AT&T on Track to Introduce 5G Service To Two US Cities But Global Adaptation Lags Behind

AT&T, ranked as the second largest telecom company in the US by total subscribers, is poised to take a giant leap towards the digital future. This year, they plan tocommence their implementation of 5G services in Austin and Indianapolis. Labelled as the “5G Evolution”, AT&T’s first rollout promises initial speeds of 400 Mbps, which is a whopping 40 times faster than the conventional speeds we’re currently accustomed to. Once fully standardized, we can expect breakneck speeds of up to 1 Gbps, pushing the boundaries of digital connectivity.

However, the journey towards this ultra-fast, emerging technology is not without its pitfalls. Ensuring widespread access to these speeds requires extensive network upgrades, a proposition that can be incredibly costly. To combat this issue, AT&T plans to implement a series of software upgrades referred to as Network 3.0 or Indigo to maintain high-quality network service while keeping costs under control.

While AT&T strides forward, it’s worth noting that other heavy-hitters in the industry are not far behind. Last November, Chinese tech titan Huawei announced a successful 5G test with a staggering 11.29 Gbps user throughput and less than 0.5 millisecond latency, partnering with Japanese telecom company NTT DOCOMO. Even Samsung threw their hat in the ring by performing a successful 5G test in conjunction with China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) in June 2016, giving us a glimpse into the hard-fought race for 5G supremacy.

As the race to 5G heats up in developed countries, many regions have yet to maximise their 4G capabilities. South Korea leads the pack with a 4G penetration rate of 97%, followed by Japan at 90%. The United States and China lag behind somewhat at 81% and 76% respectively, highlighting the disparity in 4G access worldwide. In fact, from over 190 countries considered, only 67 ranked on a global scale of 4G service coverage in the last quarter of 2016.

In Nigeria, even though 4G services are being advertised, actual appreciations and usage remains limited due to a lack of compatible devices and financial constraints. This reluctance discourages telecom networks from intensifying their investment in infrastructure. As a result, 4G coverage is often restricted to cities with promising returns on investment, impeding the technology’s widespread adoption.

This gap between 4G penetration and the looming 5G revolution throws into sharp relief the disparities between developed and developing nations in terms of telecommunications. As we march towards this digital future, it will be crucial for all countries to catch up and reap the benefits of this promising technology.