IDG Contributor Network: AT&T first to offer mobile 5G services in USA
Congratulations to AT&T. As of December 21, 2018, AT&T Mobility is the first wireless carrier to offer mobile 5G service in the United States. We’ve been waiting a long time, and this is something I think every wireless carrier will be offering starting next year in 2019. Let’s take a closer look at what this means to both AT&T to be first, to their competitors, the wireless marketplace in general and in fact, every other industry.
Just like with every other wireless generation like 2G, 3G and 4G, it is not a quick and easy as flipping of a switch and changing everything overnight. The transition to 5G will take several years.
As always, it always starts in a few cities. Then as time passes more cities are rolled out and the service footprint in each city is expanded. As all this is going on, 5G gets faster, better and stronger. And this happens at carrier after carrier.