AT&T was one of the first to mobile 5G when they launched their 5G+ network prior to 2019. They still don’t sell a single phone that can access it, but they will let you jump on the next-gen network with a hotspot product. Today, AT&T has announced that their Netgear Nighthawk 5G hotspot was able to eclipse the 1Gbps mark, a first for a live 5G network.
Most of the wireless carriers and their partners have simulated similar speeds over the past year or so, it’s just that none (according to AT&T) have done so on a live network. And that makes sense, since no one else has a live mobile 5G network, though Verizon’s launches April 11.
AT&T said that they hit the 1Gbps mark in “multiple cities,” so this wasn’t in a single location. AT&T has 5G live in a handful of cities at this point with limited coverage. This is important to note too, because AT&T’s first 5G speedtests were nothing to run home and brag about.
As someone who covered the initial 4G LTE rollout and speedtests were all the rage, this is the stuff I love. It might mean nothing in the long run, especially if pricing sucks and carriers fall back into their greedy ways from those early LTE days, but there is something cool about seeing a device in your pocket hit speeds your home internet can’t.
// AT&T