One of the cities that's frequently left out of 5G announcements is New York. Unlike Chicago, which actually has 5G served by more than one carrier, New York City seems to get left out of the loop. The good news is that AT&T announced today that it's 5G network is now available in parts of the Big Apple.
The bad news is that it's still only for businesses. If you want access to what AT&T is calling 5G+ (it's just regular 5G), you'll need to be on the Business Unlimited Preferred plan.
"As a densely-populated, global business and entertainment hub, New York City stands to benefit greatly from having access to 5G, and we’ve been eager to introduce the service here," said Amy Kramer, president, AT&T New York. "While our initial availability in NYC is a limited introduction at launch, we’re committed to working closely with the City to extend coverage to more neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs."
The carrier says that its 5G network is now live in 21 cities, with the addition of New York. AT&T has been using millimeter wave (mmWave) technology for this, and that only works outdoors. However, the company confirmed that it will be rolling out sub-6GHz bands in the coming months, and it plans to have nationwide 5G coverage within the first half of 2020.
If you don't have any 5G in your area just yet, just be patient. Carriers definitely have some ambitious plans for quick rollouts.
