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The operator’s partnership with JBG Smith will make use of both sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G, with infrastructure deployment starting in 2020
Last week, AT&T announced they had signed a letter of intent with real-estate developer JBG Smith, aiming to build the first full-scale smart city in the US.
The agreement will see AT&T build a 5G network in a community near at National Landing, a 6.8 million square foot development near Arlington, Virginia. In National Landing, JBG Smith reportedly owns 6.8 million square feet of office space and 2,856 residential units, with a further 802 units under construction. It also owns 7.2 million square feet of additional space that could yet be developed.
AT&T suggest that the 5G network will primarily make use of sub-6 GHz and mmWave spectrum, with infrastructure making use of building side-mounts and street furniture, as well as underground network assets.
“Together with JBG SMITH, we intend to build a true smart city from the ground up that will allow future innovators to use AT&T’s network to unlock new capabilities through city-wide edge solutions that can serve specific business locations and everyday users at home or on the go,” said Mo Katibeh, head of AT&T’s Network Infrastructure and Build division. “This includes enabling immersive virtual and augmented reality, and the massive IoT connections that will become a hallmark of National Landing as the most connected city in the country.”
It is hoped that the creation of a smart city at this scale will encourage investors and innovators to the local area, with AT&T leveraging National Landing’s positioning within the vicinity of major business HQs, such as Amazon and Virginia Tech, as well as the Pentagon.
“The goal of this collaboration with AT&T is to further enhance National Landing and create the only neighbourhood that provides entrepreneurs, universities, and global technology companies the digital infrastructure necessary to shape the future of their industries,” explained Matt Kelly, CEO of JBG Smith. “We want to equip innovators with the foundational amenities to revolutionise the way they work, giving them an edge above their competition and the confidence to choose National Landing as their home to ideate and innovate locally – and scale globally.”
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