AT&T has launched a new trial of fixed wireless 5G with DIRECTV NOW this week in Austin, TX. What does this mean? Simply put, AT&T and its 5G business partners are ramping up testing of mmWave technology, working to one day off in the future launch a nationwide 5G network. Before that can even come close to happening, though, we need these trials.
Trial participants (residential, small business, and enterprise customers) are utilizing Ericsson 5G RAN and Intel 5G Mobile Trial platforms, allowing users to stream live TV via DIRECTV NOW and gain access to faster broadband services.
As AT&T explains, “While 5G standards are still being finalized, we’re laying the foundation for faster wireless speeds today in Austin with 5G Evolution. This is a major step on our journey to deliver state-of-the-art 5G wireless speeds as early as late 2018.”
When talking about 5G, companies usually love to share their vision of what’s possible with this type of connectivity. I must say, AT&T’s is pretty silly. In the press release, AT&T states, “We expect that a local car wash or dentist office will be able to offer connectivity that allows customers to do things like immerse in augmented or virtual reality as they pass the time.”
Because, yeah, doing VR at the local car wash is what we need.
// AT&T