AT&T has successfully rolled out its standalone (SA) 5G network across the United States, reaching millions of customers. The launch comes nearly three years after the company initially planned to introduce the technology in 2020, followed by a limited commercial rollout in 2022. In a recent blog post, Yigal Elbaz, Senior Vice President and Network Chief Technology Officer at AT&T, emphasized that reliable connectivity is more important than speed, stating, “it’s often not about who’s first or fastest, it’s about the network you can count on.”
While AT&T was late to the SA 5G market, rivals like T-Mobile US and Verizon have already begun their transitions. T-Mobile launched its SA 5G network in 2020 using its low-band 600MHz spectrum. Verizon initiated its transition to SA 5G in 2022 after conducting user trials and initial testing in 2021. Reports indicate that Verizon is utilizing 3700MHz and 850MHz bands for its network, particularly in California, as noted by Dave Bolan, research director at Dell’Oro Group.
Nationwide Coverage and Future Expansion
With the nationwide launch, AT&T has activated select services on its SA 5G network, claiming millions of customers are already benefiting. Elbaz indicated that the company plans to expand availability as device support and provisioning improve. “Customers across consumer, AT&T Internet Air, IoT and business enterprise segments are already benefiting from the enhanced capabilities of our SA 5G platform,” an AT&T representative stated.
In July 2023, AT&T achieved nationwide coverage of its 5G reduced capability (RedCap) network, which utilizes the SA 5G technology. Elbaz highlighted that new devices, such as the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3, are available on the nationwide 5G RedCap network, with an expanding portfolio of devices expected.
Partnerships and Industry Outlook
AT&T is in the process of migrating all its services to the SA 5G network. Although the company has not disclosed specific vendors for this initiative, it signed a significant $14 billion agreement with Ericsson in 2023 to develop open Radio Access Networks (RAN). The AT&T representative confirmed that multiple vendors are involved in the SA 5G rollout.
The potential impact of SA 5G on industry revenue is substantial. During the recent MWC25 Barcelona conference, the GSMA projected that SA 5G could drive 70 percent of all enterprise revenue growth by 2030, representing a remarkable $127 billion opportunity for the telecommunications industry.
As AT&T continues to expand its SA 5G network, the focus remains on enhancing connectivity and providing reliable services to millions of customers across various segments.
