AT&T to roll out 5G in Dallas, Atlanta, Waco in 2018

Dallas will be among the first cities where customers will get to experience 5G, a faster and more reliable next-generation wireless network, AT&T announced late Tuesday.

According to the Dallas-based telecom giant, Dallas, Atlanta and Waco will be among the dozen markets where it will roll out mobile 5G by the end of 2018.

AT&T did not specify the neighbourhoods where the network will be available. The company added it would announce more cities in the coming months.

Gordon Mansfield, AT&T's vice president of radio access network and device design said Dallas and Waco were chosen due to their strong ties to the company.

Dallas is the hometown of the company while Waco already has a 5G pilot underway at Magnolia Market at The Silos, a retail complex.

The choice of Atlanta is due to it being a large city in the southeast, according to Mansfield. The city also has one of the company's largest offices outside of Dallas.

But commentators point out that without 5G-compatible smartphones and tablets on the market yet, it will take time for customers in Dallas and beyond to fully take advantage of the new network.

Mansfield said AT&T is working aggressively with vendors, to ensure that its products hit the shelves in early 2019.

"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," AT&T senior vice president of Wireless Network Architecture and Design Igal Elbaz said.

"What this means for our customers in these cities is that they will be the very first to access this next generation of wireless services."