AT&T’s 5G network goes live in 12 markets this week

The long-awaited launch of AT&T’s 5G network has officially arrived! AT&T has announced that it will be flipping the 5G switch on December 21st, lighting up 12 markets across the US with G speeds. The 12 launch markets include Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, San Antonio and Waco.

But before you get too excited, AT&T’s 5G launch doesn’t mean you’ll be able to go out and buy a 5G smartphone and take advantage of the improved speeds anytime soon. 

The first 5G device AT&T will be making available is the NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot which will deliver 5G speeds over AT&T’s mmWave spectrum and will fall back onto LTE when it’s not able to connect to 5G. The NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G Mobile Hotspot will cost $499 with a $70/month plan which will deliver a mere 15GB of data. It will not be available to everyday consumers until spring of 2019, but AT&T plans to give select businesses and individuals access to it before then. 

“As the ecosystem evolves, this technology will ultimately change the way we live and conduct business,” said Mo Katibeh, chief marketing officer, AT&T Business. “We expect that our initial adopters will be innovative, growing businesses. They’re the starting point for what we think will be a technology revolution like we’ve never seen before.”

AT&T’s 5G network will expand to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose during the first half of 2018. The company hasn’t announced the full number of markets it will be rolling out 5G service to in 2019, but expect to see quite a few more cities added to the list. 

Are you ready to jump onto the 5G bandwagon in 2019? 

Source: PR Newswire