AT&T is coming in just under the wire on fulfilling a promise it made in September to launch a mobile 5G network.
While the company won’t sell a compatible phone to use the service until 2019, a mobile hotspot from Netgear will be available Friday, according to a release Tuesday.
The fifth generation of cellular service, 5G promises faster speeds. Tests conducted by company Qualcomm earlier this year showed nearly a hundred times faster browsing speeds than traditional broadband internet.
The company says it will sell the Netgear manufactured mobile hotspot for $499 with 15gb of data for $70 per month.
The initial launch is in San Antonio; Dallas; Waco; Houston; Atlanta; New Orleans; Oklahoma City; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Verizon launched a fixed 5G network for home broadband earlier this year in Sacramento, Houston, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis. AT&T says it plans to add several cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego and Nashville in the first half of 2019.
Paul Flahive can be reached at paul@tpr.org or on Twitter @paulflahive
