AT&T Planning Expansion of 5G mmWave to Additional U.S. Airports By the End of 2021

[MacRumors]

AT&T is planning to bring its 5G mmWave technology to additional airports in the United States by the end of 2021, offering customers access to its "AT&T 5G+" service with faster speeds and lower latency.

In a press release, AT&T says that by the end of 2021, it will have expanded its 5G mmWave technology, which requires more advanced infrastructure compared to typical sub-6GHz 5G, to an additional 7 major airports in the United States. AT&T will offer its 5G+ technology in certain high-traffic parts of the airport, such as gates and concession areas.

Immersing our customers in content and connectivity no matter where they go is important to us and at the core of how we're building our 5G network. And as our customers start to take off and travel again, their need for 5G connectivity on the go is taking off as well. We're providing super-fast 5G+ connectivity at the major gate and concession areas inside the Tampa International Airport and have plans to connect 7 more major airports by the end of the year.

AT&T also says that by the end of 2021, it will be offering its 5G mmWave technology to more than 40 cities and venues across the US.

As part of our commitment in March, our teams are deploying our super-fast AT&T 5G+ in more stadiums, airports and cities across the country. Right now, AT&T 5G+ (mmWave 5G) is bringing customers increased speeds and enhanced connectivity in parts of 38 cities and 20 venues across the U.S. By the end of 2021, we expect to offer 5G+ to parts of more than 40 cities and 40 venues. That's something T-Mobile can't offer.

There are two separate types of 5G networks, one based on the standard sub-6Ghz frequency and the other on mmWave. mmWave offers significantly faster speeds compared to sub-6GHz but requires more advanced and costly infrastructure. Since the introduction of 5G in the iPhone last year, carriers and governments have boosted up the expansion of 5G technology overall, but mmWave remains to be seen mainstream.

With the iPhone 13 later this fall, Apple plans to expand its 5G mmWave compatible iPhones to countries beyond the United States, incentivizing carriers to adopt support for the technology. Check out our guide on mmWave vs. sub-6GHz to learn more.

Article Link: AT&T Planning Expansion of 5G mmWave to Additional U.S. Airports By the End of 2021

 

[Justin Cymbal]

I haven't flown since January 2020 but plan on flying to Cleveland, OH this Thanksgiving

Since I now have the 5G iPhone 12, I'll be able to use the faster 5G so I hope more airports will get this in the future

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Hopefully it brings it to Las Vegas, Nevada. I don’t think we have enough coverage around LV area. I have not seen the 5G+ symbol in a very long time now

 

[0924487]

Hopefully it brings it to Las Vegas, Nevada. I don’t think we have enough coverage around LV area. I have not seen the 5G+ symbol in a very long time now

Usually you will only find it in some kind of sports stadium or other populated venues like the city square.

 

[gsmornot]

Had 5G+ at the Tampa airport this week. Sat at one of the restaurants to eat and pass time before boarding and both my phone and iPad showed the service. Speed test was 217/14. Not too shabby on the download. I was not doing anything to make use of the speed, just staying up with emails and surfing but thought it was cool. First time seeing the indicator. We do not have the plus service in my home area yet.

 

[ac360]

I’m yet to see AT&T’s 5G+ appear on my phone.

 

[scheinderrob]

now i can run my battery down even faster

 

[ac360]

now i can run my battery down even faster

Don’t you have the option to turn off 5G?

 

[scheinderrob]

Don’t you have the option to turn off 5G?

 

[hagjohn]

I would rather see cell companies concentrate on mid-band sub-6GHz instead.

 

[frozen220]

I’ve only seen 5G+ at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta (home of Atlanta United FC and that American football team)… very fast. Tested it at over 1Gbps.

 

[AppleFan91]

Had 5G UWB since launch - let me tell you, when you get to use it - it’s fast. I pulled 3100 down a couple weeks ago about 20 minutes south of Indianapolis.
(Verizon btw)

EDIT: sorry, found the screenshot. Over 3200 down.

 

[jav6454]

They should have done that last year. Honestly, AT&T should invest into their network 4-5% more of their budget.

 

[sw1tcher]

AT&T is planning to bring its 5G mmWave technology to additional airports in the United States by the end of 2021, offering customers access to its "AT&T 5G+" service with faster speeds and lower latency.

5G+? What's with this trend of appending a "plus" to everything?

AT&T should just call it 5GE. ?

 

[dmylrea]

Had 5G UWB since launch - let me tell you, when you get to use it - it’s fast. I pulled 3100 down a couple weeks ago about 20 minutes south of Indianapolis.
(Verizon btw)

EDIT: sorry, found the screenshot. Over 3200 down.

View attachment 1806679

A friend of a friend told me he was in an Ikea parking lot in San Diego and noticed his wife's phone showing a 5G UW signal so he did a speedtest and showed something similar -- 3318 down. That's brag-worthy for sure, but practical? Not really.

 

[bakerzdosen]

Good for them. AT&T cell service (pre-covid) has always been awful at most US airports. I often found that by disabling LTE and moving to 4G that speeds were actually much faster (aka less saturated) at most major airports.

Of course, on the few flights I have taken since March 2020 it hasn't been an issue at all...

 

[Rafagon]

I'm ready for 6G and 1 Tbps+ up and down.

 

[BraytonAK]

5G? No, 5GTE. (If you’re not old you won’t get the reference

AT&T: “Immersing our customers in content and connectivity no matter where they go is important to us.”

Only if you’re not in a rural area.

Does mmWave provide more capacity than sub-6? That’s the only non-marketing reason I can think to bother with this. It doesn’t get the attention of the general public to mention capacity, but it matters more for mobile use in crowded spaces.

 

[AppleFan91]

A friend of a friend told me he was in an Ikea parking lot in San Diego and noticed his wife's phone showing a 5G UW signal so he did a speedtest and showed something similar -- 3318 down. That's brag-worthy for sure, but practical? Not really.

It’s not to brag, it’s to download games, apps, music libraries, etc. in a pinch. Plus once it fully rolls out, it won’t be 3.2gb down. But a steady GB? Maybe.

 

[Attirex]

.....or use ubiquitous free airport wifi?

 

[xpxp2002]

I haven't flown since January 2020 but plan on flying to Cleveland, OH this Thanksgiving

Since I now have the 5G iPhone 12, I'll be able to use the faster 5G so I hope more airports will get this in the future

I'm not sure if Hopkins is one of the airports getting mmWave (AT&T wrote a lot of words to have completely omitted a list of the locations for these upcoming upgrades), but you will find that AT&T has sprinkled mmWave across several downtown areas including FirstEnergy Stadium and the Rock Hall.

 

[wallaby]

.....or use ubiquitous free airport wifi?

Free? I've yet to go to an airport without a Boigo hotspot demanding my payment info.

 

[tridley68]

Thank you AT&T.

 

[cdp1276]

I’m yet to see AT&T’s 5G+ appear on my phone.

Do you have one of the latest AT&T plans? If you don’t upgrade being on an older grandfathered plan they don’t give you access to 5G networks.

 

[gsmornot]

Do you have one of the latest AT&T plans? If you don’t upgrade being on an older grandfathered plan they don’t give you access to 5G networks.

They do if the older plan is unlimited like the Plus plan.