AT&T said at the start of the year that it planned to launch mobile 5G in 2018, and now it sounds like the company is close to achieving its goal.
John Donovan, CEO of AT&T Communications, teased today that AT&T will launch its mobile 5G coverage "in the next few weeks." It's unclear where AT&T's mobile 5G will be available to start, but AT&T has named several cities that'll get its 5G coverage in 2018: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Louisville, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Raleigh, San Antonio, and Waco.
Donovan added that AT&T's mobile 5G coverage will be standards-based. AT&T has previously said that it plans to use millimeter wave spectrum to deploy 5G initially and that it will roll out 5G on additional spectrum bands later.
When it comes to devices, AT&T has said that it plans to offer a "puck" that customers can use to get access to its 5G coverage. This will likely be a mobile hotspot-style device that you can use to connect your phones, tablets, and other devices. Smartphones with 5G support will likely begin appearing in 2019.
It's worth mentioning that 5G coverage will probably be somewhat limited at first, as AT&T says that its mobile 5G will be available in "parts" of the aforementioned cities. Still, it's exciting to see that mobile 5G is nearly here, and we're looking forward to giving the coverage a try to see just what kind of speeds and latency it can offer.