The Promise of 5G & A Better World

This week I had the privilege of traveling to China and Hong Kong to meet with our employees, our customers and to speak at Mobile World Congress in Shanghai.

My main takeaway: Our global society is mobilizing and our best chance to create a better world is now.

With each new wireless generation, we’ve created a world where virtually everyone and everything is connected. Now, we’re heading out of the mobile Internet revolution and straight into the fourth industrial revolution.

With 5G, we’re moving to a cloud-native network with speeds that blur the difference between fixed and wireless connectivity.

At AT&T, we’ve spent years designing, testing, and trialing our 5G capabilities. And now, we’re on the cusp of leading 5G’s mobile debut. We intend to be the first U.S. carrier to introduce standards-based, mobile 5G, by doing it in a dozen cities before the end of the year.

All of our efforts in 5G and software-defined networking (SDN) are merging together. Our SDN leadership gives us a powerful framework for our mobile future and ties heavily into our AT&T Business Edge-to-Edge IntelligenceSM capabilities, which I’ve previously discussed here.

Our journey to a 5G future has had many stops. Our 5G milestones include: an industry first 5G business trial, streaming trials of DIRECTV NOW via emerging 5G technology, local business trials in 3 U.S. cities including - Magnolia Market at the Silos - made famous through their national TV show, and a series of unique 5G demonstrations with the Dallas Cowboys on draft day, at the AT&T SHAPE Conference in Los Angeles, at the E3 eSports Gaming Conference, and at the U.S. Open golf tournament.

Based on what we’ve seen and accomplished, we have more confidence than ever that 5G will transform entertainment, gaming and live sports. Examples like these demonstrate how we can unlock ways to meet the growing demand for premier content with new, immersive experiences.

For years, our industry has powered game-changing mobile technology that enhances the way we live and work. This is only going to accelerate.

We’re building mobile-powered Smart Cities with transformative solutions that help create more efficient transportation and commuting, better conserve our vital resources and change the way first responders interact with citizens.

This is an important opportunity as experts believe two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.

Currently, we’re making great progress with spotlight cities and universities across the U.S. and internationally to implement IoT for Good solutions. Just this month we announced we’re exploring a multitude of IoT and network technologies with San Jose and Portland.

Just like Smart Cities, we’re driving forward with our Connected Car business. With LTE connectivity today, we already connect more than 27 major auto brands and more than 19.5 million cars in the United States and abroad.

This work is critical to the future of smart communities, as studies predict that by 2026, 10% of cars on U.S. roads will be autonomous. 

All of this technological progress and upcoming potential left me with one question for those gathered in Shanghai, and now for all of you – Who if not us, the world’s technologists, is going to create a better future for our families, our communities, and our countries?

As a global industry and community, we are being called to define a new future and tap into the power of mobile technology for the good of society. To really make an impact on the world, we all must amplify our impact through collaboration with others. 

Let’s not impose limits on what we can accomplish today for the good of tomorrow. And let’s answer this call to create a better world.