AT&T is opening a 5G wireless test lab in Austin where it will investigate the performance of the next generation signal, the company announced Wednesday.
The announcement came as the telecommunications giant announced the first three markets where it will roll out 5G service in 2018 -- Dallas, Waco and Atlanta. More cities will be announced in coming months, the company said.
Austin is already one of 23 markets where AT&T has been testing 5G-like services, and, with the addition of the 5G lab, it seems likely Austin will be among early test markets for the higher-speed service.
Telecom companies are in a race to be the first with faster services that can be the communications backbone for the rapid proliferation of IoT smart devices, driverless cars, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality and other wireless innovations.
Still, there are no 5G phones or tablets on the market right now. AT&T says it plans to add 5G-capable devices in early 2019, and it's planning to deploy mobile hotspots with 5G service. Meanwhile, the company says the equipment it's setting up on its LTE network will allow them to easily switch to 5G in the future.
It's unclear how far the 5G service will reach in its first markets -- perhaps just in select neighborhoods to start.
"Ultimately, we expect to reach theoretical peak speeds of multiple gigabits per second on devices through mobile 5G," a company news release says. "While speed is important, we also expect to see much lower latency rates. With higher speeds and lower latency rates, our mobile 5G network will eventually unlock a number of new, exciting experiences for our customers."
The Austin lab will play a big role in stress-testing the networks using their in-house Advanced 5G NR Testbed System -- or ANTS.
“After significantly contributing to the first phase of 5G standards, conducting multi-city trials, and literally transforming our network for the future, we’re planning to be the first carrier to deliver standards-based mobile 5G -- and do it much sooner than most people thought possible,” Igal Elbaz, senior vice president of wireless network architecture and design, said in the release.
