AT&T launched its largest 5G trials to date this week at the Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas. The trials were largest both in terms of mobile traffic and partnering with a home and lifestyle brand.
“This is a meaningful and important step in bringing out 5G fixed wireless trials to Waco starting with the Silos,” said Marachel Knight, senior vice president of technology, planning and engineering at AT&T. “Taking our 5G tests out of the lab and into real, high-traffic environments like the Silos will bring a fantastic customer experience while helping us learn even more about building a 5G network of the future for both consumers and businesses.”
The trial offers a chance to test millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum and prototypes of 5G radios and antennas. AT&T will distribute services through multiple Wi-Fi access points and use its network function virtualization platform, Flexware, as the router. Visitors and vendors will be able to participate simply by logging onto Wi-Fi on their mobile devices and sales devices.
AT&T plans to expand 5G trials in Waco from just the Silos, which is visited by approximately 5,000 people every day, to small businesses, educational institutions and other establishments.
This development caps off a year in which Ericsson filed an end-to-end patent for 5G and South Africa, Europe and South America began trials.
