AT&T rolls out 5G in NYC, but only for business at first
It's not quite a resounding victory for the carrier.
At last, AT&T's 5G network is available in New York City... only you likely can't use it yet. The carrier now offers the higher-speed wireless service in parts of NYC, but it's currently limited to business customers and developers. That's not completely surprising when it's still limiting the Galaxy S10 5G to the corporate crowd, but it could be disappointing if you were hoping to livestream your latest SoHo adventures in 5G.
This represents the 21st city to have AT&T's 5G network, although it's far from complete. Right now, access is largely limited to millimeter wave 5G that's very fast, but doesn't reach far and rarely holds up indoors. Practical 5G will arrive in the "coming months," when AT&T starts a wider rollout of 5G on sub-6GHz frequencies. You'll only see nationwide coverage in the first half of 2020, and it's not clear that service will truly reach every last nook and cranny of the network by that point.
Not that other networks are doing much better. Verizon (Engadget's parent company) only has 5G in parts of several cities. T-Mobile already has 5G coverage in NYC, but its service only extends to a few cities beyond that. Sprint isn't faring any better. Whichever carrier you pick, you'll be an early adopter at best.
