U.S. wireless carrier AT&T unleashed a torrent of news releases on Thursday, on everything from millimeter wave trials to cloud services and device preorders. Here’s what you need to know:
AT&T said it is trialing a point-to-point millimeter wave wireless technology sends a multi-gigabit signal from a central, fiber-connected building to neighboring locations, and then connects each unit over in-building wiring. The carrier said the technology would allow it to make ultra-fast internet speeds available to additional locations – including those outside its traditional 21-state wireline footprint – in less time and with less disruption.
Further reading about the technology can be found here on our sister site, CED Magazine.
AT&T also announced new and upgraded partnerships with Amazon Web Services and IBM relating to its Cloud services.
The former partnership with Amazon is a multi-year, strategic alliance agreement to optimize delivery of integrated solutions built on the companies’ respective cloud and networking capabilities. The collaboration is designed to help both existing and new customers more efficiently migrate to and utilize the AWS Cloud with the AT&T network. The solutions are intended to span cloud networking, mobility, Internet of Things (IoT), security and analytics, AT&T said.
The latter deal will see IBM take advantage of AT&T’s FlexWare NFV solution while AT&T will be able to run applications on IBM’s cloud, cognitive, analytics and security infrastructure. AT&T said IBM will makes FlexWare available to its clients to increase agility and support for enterprise customers.
The carrier on Thursday also said pre-orders for the new LG V20 – the first Android smartphone with Nougat baked in – will open on Friday. The device will be available for $27.67 per month for 30 months or $34.59 per month for 24 months on AT&T Next. DirecTV and U-verse customers who port in a new line of service will be eligible to receive up to $695 in monthly credits toward the device.
