AT&T on Friday announced that it has finally kicked off 5G service for consumers in select cities across the US.
As expected, it launched in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Providence, RI, Rochester, NY, and San Diego. But, in a surprising move, the 5G service also makes its debut in another five markets: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, CA, Milwaukee, and Birmingham, AL.
AT&T, who appears to be moving ahead of its scheduled pace, plans to have a “nationwide” footprint by the middle of 2020. AT&T has released coverage maps for its 5G launch cities.
Looking ahead, AT&T has confirmed that its next 5G cities will include Boston, Bridgeport, Conn., Buffalo, N.Y., Las Vegas, Louisville, Ky., New York City, and other markets.
The new 5G is different from AT&T’s 5Ge (5G Evolution) and is more in line with what consumers might expect with a “next-gen” network. Indeed, it is certainly confusing, but essentially amounts to a speedier 4G LTE.
AT&T also has a 5G+ network live in select ares of a small number of cities. It’s even quicker and more robust, and is designed with businesses and collaborators in mind.
In terms of handsets with support for AT&T’s 5G network, the carrier has but one thus far — the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. Customers can purchase the device for $43.34 per month over 30 months, or buy it outright at $1,299.99.
