AT&T has been developing 5G technologies for years and is now teaming up with Ericsson and Intel to speed up lab tests during Q2 of this year. The major telecom has plans to start outdoor tests on tech such as millimeter waves during the summer, and test 5G in Austin, Texas before the end of this year.   

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5G is next-generation wireless data tech. It uses various types of technologies including software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), according to Yahoo.

The nationwide carrier reported that 60 percent of the company's mobile traffic last year was from video, according to Engadget. It is working on 5G technologies due to the growth of technologies including 4K video, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT) in smart homes.

AT&T's Chief Strategy Officer John Donovan stated that 5G will help to make such technologies a reality. 5G Internet could be up to 100 times faster than 4G long-term evolution (LTE) with gigabits-per-second downloads.

A TV show could be downloaded in three seconds. In addition, videos could be streamed 1 to 5 milliseconds after pressing the play button, which reduces how much "latency" customers experience.  

 Ma Bell  is conducting tests in a way that would allow it to launch 5G networks as soon as standards are set. The 3GPP international group is working out the details now.

AT&T shares that an early use of 5G tech could be broadband Internet for homes and businesses. If the outdoor trials are successful, limited retail availability could start this year.

One key issue about 5G is that it would affect wireless customers with low data caps. However, It is highly likely they would be boosted for 5G networks.

The first phase of 3GPP's 5G network standards will not be finished until the first half of 2018. Meanwhile, Verizon is also planning to start 5G trials for the wireless service.  

Last September Verizon announced it would start 5G tests within 12 months.  It is planning for a commercial roll-out in 2017 and hopes it could have a similar effect as 4G's boosting smartphone use. However, many industry experts have projected that 5G technology would not be launched until 2020.

Here are some details about 5G tech: