Following in the footsteps of Verizon Wireless – which recently teamed up with Samsung to introduce a 5G-capable mobile handset in the first half of 2019 – AT&T Mobility has now inked a deal with the same vendor to add a 5G device in 1H19. The announcement follows the unveiling of AT&T’s ‘standards-based millimetre wave (mmWave) mobile 5G device’ in October 2018; previously referred to as a ‘puck’ by AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, the first device is a NETGEAR Nighthawk 5G mobile hotspot.
AT&T’s 5G network is expected to go live this month, with initial coverage of Indianapolis, Waco, Dallas, Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh, Oklahoma City, Houston, Jacksonville, Louisville, New Orleans, and San Antonio. In early-2019 parts of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose will be added to the cellco’s 5G footprint.