AT&T says that Dallas, Atlanta and Waco, Texas, will be the first cities to receive AT&T's ultra-fast, low-latency fifth generation (5G) wireless service when it launches by the end of this year. The new information comes on the heels of an AT&T announcement in January that the company would be launching some form of 5G in at least a dozen markets this year. That said, these early deployments will be glorified betas, and most analysts believe that seriously commercial deployment of faster 5G broadband isn't expected until at least 2020.

AT&T's full announcement continues to imply that broad deployment will arrive more quickly than that.

"After significantly contributing to the first phase of 5G standards, conducting multi-city trials, and literally transforming our network for the future, we re planning to be the first carrier to deliver standards-based mobile 5G -- and do it much sooner than most people thought possible," said Igal Elbaz, senior vice president, Wireless Network Architecture and Design. "Our mobile 5G firsts will put our customers in the middle of it all."

AT&T took heat last year for trying to call 4x4 MIMO antennas and 256 QAM "5G Evolution," despite neither technology having anything to do with 5G.

This will presumably be somewhat different as AT&T tests early 5G hardware, but without the company offering more specifics it's hard to tell. Again, expect these launches to be more trials than full commercial market launches. To help AT&T the company says it has opened a new "5G lab" in Austin, Texas.

AT&T has previously stated that the company has seen speeds up to 14 Gbps in trials of fixed 5G technology, which may someday prove beneficial to AT&T DSL customers the company refuses to upgrade. The company has been conducting trials of pre-standard 5G fixed wireless gear in Austin and Waco, Texas, Kalamazoo, Michigan, and South Bend, Indiana since last year.

"We re moving quickly to begin deploying mobile 5G this year and start unlocking the future of connectivity for consumers and businesses," AT&T says of its planned offering. "With faster speeds and ultra-low latency, 5G will ultimately deliver and enhance experiences like virtual reality, future driverless cars, immersive 4K video and more."

The million dollar question for most users remains unanswered: how much you'll pay for this faster service, and just what kind of usage limitations will be placed on the network.
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