AT&T launches 5G business customer trial
06 Dec 2016
AT&T launches 5G business customer trial
AT&T has launched the first US 5G business customer trial – the company is using millimeter wave (mmWave) technology to power a 5G network experience in one of Intel’s offices in Austin, Texas.
In October, AT&T worked with Ericsson and Intel to conduct its first public 5G demo featuring streaming 4K HD video, real-time camera feeds and transmission speeds of nearly 14 Gbit/s. Now, the company is taking this technology into the field to explore potential real-world benefits for business customers.
During the trial, more than a gigabit-per-second bandwidth will allow AT&T to test multiple enterprise use cases including internet access, virtual private networks, unified communications and 4K video streams. The trial will demonstrate the potential of 5G voice over IP over the 15GHz and 28GHz spectrum bands.
In an October blog, Keathley wrote more specifically about the promises of 5G for communications service providers: “We expect 5G to deliver speeds 10-100 times faster than today’s average 4G LTE connections. Customers will see speeds measured in gigabits per second, not megabits. For reference, at one gigabit per second, you can download a TV show in less than 3 seconds. Customers will also see much lower latency with 5G… We expect 5G latency in the range of 1 to 5 milliseconds.”
AT&T’s partner in the 5G business service trial, Ericsson, recently conducted a survey of 50 executives at 29 telcos about progress and planning for 5G. The results of the survey show that consumer applications are, indeed, the major focus for 90 percent of respondents, but more than 3 out of 5 also agreed that consumers are ‘tapped out’ already, which means targeting business applications as AT&T is doing with Intel is an important shift.
A whopping 86 percent of survey respondents agreed that to monetize 5G, operators will have to provide industry-specific services and find new revenue-sharing models. Topping the list of high-potential revenue growth areas are third-party collaboration and the Internet of Things, with 93 percent of respondents citing each as top potential money-makers for 5G.
As part of the TM Forum Catalyst program, we have been looking at how to manage and monetize virtualization technology in a 5G world. Ericsson has been a participant in an ongoing Catalyst looking at how to use orchestration to maximize profitability, and the most recent phase of the Catalyst, championed by NTT, looked at using 5G network slicing to increase bandwidth during an auto race. You can learn much more about the Catalyst by listening to this webinar on demand.
In October, AT&T worked with Ericsson and Intel to conduct its first public 5G demo featuring streaming 4K HD video, real-time camera feeds and transmission speeds of nearly 14 Gbit/s. Now, the company is taking this technology into the field to explore potential real-world benefits for business customers.
“This trial is a significant step forward. We’re leaving the lab and heading into the field with a real-world business customer,” says Rick Hubbard, senior vice president – Networking Product Management, AT&T. “We expect mmWave technology to be an important part of 5G. The trial will help accelerate our 5G work by shedding new light on how the technology acts in a business environment.”
The future is mobile
During the trial, more than a gigabit-per-second bandwidth will allow AT&T to test multiple enterprise use cases including internet access, virtual private networks, unified communications and 4K video streams. The trial will demonstrate the potential of 5G voice over IP over the 15GHz and 28GHz spectrum bands.
“The future of video is mobile. And the future of mobile is video,” says Tom Keathley, senior vice president, wireless network architecture and design, AT&T. “Mobile video streaming continues to be a vital aspect of our 5G work, and this trial gives us an opportunity to test 4K HD video streaming across further physical distances between pieces of equipment. With our 5G and 4G LTE advancements, we expect speeds rivaling what we see from cable providers. Our path to 5G will help make this vision a reality faster.”
In an October blog, Keathley wrote more specifically about the promises of 5G for communications service providers: “We expect 5G to deliver speeds 10-100 times faster than today’s average 4G LTE connections. Customers will see speeds measured in gigabits per second, not megabits. For reference, at one gigabit per second, you can download a TV show in less than 3 seconds. Customers will also see much lower latency with 5G… We expect 5G latency in the range of 1 to 5 milliseconds.”
Beyond consumer applications
AT&T’s partner in the 5G business service trial, Ericsson, recently conducted a survey of 50 executives at 29 telcos about progress and planning for 5G. The results of the survey show that consumer applications are, indeed, the major focus for 90 percent of respondents, but more than 3 out of 5 also agreed that consumers are ‘tapped out’ already, which means targeting business applications as AT&T is doing with Intel is an important shift.
A whopping 86 percent of survey respondents agreed that to monetize 5G, operators will have to provide industry-specific services and find new revenue-sharing models. Topping the list of high-potential revenue growth areas are third-party collaboration and the Internet of Things, with 93 percent of respondents citing each as top potential money-makers for 5G.
As part of the TM Forum Catalyst program, we have been looking at how to manage and monetize virtualization technology in a 5G world. Ericsson has been a participant in an ongoing Catalyst looking at how to use orchestration to maximize profitability, and the most recent phase of the Catalyst, championed by NTT, looked at using 5G network slicing to increase bandwidth during an auto race. You can learn much more about the Catalyst by listening to this webinar on demand.
Similarly, Vodafone is championing a Catalyst that is looking at how to use 5G network slicing to offer drones as a service for precision-farming. While some farmers are already using drone technology, Vodafone wants to take it step further by automating drone flights as a platform-based service that uses 5G network slicing to ensure redundancy and quality of service. 5G’s ultra-high levels of reliability could remove the need to have a human drone operator within line of sight.
