AT&T 5G Might Deliver 3 Gbps in Some Cases

AT&T says it now has more than 1,040 MHz of nationwide millimeter wave spectrum after adding 786 MHz of 39-GHz spectrum in Federal Communications Commission Auction 103. Prior to Auction 103, AT&T acquired 379 MHz of 39-GHz spectrum when it purchased FiberTower for $207 million in early 2018. 

That means AT&T will have 800 MHz of 5G bandwidth in some markets, enough for eight 100-MHz channels. AT&T says it can deliver up to 400 Mbps of download speed per 100-MHz channel, reaching 1.5 Gbps across four channels.

So 3 Gbps should be possible, using all eight channels. Moreover, if a 5G device can simultaneously access AT&T’s 39-GHz and 24-GHz spectrums, or the 39-GHz spectrum plus low-band  or mid-band channels, the speeds could be even higher, some believe.