Nokia is joining to help us test millimeter wave (mmWave), which we expect to play a key role in 5G development and deployment. The work coming out of AT&T Labs will pave the way toward future international 5G standards and allow us to deliver these fast 5G speeds and network performance across the US.

—Tom Keathley

In addition to reaching multi-gigabit speeds, the initial 5G lab trials also simulate real-world environment scenarios and strenuous conditions, such as increased amounts of data transmission at a given time. This allows AT&T to test key network advancements, including connectivity signal performance, reliability, range and coverage.

Early latency performance tests have shown positive signs for future consumer experiences, such as self-driving cars. For example, in order for the self-driving car experience to meet future customer expectations, AT&T believes it will be critical to quickly communicate with other connected vehicles and objects while navigating the street. 5G multi-gigabit speeds and very low latency will enable this feat to become a reality in years to come.

By the end of this summer, AT&T expects to conduct outdoor 5G wireless connectivity trials to fixed locations in cities such as Austin, Texas and Middletown, N.J.

The AT&T 5G trials are structured in such a way that they are able to contribute to the international 5G standards development; AT&T can then pivot to compliant commercial deployments once standards are set by 3GPP.

AT&T expects 3GPP will likely complete the first phase of standards-setting process in 2018.

Nokia is supplying test equipment for a variety of 5G technology building blocks and features. A variety of 5G technologies are factored into the tests, including sub-6Hz and mmWave spectrum use, low latency, advanced beamforming and very high throughput.