Just in the recent past it was reported that the American multinational telecommunications corporation AT&T has requested for a license from FCC to conduct 5G tests in Austin, Texas.
The company reportedly wanted the license for a period of three years during which time it would conduct various tests in the 3400-3600 MHz, 3700-4200 MHz, 14500-15350 MHz and 27500-28500 MHz bands using a number of experimental wireless equipment.
The tests would involve 5G multi-GBPS applications for networks involving both fixed and mobile communications. Apparently, the company is trying to find new ways in which it could improve the transmission rates and lower the latency rates of the current networks.
AT&T will use base stations and various devices on mobile vehicles to conduct the tests. During the tests, it will send out signals from the base stations to these devices and the devices, in turn, will also send back the signal to the base stations.
Before finalizing the standards of 5G technology, these trials will allow the company to test out the 3GPP 5G. It won’t be before 2018-2019 that the standards for 5G are finalized. AT&T is trying to keep the lids on certain equipment information till it has acquired a license for it. It has also requested for a waiver in this regard.
The application filed by the company states that during the three year testing period, it would develop a number of equipment that would be required for the purpose of testing.
A renowned website reported that AT&T will have the edge in 5G over its rival Verizon Communications Inc. AT&T recently acquired DIRECTV for $48.5 billion and the company has already gained regulatory access over the company.
As part of the deal, AT&T has to provide high-speed internet service to over 12 million customer locations. The deal also requires AT&T to increase the accessibility of broadband services in rural areas. DIRECTV’s satellite TV business would definitely come to AT&T’s aid in this regard.
Before conducting fixed 5G trials in residences and businesses, AT&T will reportedly conduct a number of test runs under controlled environment in labs. It is being believed that these tests will be of big help for the company. The fulfillment of the company’s commitment to spread the internet service to every part of the U.S. depends largely on these very tests.
AT&T has committed to provide expanded internet access in U.S. and this is what gives it an edge over Verizon. Various reports suggest that the 5G network will provide users with internet speeds that will be 10-100 times faster than the currently existing 4G network.
AT&T previously stated that the 5G technology could find early usage in businesses and also residential places. It further added that depending on the results of test runs, the company might also introduce the technology for commercial usage within the ongoing year.
It also claimed that with the 5G network, users will be able to get speeds in gigabytes/second instead of the traditional megabytes/ second. There will also be a reduction in latency and according to the company, it will be as low as 1 to 5 milliseconds.
Millimeter waves which are 30 GHz and higher will be required by the 5G network. These waves will need line-of-sight connections. In areas where high frequencies cannot be used, spectrum below 1GHz will be used by the company.
It should, however, be noted that unlimited data will only be offered to subscribers of DIRECTV. As for the rest of the users, speeds in gigabytes/second will mean that they would burn through the allotted amount of data of their plans in no time. Needless to say, the data plans on 5G network will surely not come cheap.
For outdoor trials of the network, AT&T will be working alongside renowned companies like Intel and Ericsson. Once the company successfully determines the standards for the technology, it will be put to use in both commercial and residential fields.