Last week, I embarked on only my second business trip post-pandemic to the West Side borough of Manhattan in Chelsea. AT&T hosted a 5G event at the WarnerMedia Innovation Lab in the hip and trendy New York City neighborhood. Chelsea is a hotbed for tech, given I have also spent time there in the past with Verizon at the Alley co-working space that also hosts one of its 5G proof of concept labs. With all of that said, I would like to provide my insights into the event and related press releases that AT&T issued the same day.
Announcement and panel insights
On July 14th, AT&T issued a press release titled “AT&T 5G: The Full Experience,” in addition to a handful of others. The theme centers on what people can practically do with 5G today, given the immense hype cycle and what I believe are missed expectations for the average consumer. AT&T claims that its nationwide 5G footprint now covers more than 250 million subscribers, with its 5G+ mmWave service available in parts of 38 major metropolitan cities and 20 venues that showcase live sports and concerts. mmWave has limited coverage given its spectrum characteristics, and AT&T acknowledged this fact speaking in the release of its first successful C-band test call. That test is a crucial step forward in the operator’s build-out of mid-band spectrum that will deliver an optimal balance of 5G coverage and performance.
To kick off the 5G event, AT&T held a morning and afternoon panel. I attended the morning panel moderated by AT&T CEO of Consumer Thaddeus Arroyo that included WarnerMedia, two partners, including Google, and movie star/ tech investor Ashton Kutcher. I found Mr. Kutcher to be highly insightful, given I have attended other AT&T events such as Shape featuring guest celebrities. His knowledge of the Internet of Things, mobile edge computing, and 5G was spot-on. He and I agree on one point, mobile 5G with its ultra-low latency and fast throughput will bring disruption to “AgTech” that marries connectivity to farming, ranching, and hatcheries to improve yields, manufacturing automation often referred to as Industry 4.0., and telemedicine. Concerning the latter, Mr. Kutcher has invested in a handful of startups focusing on healthcare through his Sound Ventures. The website is a tad light on the specific investment areas. Still, during the panel, Mr. Kutcher kept coming back to telemedicine and medical applications that leverage AR/ VR as promising and highly disruptive.
Google’s head of Devices and Services, Su-Veer Kothari, joined the session remotely from Europe and spoke to cloud gaming and its ability to provide more immersive, untethered experiences and build community. To this end, Google and AT&T have partnered to deliver Google Stadia Pro to AT&T subscribers at no charge for six months. I also expect that the recent announcement between the two companies for edge network enablement will go far to supercharge the 5G mobile gaming experience and other consumer and enterprise applications.
Event demo insights
At the event, AT&T hosted several demos that demonstrate the power of its investment in 5G that subscribers can take advantage of today. I found three demos most compelling:
1. AT&T and Boingo are partnering to deliver a better airport connectivity experience leveraging the AT&T 5G+ mmWave service that promises the best performance that 5G will offer with respect to low latency and high throughput. I have been critical of Boingo in the past as a frequent flyer, and I hope that the partnership addresses my past concerns. The initial launch is in Tampa, with plans to expand to a dozen or more airports, with half of those targeted for deployment by the end of 2021. If you want to learn more, you can find the details here.
2. AT&T and Bookful are partnering to deliver an innovative augmented reality learning platform for children that also bundles exclusive content for AT&T subscribers. My demo experience was fantastic with animals and other characters springing to virtual life off tablet or smartphone pages. If you want to learn more, you can find the details here.
3. WarnerMedia and Cinemark are partnering to deliver an augmented reality photo activation experience with characters from the new “Space Jam: A New Legacy” movie. It is only available in three theaters in Texas, but I expect this is just the beginning. There should be future tie-ins to other Warner Brothers movies as theaters begin the process of reopening post-pandemic. If you want to learn more, you can find the details here. I also experienced an AR demo with the movie tie-in with Facebook and Instagram. It is really fun, and if you want to try it out – check out tunesquad.spacejam.com
Wrapping up
I like AT&T’s approach in focusing on what is possible today with 5G. The hype cycle has been high for the next generation cellular networking standard, and some expectations have suffered as a result. However, I remind many journalists, friends, and family members the deployment of 5G is not a light switch; it is a journey with many stages. AT&T took a significant step forward in proving the reality of 5G with its recent event and the associated announcements. I am excited to see what is coming next!
Will Townsend is a Senior Analyst that manages the Security, Networking Infrastructure, and Carrier Services practice at Moor Insights & Strategy. Mr. Townsend advises some of the largest networking infrastructure providers and carriers in the world. He has been featured on NPR, CNBC, in the Wall Street Journal, providing insights into enterprise networking and 5G. Mr. Townsend is also considered one of the top networking analysts in the world.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/att-aims-deliver-full-5g-experience-will-townsend/
