AT&T has unveiled half of the cities that will see the introduction of its mobile 5G service this year.
The carrier in January announced plans to be the first U.S. carrier to roll out mobile 5G by debuting the service in 12 markets by the end of the year. In April, the company announced the first three cities — Atlanta, Dallas and Waco, Texas — and on Friday it added Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., to the list.
“We’re on track to launch the first mobile 5G services and deliver the first device to customers this year,” AT&T Technology & Operations President Melissa Arnoldi said in a statement.
AT&T officials argued the company deliberately sought out mid-sized cities as part of its 5G rollout because “all Americans should have access to next-gen connectivity” — a jab at T-Mobile officials planning to upgrade their networks in New York, Los Angeles and other major cities.
The carrier also announced that more than 140 markets, to date, feature AT&T’s “5G Evolution” technology, which boasts 400 Mbps peak theoretical speeds.
Fifteen total cities, meanwhile, have the company’s LTE-LAA service — with peak speeds of 1 Gbps — after the addition of eight new cities Friday: Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, San Jose, Tampa, Little Rock and Tuscaloosa, Ala.