Just this week, AT&T has announced that it is commencing a trial run for new super fast LTE network, which offers about two fold the connection speeds of its current 4G offering. It is worth noting, however, that the trial run will only be conducted in 20 major metropolitan areas across the United States. Lastly, only those who own Samsung’s newest flagship devices -- the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus -- will be able to take full advantage of the ultra fast network.
AT&T debuted the boosted LTE connection speeds in select areas within the city of Austin in the state of Texas this week. Interestingly, the major US wireless carrier is positioning the service as its “5G Evolution” but technically speaking, it is not quite as fast as true 5G networks are believed to be.
Still, David Christopher, the chief marketing officer of AT&T, stated via an official statement that the trial run of 5G Evolution should give consumers a tease of what is to come. Industry watchers believe that when it becomes widely available for mobile users everywhere, 5G will bring about a future in which mobile connectivity will no longer apply to smartphones and tablet devices, but also expand to include connected cars, truly smart homes, and even connected metropolises.
The sky is the limit when you think about the future, but for now, the boosted connection speeds offered by AT&T will likely only work for owners of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus devices. One big reason for this is that the phablets’ are fitted with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip set, which is designed to facilitate lightning fast connection speeds.
The next step for the second biggest wireless carrier in the US is to expand its 5G Evolution offering in the city of Indianapolis by 2018. Before the start of next year, other major markets such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, and San Francisco will also be getting significantly faster 4G connection speeds.
For the Big Four carriers in America, the race to 5G is definitely on. Industry leader Verizon Wireless is already busy conducting trials for its 5G broadband offering. Other mobile operators such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are also working on their respective 5G tests. And it is not just carriers in the US that are eager for the 5G future to be brought to life -- various telecoms and tech companies around the world are also already starting to lay the foundation for their 5G offerings.
