AT&T nearly doubles its consumer 5G coverage; is your city on the list?

Two weeks ago today, AT&T announced that its low band 5G network had been launched in 10 markets. Today, the nation's second largest wireless operator announced that it has flipped the 5G switch to on in nine more markets bringing the total to 19: Baltimore, Birmingham, Ala., Bridgeport, Conn., Buffalo, Detroit, Indianapolis, Las Vegas , Louisville, Ky., Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, R.I., Rochester, N.Y., San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Calif., and Washington D.C.

Consumers in the aforementioned 19 markets can access AT&T's 5G network using the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G. Like T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network that runs on the carrier's 600MHz spectrum, AT&T's 5G signals will travel far and penetrate structures without an issue. This should not be confused with AT&T's 5G+ service for businesses that is available in parts of 25 cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, King of Prussia, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Raleigh, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Waco and West Hollywood.

AT&T 5G+ runs over ultra-high band mmWave spectrum; this means that these signals don't travel far thus stretching out the time it will take AT&T to complete building this network. It also has problems penetrating buildings. But what mmWave 5G signals do offer is mind-numbing download data speeds and support for huge amounts of traffic. While T-Mobile and AT&T are counting on low-band spectrum for its consumer 5G offerings at first, Verizon is using its mmWave airwaves which means that it could be last to finish its nationwide network. The nation's leading wireless operator says that it is constructing its 5G network "the right way." Eventually, AT&T will offer its 5G+ service to consumers and T-Mobile is hoping to enhance its 5G network by adding Sprint's mid-band spectrum.

T-Mobile introduced its nationwide 5G service earlier this month and AT&T says that it will have its coast-to-coast 5G network up and running sometime during the first half of next year. If you are an AT&T customer, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G costs $1,299.99 or 30 monthly payments of $43.34. Trade in a qualifying smartphone and port over a new line and you can receive up to $950 in monthly bill credits.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G employs the Snapdragon X55 5G modem chip which allows it to work with both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G networks. It also sports a Gorilla Glass 6 protected 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a 1440 x 3040 resolution (QHD+) and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform with 12GB of RAM and 256GB/512GB of storage. There are three cameras on the back of the handset including a 12MP Wide camera with a variable aperture of f1.5/f2.4, a 16MP Ultra-wide camera, a 12MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor. Keeping the lights on is a 4300mAh capacity battery.

5G is the next generation of wireless connectivity and will deliver download data speeds 10 times faster than 4G LTE. These faster speeds will help to create new technologies and industries that will contribute to a 5G economic boom. The nations that are first to harness 5G will have a huge head start on becoming the leaders in technology and in the global economy. Scott Mair, President of AT&T Technology Operations, says, "We believe 5G technology will be game-changing, and we continue to help drive this next wave of innovation. We were the first in the U.S. to offer commercial mobile 5G, and this is the next step as we build to nationwide service in the first half of 2020."