Talking 5G with AT&T’s Amy Kramer

In a new recurring feature, First Read Tech will be talking to leaders in government and technology about the intersection of the two fields and how New York can lead through innovation. Today’s interview is with Amy Kramer, president at AT&T New York.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

AT&T just expanded its lower-band 5G service to New York City. What does that mean for New Yorkers?

New York is one of 19 markets where AT&T 5G is now live for consumers. They will be able to take advantage of this technology using the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ with 5G. We’re so glad that New York is added to a list of other markets to receive this expansion of 5G. We have more work to do in New York City and we’re looking forward to continued leadership, working with the New York City mayor’s office and his agencies to continue to make this a priority to bring the very best network to New Yorkers. 

What kinds of experiences does 5G offer to consumers?

It’s going to be lower latency, and that’s just the time from when you hit the enter key until you get a response. Obviously, that’s really important for things like self-driving cars. And then just the ability for massive connectivity: You’ve got more and more devices connected to the internet. You can go from hundreds to literally thousands of things connected in every square meter of New York City. It’s going to be faster, it’s going to make everything faster, and this ecosystem will keep improving as we continue to upgrade the technology.

The kind of 5G available now in New York is mostly the lower-band variety. What’s your role in working with the city to help facilitate and build out even faster, higher-band 5G networks?

We are working very closely with New York City and we really need their continued leadership to make this happen. New York City is lagging behind other cities, but we are working closely with city leadership, with DoITT, with the mayor’s office. 

Look, New York City is the business capital of the world. It’s the emerging tech capital of the world and it needs a wireless network to match it. We have made it clear that we feel New York City is falling behind in the global race to 5G. But we’re confident that with some leadership from the city and continued dialogue, we can get New York City where it needs to be.

For the rest of today's tech news, head over to First Read Tech.