|
 AT&T launched the second fifth-generation (5G) trial using millimeter-wave (mmWave) technology to deliver an ultrafast 5G network experience to more locations in Austin, Texas.
In 2016, AT&T completed the industry’s first fixed wireless 5G business customer trial there. The company’s second trial delivered an ultrafast Internet connection to residential, small business, and enterprise locations, using Ericsson’s 5G radio access network and the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform.
The trial participants were able to stream premium live TV via DIRECTV NOW and experience faster broadband services—all over a fixed wireless 5G signal. The trial benefited from the resources and capabilities of the company’s 5G test beds in Austin. AT&T expects that the trial will provide speeds up to 1 Gb/s using the mmWave spectrum.
The company reached a key milestone earlier this year by delivering DIRECTV NOW using mmWave technology at AT&T Labs Research in Middletown, New Jersey. It was the first time DIRECTV NOW had been delivered over a 5G connection. AT&T’s fixed wireless trial will last several months, and Ericsson will continue to work with the operator to lay the groundwork for a smooth transition to 5G.
Although 5G standards are still being finalized, AT&T is working with Ericsson and Intel to ensure that they will be ready to deliver 5G services as early as late 2018. AT&T expects 5G to take people and businesses to places they have never been with all new experiences, thanks to the advantages of enhanced mobile broadband, critical Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and low latency applications.
Lower latency will play a powerful role in the connected experience, as it impacts things like the time between clicking a web link and seeing the webpage begin to load on your device. Through this trial, participants will be able to see the real-life daily benefits that fixed wireless 5G offers them directly or to their customers.
For example, AT&T expects that a local car wash or dental office will be able to offer connectivity that allows customers to do things like engage in augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) as they pass the time. A bustling neighborhood coffee shop can offer ultrafast Internet speeds to everyone working on a laptop or on a video call via their mobile device. A hometown retail shop can utilize the enhanced reliability to enable an all-mobile checkout experience.
Full article: IEEE Vehicular Technology
Magazine, Volume 12, Number 4, December 2017 | 
;){kind=small}
