AT&T Unveils 5G Ambitions

After years of research, AT&T has taken the wraps off its 5G game plan, which includes healthy doses of SDN and NFV.

Spurred on by emerging technologies and services, such as Internet of Things, virtual reality, 4K video, robots and self-driving cars, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) will incubate its 5G technologies with the help of Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) and Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) in its labs starting in the second quarter of this year.

Outdoor tests and trials will take place over the summer with field trials of 5G to fixed locations in Austin slated to take place before the end of the year. Austin was also the preferred location for AT&T's GigaPower debut three years ago.

Light Reading previously reported that AT&T had recently applied to the FCC for a three-year license to carry out 5G tests in Austin. AT&T had asked the FCC for permission to use spectrum in the 3.5GHz, 4GHz, 15GHz and 28GHz bands during these tests, according to the regulatory filing. (See AT&T Wants to Start 5G Tests in Austin.)

AT&T said the field trials would help guide its 5G standards contributions, but it will have to wait until those standards fully emerge from standards governing body 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) , which may not occur until 2018. (See AT&T Lights Fire Under 5G, Plans 2016 Trials.)

In Friday's press release, AT&T chief strategy officer and Group president John Donovan said the company's 5G technologies would "be immersive, pervasive and responsive to customers" and that they would make 5G a reality.

"Our approach is simple -- deliver a unified experience built with 5G, software-defined networking (SDN), big data, security and open source software," Donovan said.

— Mike Robuck, Editor, Telco Transformation