It’s beginning to look more and more like this is the year of 5G. Yes, you only have one choice of phone and it’s not an Apple one. Big surprise there. But it is the exceptionally capable Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G so it’s not like you’re really slumming it. More importantly, there are now more cities where you can get real 5G service as an AT&T customer.
Here’s where the happy people live
According to AT&T’s own landing page for 5G, you can now get low-band 5G in the following cities:
- Atlantic City, N.J.,
- Bakersfield, CA.
- Baltimore, MD
- Birmingham, Ala.
- Boston, Mass.
- Bridgeport, Conn.
- Buffalo, NY
- Dayton, Ohio
- Detroit, MI
- Frederick, Md.
- Indianapolis, IN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Liberty, Ga.
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, Ky.,
- Milwaukee, WI
- Modesto, CA
- New Bedford, Mass.
- New York City, NY
- Oxnard, CA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Providence, R.I.
- Rochester, N.Y.
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Santa Barbara CA.
- St. Louis, Mo.
- Washington D.C.
- Wichita, Kan.
The big winners seem to be those folks in California where several major cities now have 5G. This is in addition to 35 cities which have partial coverage from millimeter-wave 5G which is currently limited to hotspots and test devices.
The rollout continues
The good news here is that — yes, it’s clear that big cities lead the list — there are some smaller cities out there too that are looking at big speed jumps. And remember this is really still the early phase of the rollout. The competition may tout more cities “theoretically” covered by 5G but AT&T actually does have hardware designed to work with its ever growing network.
Even better… your cell booster may still work
Much of the rollout uses AT&T frequencies at 800MHz which can potentially benefit from cell boosters. That means that you’ll still get blazing fast speeds even when you’re inside. Other networks that strictly rely on 600MHz will not benefit from today’s cell boosters.
All eyes are on Apple
Even though Apple’s market share is only about 10% — with Android holding about a 75% market share — the company is still thought of as the key to reaching a lot of premium users, the kind of people who will pay extra for hefty data plans. Apple is expected to release a 5G iPhone sometimes this year and most folks agree, the sooner the better. The rumored iPhone 12 may not end up looking or feeling any different than the current iPhone 11 crop, but with a 5G modem inside it will be able to rip through tons of data nearly instantly.
Whether or not 5G is right for you…
…you can get the best deals and the best service by activating AT&T service through Signal Connect, part of the Solid Signal family. Our reps will take the time you need to get everything set up right and you won’t have to wait in line at a store. Even better, you won’t have to get anywhere near a mall. The number to call is 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s later than that, fill out the form below and our team will get back to you, usually within 24 hours.
