AT&T Joining Verizon in 5G Race
Waiting around for a video to finish buffering while you're out and about may soon become a thing of the past. AT&T is about to start testing speedy new fifth-generation (5G) networking technology that could enable super-fast data transfers, making it the second American carrier to do so.
According to Re/Code, AT&T will announce that it will start testing 5G technology this year, and may "even start using some components of 5G to commercially offer wireless broadband later this year." Verizon announced last year that it will test its 5G system this year, starting in test environments in San Francisco and Massachusetts.
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5G networking is expected to enable transfer speeds of 100 to 1,000 times the speed of 4G LTE, which means you could potentially download a full-length movie in a few seconds. 5G will also link all sorts of smart devices, from fitness trackers to cars, to cellular data.
The industry-held belief is that 5G networking will be commercially available in the U.S. in 2020, but Verizon is expecting to get a head start by offering "some level of commercial deployment" by 2017.
AT&T has yet to officially unveil its plans, but is expected to do so today (Feb. 12). The remaining Big Four carriers -- Sprint and T-Mobile -- have not revealed similar plans, but with AT&T and Verizon already having done so, we wouldn't be surprised if they make their plans known soon.
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