Wireless carriers are in a race to roll out their 5G networks, especially with Apple’s big 5G-enabled iPhone 12 announcement expected later this year. Like its competitors, AT&T is on a furious pace adding another 137 markets to its existing footprint.
AT&T announced that it is firing up the company’s low-band 5G network in 137 markets across the US, including cities in rural states like Maine, populated states like California, and even in remote states like Alaska.
This expansion brings AT&T’s low-band 5G network to 327 markets from coast to coast. See the full list of new markets on the next page, here.
AT&T’s low-band 5G operates on the 850Mhz spectrum and is different from the company’s mmWave 5G, which uses ultra-high-band frequencies.
This low-band 5G offers average speeds of 133 Mbps, which is faster than the carrier’s existing 4G LTE network but is not as fast as mmWave.
Because it operates at a lower frequency, low-band 5G can cover a wider area and is suitable for more rural areas where tower density is low.
mmWave has a much smaller footprint and is being rolled out in dense urban areas where closely installed towers can provide ample coverage.
5G is slated to replace 4G LTE and both carriers and cell phone manufacturers are supporting the wireless technology.
Critics were disappointed Apple didn’t debut 5G last year in the iPhone 11, but it wasn’t surprising that Apple stayed with 4G LTE and did not jump on the 5G bandwagon. Last year, 5G connectivity was relatively sparse, and not many phones were compatible with the latest in wireless technology.
One year later and 5G wireless networks are spreading like wildfire both in the US and globally.
Last year, 5G was optional; but this year, it is critical that Apple adds 5G support to its iPhone, or it will risk losing market share to its Android counterparts.
Apple likely will unveil the iPhone 12 this fall with support for low-band 5G, its first phone with compatibility for this wireless standard.
The company is rumored to be supporting low-band 5G first. Apple’s first mmWave iPhones may not land until 2021.
Alabama
1. Anniston
2. Dothan
3. Florence
4. Gadsden
5. Mobile
6. Tuscaloosa
Alaska
1. Anchorage
Arkansas
1. Clay County
2. Cleburne County
3. Cross County
4. Franklin County
5. Madison County
6. Pope County
California
1. Alpine County
2. Fresno
3. Kings County
4. Salinas
5. Sierra County
6. Stockton
7. Visalia-Tulare
Colorado
1. Fort Collins-Loveland
2. Greeley
Florida
1. Calhoun County
2. Citrus County
3. Collier County
4. Fort Myers
5. Fort Walton Beach
6. Gainesville
7. Glades County
8. Jefferson County
9. Lakeland
10. Tallahassee
11. Walton County
Georgia
1. Atlanta
2. Bleckley County
3. Early County
4. Jasper County
5. Warren County
Idaho
1. Elmore County
Illinois
1. Adams County
2. Aurora-Elgin
3. Bureau County
4. Champaign-Urbana
5. Clay County
6. Joliet
7. Montgomery County
8. Springfield
9. Vermilion County
Indiana
1. Bloomington
2. Decatur County
3. Huntington County
4. Kosciusko County
5. Muncie
6. Newton County
7. Randolph County
8. Warren County
Kansas
1. Lawrence
Kentucky
1. Spencer County
Louisiana
1. Baton Rouge
2. Caldwell Parish
3. Claiborne Parish
4. Iberville Parish
5. Lafayette
6. Monroe
7. Morehouse Parish
8. St. James Parish
9. West Feliciana Parish
Maine
1. Portland
Maryland
1. Cumberland
2. Hagerstown
3. Kent County
Michigan
1. Alger County
2. Allegan County
3. Benton Harbor
4. Manistee County
5. Muskegon
Mississippi
1. Jackson
Missouri
1. Moniteau County
Nevada
1. Lander County
New Mexico
1. Lincoln County
2. San Juan County
New York
1. Chautauqua County
2. Elmira
3. Jefferson County
4. Poughkeepsie
North Carolina
1. Anson County
2. Hickory
Ohio
1. Ashtabula County
2. Columbiana County
3. Lima
4. Mansfield
5. Williams County
6. Youngstown
Oregon
1. Lincoln County
2. Medford
3. The Dalles
Pennsylvania
1. Altoona
2. Bedford County
3. Bradford County
4. Huntingdon County
5. Jefferson County
6. Lawrence County
7. Lebanon County
8. Sharon
Rhode Island
1. Newport County
South Carolina
1. Anderson
2. Calhoun County
3. Laurens County
4. Oconee County
Tennessee
1. Chattanooga
2. Fayette County
3. Giles County
4. Maury County
5. Memphis
6. Nashville
Texas
1. Amarillo
2. Brownsville
3. Bryan-College Station
4. Galveston
5. Killeen-Temple
6. Parmer County
7. Runnels County
8. Tyler
Utah
1. Beaver County
Virginia
1. Caroline County
2. Danville
Washington
1. Okanogan County
2. Olympia
3. Pacific County
West Virginia
1. Charleston
2. Grant County
3. Huntington-Ashland
4. Tucker County
Wisconsin
1. Kenosha
2. Racine
3. Sheboygan
4. Wood County