Major United States network AT&T has announced that it will start working on a true 5G network before the end of the year. It may be seen as a response to new global standards set by the 3rd Generation Partnership Program or 3GPP.
3GPP's initiative aimed to address device manufacturers so that they produce hardware that will be compliant to 5G standards. This is the first step towards 5G, a connectivity protocol which promises to change the way people experience both work and entertainment via the internet.
AT&T responded by promising to put out 5G networks to a dozen markets by the end of 2018. It should be noted that this is real 5G and not a rebranding similar to what AT&T did to existing LTE technologies. Just last year, the major US carrier rebranded LTE technologies already used by its competitors and named it "5G Evolution."
AT&T's new networks standards will be compliant to what is issued by the 3GPP. However, they have not yet released the finer details like speed, what devices would work with 5G, and when the network will actually be operational.
AT&T is yet to reveal what "12 markets" they will offer the network on.
It should be noted that while AT&T is working on this new 5G network, they say that they will still continue to offer the "5G Evolution" network (which may give confusion to consumers unfamiliar to the recent rebranding).
AT&T is one of the first to announce its compliance to the new standards, but it is not alone in the 5G race. Other major US carriers like Verizon and Sprint are taking their own steps toward 5G networks, as well.
Verizon has been confirmed to offer 5G to at least three cities, one of which is Sacramento, California. Meanwhile, Sprint is working with processor manufacturers Qualcomm to make a chip that supports the 5G protocol.
