AT&T adds Charlotte, Raleigh and Oklahoma City to mobile 5G service plan

Ashley Wong | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption AT&T’s 5G network Is coming to 3 U.S. cities There’s just one small problem.

Lightning-fast 5G service may soon be within your reach.

As part of its plan to bring speedy mobile 5G service to a dozen cities this year, AT&T announced Friday the names of three of those locations, Charlotte, Raleigh and Oklahoma City. The trio joins the previously announced cities that AT&T says will have access to its 5G network in 2018,Dallas, Atlanta and Waco.

In a statement, AT&T said that the company is deliberately targeting a mix of mid-size and large cities, stating that all Americans should be able to use better connectivity "to avoid a new digital divide."

"5G will be more than just a better network," AT&T technology and operations president Melissa Arnoldi said. "We believe 5G will ultimately create a world of new economic opportunity, greater mobility, and smarter connectivity for individuals, businesses and society as a whole.”

5G service is seen as the necessary step to power a new class of technology such as self-driving cars and streaming virtual reality as well as faster smartphones. AT&T has been competing with rival Verizon Wireless to bring the next generation service to consumers. Verizon is launching its own limited 5G mobile rollout this year.

T-Mobile is planning to build out 5G in 30 cities next year. The company it hopes to merge with, Sprint, is also eyeing a 2018 5G launch.

Initial 5G installments will be rolled out through "fixed wireless" service, which is essentially a broadband alternative. Most 5G capable phones are expected to come next year, though some handsets could show up before the end of 2018.

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