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AT&T to bring 5G to Air Force smart base

The base will use tech to "maintain its globally competitive edge in defending our freedoms," AT&T says.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
Expertise News, mobile, broadband, 5G, home tech, streaming services, entertainment, AI, policy, business, politics Credentials
  • I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Corinne Reichert
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AT&T is bringing 5G to the Air Force.

Angela Lang/CNET

AT&T says it'll switch on its 5G network at Tyndall Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle in early 2020. By combining the new network with connected devices, augmented reality, virtual reality, cloud and its dedicated first responder network FirstNet, AT&T is creating a "smart base of the future" for the US Air Force, the company said on Thursday.

Tyndall, which suffered damage during 2018's Hurricane Michael, is being completely rebuilt and modernized by AT&T tech. During the hurricane, AT&T said, Tyndall used FirstNet to reestablish comms within a few hours.

"The Air Force and AT&T share a vision for the smart base of the future ... to help our military maintain its globally competitive edge in defending our freedoms," said Xavier Williams, president of AT&T's Global Public Sector.

5G, the next-generation mobile technology, provides faster speeds, more capacity and lower latency -- the time it takes a stream or download to begin once you've requested it.

Read: When will cheap 5G come to the masses?

AT&T initially launched 5G in December in parts of Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Waco, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; and Atlanta, Indianapolis, New Orleans and Oklahoma City. In April, AT&T expanded its 5G network to parts of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego; Austin, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and Nashville. AT&T then added 5G to Vegas at the end of June.

It's now also available in New York City; Austin, Texas; and Jacksonville, Orlando.

From Apple to Samsung: 5G phones available right now

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