgrading cell towers with LTE Advanced features like 256 QAM, 4×4 MIMO, and 3-way carrier aggregation. These technologies serve as the runway to 5G by boosting the existing LTE network and priming it for the future of connectivity. We can enable faster speeds now, and upgrade to 5G when it’s ready.”
If you have a 5G capable device, you may have access to these faster speeds.
These devices include:
- Samsung Galaxy S8
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Samsung Galaxy Note8
- Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
- LG V30
- Moto Z2 Force Edition
The plan is to have 500 markets with 5G tech by the end of the year. Some of the current plans is to run in the following cities:
- Baltimore
- Charlotte
- Cleveland
- Denver
- Detroit
- Jacksonville
- Kansas City
- Las Vegas
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Salt Lake City
- Seattle
- Washington, D.C.
While AT&T is ahead of the game, Verizon is not too far behind. They plan on rolling out their first sets of 5G in 2018. Charter is also currently testing 6 markets right now. However, Dish, T-Mobile, and Sprint will not be caught up with their competition until 2020.