AT&T brought new virtual reality solutions and a number of other technologies based on the fifth generation of mobile networks to Warner Bros. studios this past weekend, having resorted to demonstrating some use cases of the next wireless revolution. The company’s VR demo revolved around the idea of 5G allowing people to experience live concerts regardless of where they’re located, with high-resolution streaming being the backbone of such immersive entertainment. The experimental VR concert was organized in collaboration with Ericsson and Intel, both of whom are expected to continue supporting AT&T’s 5G efforts going forward.
Intel and Ericsson already collaborated on a real-life 5G demonstrations with AT&T in the past, having previously launched a 5G-enabled carwash in Austin, Texas. AT&T Technologies and Operations President Melissa Arnoldi used the opportunity to reiterate the company’s ambitions in the wireless segment, having asserted the company remains “confident” in its ability to deploy a truly wireless network in a timely manner. The Dallas, Texas-based telecom giant previously said it’s planning on becoming the only network operator in the United States to commercialize a 5G mobile service in the second half of the year even as 5G-enabled smartphones aren’t expected to hit the market until 2019. In the meantime, AT&T will be offering “5G pucks” to consumers so as to allow them to benefit from improved network speeds, capacities, and latencies as quickly as possible.
The second implementable 5G standard is expected to be announced later this month following a Busan, South Korea-based summit hosted by Samsung in May. Wide-scale infrastructure buildouts are scheduled to start stateside in the first half of 2019, with all four national carriers previously vowing to commercialize 5G on a country-wide level by 2020. T-Mobile and Sprint are also hoping to combine in the meantime, further accelerating their buildout efforts, though their chances of receiving regulatory approval for the proposed tie-up remain uncertain.