AT&T’s move comes after the international 5G standards were approved just few week ago by 3GPP, the organization that governs the cellular standards. The finished 5G specification basically encompasses a wide range of the spectrum, ranging from the low-frequency 600Hz and 700Hz spectrum to mid-frequency 3.5GHz, and high-frequency 50GHz spectrum. AT&T, however, didn’t elaborate their plans, beyond the fact that their network will be based on the newly accepted industry standards for 5G. So it’s unclear when exactly they will roll out the new service or which markets will be getting the high-speed wireless internet.
AT&T has already been expanding its not-really-5G networks dubbed “5G Evolutions” across the country. These networks use technology from existing LTE Advanced networks to provide significantly higher data speeds than traditional 4G networks. The is a plan that continues to enhance network with 5G Evolution technology in hundreds of additional metro areas.