Carrier asked FCC for permission to demo 5G at AT&T SHAPE conference
AT&T, which is planning to commercialize mobile 5G in a number of markets later this year, has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to demonstrate 5G in the 28 GHz millimeter wave band. According to the application for special temporary authority, the demo is meant to correspond with the SHAPE event, set for June 2 and 3 at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif.
AT&T’s plans for mobile 5G will focus on delivering enhanced mobile broadband by way of what the company has termed a “puck,” which is a mobile hot spot-type device. The carrier has named Atlanta, Ga., and Dallas and Waco, Texas, as initial deployment markets.
The SHAPE conference is described by AT&T as “an immersive event exploring the convergence of technology and entertainment. Discover how the cutting edge of content creation and distribution will usher in a new era of audience experiences.”
David Wolter, AT&T Labs AVP, Radio Technology and Architecture, filed the request with the FCC. Wolter doesn’t identify any equipment vendors, but wrote, ” The demonstration using this license will provide valuable information to potential users whose feedback on the perceived performance of services provided through the 5G system could enable future standards and system optimizations.”
The experimental demo, according to the application, contemplates using 10 pieces of equipment from multiple vendors, and is planned for May 15 to June 15.
In January, AT&T said it would offer 5G services based on the 3GPP non-standalone 5G NR specification in more than 12 markets by the end of 2018, although the carrier has only identified the three aforementioned markets.
AT&T’s gigabit LTE offering, dubbed 5G Evolution, is available in more than 20 metro areas including Atlanta, Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston. This service delivers faster mobile speeds using 4×4 MIMO, 256 QAM and carrier aggregation. In addition to the spec-compliant mobile 5G, AT&T said it would grow the 5G Evolution footprint to “hundreds of additional metro areas.”
