AT&T 5G Innovation Program Participants Include Cisco, Ericsson, Infosys, Intel, Magic Leap, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung and WarnerMedia

AT&T Continues to Innovate in AT&T Labs, AT&T Foundry and 5G Innovation Zones

AT&T Adds Santa Clara, Calif. 5G Lab to Support R&D Approach

Today, AT&T launched the AT&T 5G Innovation Program to continue to create and develop new customer experiences with the power of 5G. The program seeks to jumpstart work with app developers, content creators, device makers and network vendors to bring 5G ideas and experiences to life. Applications and use cases will span consumer, enterprise and public sectors, focusing on education, entertainment, gaming, history, navigation, retail, sports and more.

The AT&T 5G Innovation Program initial participants include Cisco, Ericsson, Infosys, Intel, Magic Leap, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung and WarnerMedia. Each is working with AT&T to develop ideas and test use cases on our live mobile 5G network using cutting-edge devices and industry-leading core services. Participating companies, who’ve shared their excitement  in this unique program, may also be able to give the public a taste of innovative experiences over the AT&T live 5G+ network via possible demonstration events in high-traffic areas like sports venues including AT&T Stadium, iconic shopping areas, parks and museums.

“Whether it’s the Innovation Program, AT&T Labs, AT&T Foundry, or our various initiatives across our business, mobility, Internet of Things and video teams, what’s vital here is to create the right conditions for 5G innovation to flourish,” said Andre Fuetsch, president of AT&T Labs and chief technology officer, AT&T Communications. “We believe 5G is the “yes, you can” network – regardless if you’re a global enterprise, small business or consumer. These are just some of the ways we’re fostering innovation in 5G environments to create tomorrow’s unforeseen inventions.”

AT&T Labs: Driving the Future of 5G

The Innovation Program joins a rich and unparalleled legacy of invention at AT&T. Starting in the days of Bell Labs, AT&T’s innovation heritage stretches more than 140 years. From the first movies with sound to the first transistors, lasers and satellites, AT&T’s research has changed the world.

And long before we were the first company to make mobile 5G a reality in parts of 12 cities across the U.S., our engineers started researching and driving global standards for 5G. In fact, we were one of the top carrier contributors to 5G standards worldwide; we’ve submitted over 500 contributions to the 3GPP standards for 5G and own 36 essential patents.

5G will drive innovation, and innovation is driving 5G. We’re using data analytics and machine learning to optimize 5G development and plan the network of the future. Open source is also key to 5G development, and we’re pushing for interoperability across vendor solutions.

AT&T Labs in Redmond, Wash., and Austin, Texas played a vital role in testing and certifying the first 5G device before it was available to customers. Our Redmond scientists and engineers played a key role in making us the first company to launch 5G with a fully software-based core – which delivers greater flexibility in how we operate our 5G network. Our Austin scientists and engineers launched the industry’s first 5G business customer trial in the U.S. and successfully showcased high-quality video streaming and conferencing using millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. Collaborating closely with National Instruments in early 2017, our Austin Lab invented mmWave technologies to measure and deliver 5G signals. And these scientists and engineers were responsible for the world’s first-ever mobile 5G connection out in the field.

Next up in Austin, we’re going to explore testing V2X technologies over 5G—which could teach us valuable insights to propel self-driving car technologies. In Middletown, NJ, we continue to explore inventions like Project AirGig, which could one day deliver 5G technology over power lines to many Americans.

AT&T Foundry: Co-Creating with our Customers

And while the Innovation Program is focused on collaborating with other technology leaders, it isn’t the first time we’ve done something like this. In fact, we’ve perfected the collaboration model at our AT&T Foundry innovation centers over the last eight years. At the AT&T Foundry, we’re inviting customers into our network of innovation centers to test and develop cutting-edge technologies and solutions.

We’re continuing with this proven approach to capitalize on the transformation possibilities of 5G. At our Plano Foundry, we’ll work with enterprise customers to show them how their solutions perform in a real 5G environment, and also develop 5G-enabled technologies they can bring to market faster. Our Atlanta Foundry will focus on developing and enhancing consumer applications like volumetric video. “We’re also continuing the momentum around the Palo Alto Foundry’s Edge Computing Zone program. Yesterday we announced we’ve expanded our efforts by bringing a new 5G radio to the Ericsson 5G testbed at their campus in Santa Clara, Calif. Together, we’ll invite industry players along the entire software, hardware, networking and content pipeline to work with us in designing edge-native applications and to test their performance over a 5G environment. 

While the Foundry model is distinct from the Innovation Program, there will be overlap between the companies we work with in the Innovation Program, Foundry and the Innovation zones. That sort of cross-pollination is key to creating a thriving ecosystem. It’s possible that a project could move from the Foundry or the Labs to the Innovation Program or vice versa. The key is creating fertile ground for great ideas to blossom.

Bringing 5G to the Customer’s Front Door

We believe 5G will do for Business what 4G did for the consumer’s experience. Therefore, we’re starting to bring our 5G network right to our enterprise customers’ doors so they can innovate in near real-time on their own campuses. Some examples include:

• Magic Leap: This year AT&T plans to launch a 5G Innovation Zone on the Magic Leap campus in Plantation, Florida to give developers and creators the ability to test devices and applications on a 5G network right where the work is being done. 
• Rush System for Health: AT&T’s 5G network, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) - a cloud-based IT service environment at the edge of the network – and other advanced network related technologies, will enable Rush’s system hospitals to manage its cellular traffic over both its local network based in Chicago and its wide area network.  This will allow Rush to better satisfy network communications and application processing needs for its data, enhance the various use cases across its system, and help improve the patient experience.
• Samsung: We are working with Samsung Electronics America, Inc. and Samsung Austin Semiconductor to create America’s first manufacturing-focused 5G “Innovation Zone” in Austin, Texas. The goal of the testbed is to explore different use cases over 5G to provide a real-world understanding of how 5G can impact manufacturing and to provide insight into the future of a smart factory.
• WarnerMedia: Initial areas of the Content Innovation Lab include exploration of AT&T’s 5G infrastructure offerings to develop, deliver and deploy new immersive consumer content experiences in the form of AR/VR/MR/gaming offerings, enhancing real-time interactivity and connectivity.

Our Unmatched Total Investment

Over the past 5 years (2014-2018), AT&T’s total investment in the United States, including capital investments and acquisitions of spectrum and wireless operations, was more than $130 billion – more than any other public company. The nation’s best wireless network according to America’s biggest test now covers more than 99% of Americans, our fiber network is one of the nation’s largest and we connect more IoT devices than any other provider in North America. Additionally, more than 3 million businesses, from the largest global companies to small businesses, turn to AT&T.