AT&T activated a limited, standards-based mobile 5G service in parts of 12 markets last month; the launch device is a mobile hot spot that can connect to the carrier’s millimeter wave spectrum and AT&T has touted two 5G-compatible Samsung devices slated to hit the market this year.
AT&T’s 5G plan is pinned to its construction of FirstNet–as crews stand up the dedicated nationwide LTE network for first responders, they’re also deploying infrastructure that delivers LTE Advanced features (4X4 MIMO, 256 QAM and multi-channel carrier aggregation), which can be updated over the air to support the 5G New Radio specification.
