AT&T will soon offer 5G mobile service on its 850MHz spectrum, which will enable wider coverage than existing 5G networks but offer only 4G-like speeds at launch. Significant speed increases will arrive in 2020, AT&T says.
The 5G networks already deployed by carriers use millimeter-wave signals that don't travel far and are easily blocked by walls and other obstacles. This has resulted in coverage maps with small pockets of 5G, and 4G just about everywhere else.
But 5G can work on all frequencies, such as the lower-band frequencies used by 4G. There isn't as much spectrum available on these bands, so you won't see anything like the huge speed increases available on millimeter-wave spectrum. But 5G on low-band spectrum will cover wider areas and indoor spaces and hopefully bring some speed increases—Verizon says 5G on the lower bands will be like "good 4G."
AT&T's announcement today listed the first cities slated to get 5G on low-band spectrum:
In the coming weeks, our 5G network will launch over low-band spectrum in the Indianapolis; Pittsburgh; Providence, Rhode Island; Rochester, New York; and San Diego market areas. We also plan to launch in several more markets, including Boston; Las Vegas; Milwaukee; New York City; San Francisco; Birmingham, Alabama; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Buffalo, New York; Louisville, Kentucky; San Jose, California; and others.
AT&T also published a PDF with maps of expected 5G coverage, but the maps are of coverage projected for February 2020 rather than what will be available at launch.
AT&T previously offered millimeter-wave 5G to business customers but not to regular consumers. AT&T told us that 5G on millimeter waves will be offered to consumers "at a later date." Initially, regular consumers will only have access to 5G on low-band spectrum.
Speeds similar to LTE-Advanced, aka “5G E”
AT&T's announcement doesn't say which spectrum band it is using, but an AT&T spokesperson told Ars that "at launch we're dedicating a portion of our 850Mhz spectrum to 5G connectivity." AT&T is also expected to eventually launch 5G on its 700MHz spectrum in order to deploy the next-generation cellular technology across the US.
AT&T's announcement didn't reveal the exact speeds customers can expect, but the spokesperson told us that "data speeds on AT&T's 5G network are initially expected to be comparable to LTE-Advanced speeds at the time of launch." LTE-Advanced, a form of 4G, is the proper name for what AT&T has misleadingly called "5G E." In March, OpenSignal said its research found that AT&T's "5G E" phones got average speeds of 28.8Mbps.
Low-band 5G should provide better speeds than LTE-Advanced later on, though, as AT&T told us that speeds will "rapidly evolv[e]" from the 4G-like baseline expected at launch. The speed upgrades will come when AT&T enables more 5G capabilities on low-band spectrum. That includes dynamic spectrum sharing, which AT&T says it will deploy in 2020.
AT&T also said it will offer 5G nationwide in the first half of 2020. AT&T said its 5G on millimeter-wave spectrum is available to businesses today in 21 cities and will reach parts of 30 cities by early 2020.
Referring to the LTE-Advanced form of 4G as "5G E" isn't the only confusing 5G marketing in AT&T's arsenal. While AT&T calls 5G on low-frequency bands plain-old "5G," the company uses the term "5G+" for 5G on millimeter-wave spectrum.
Customers will need a compatible 5G device and a service plan that includes access to 5G. AT&T's announcement said it will include 5G in two new plans, namely Unlimited Elite ($85 a month for a single line or $50 per line with four lines) and Unlimited Extra ($75 a month for a single line or $40 per line with four lines).
Those are the only plans with 5G access so far. "Consumers with a compatible device will need to be on one of our latest unlimited plans—AT&T Unlimited Extra or AT&T Unlimited Elite—to access 5G over low-band or millimeter-wave spectrum," AT&T told Ars.
AT&T today also said that on November 25, it will start taking preorders for the 5G-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note10+, AT&T's first 5G phone for non-business consumers. AT&T previously offered the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G to business customers.
"fast" - Google News
November 23, 2019 at 12:50AM
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At launch, AT&T’s real 5G will only be as fast as its fake 5G - Ars Technica
"fast" - Google News
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