AT&T and UTK Collaborate on the Future of 5G Wireless Broadband

Earlier this year, AT&T and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, launched a new AT&T 5G Lab at the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm.

Under the leadership of the Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development with the Tickle College of Engineering, researchers will work on projects examining potential applications of a 5G+ millimeter wave spectrum network. And undergirding each project is the question of how the most advanced wireless technology can deliver life-changing positive benefits for consumers.

UTK is one of only six universities with an AT&T collaboration such as this and the only one in this region.

“Our communities gain major benefits when our faculty and students tackle real-world issues brought by companies who also live and work in those same communities,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman. “That’s what is happening today between UT and AT&T — we are committed to making life and lives better.”

AT&T has a long history of working with the University on projects that explore how to capitalize on emerging advanced technologies.

As far back as 25 years ago, when ISDN was considered an advanced technology, we worked with the University of Tennessee system to develop and utilize some of the first Video Distance Learning classrooms. Now, remote learning occurs every day in Tennessee and across the country.

We also worked with UT Knoxville, ORNL, and Technology 2020 to deploy a fiber-based ATM network, which allowed large files to be shared over a private network. Once again, it is a common occurrence today.

So, we are excited to again be collaborating with the Volunteers and are looking forward to what innovations will come from this new 5G Lab. Much like 4G introduced the world to the gig economy, we believe 5G will jumpstart the next wave of innovation.

“Our faculty and students are really excited to use this state-of-the-art 5G testbed to develop innovations with such far-reaching implications, including in precision agriculture, health care, and transportation,” said UTK Vice Chancellor for Research Deborah Crawford. “We create high-impact solutions when we collaborate with organizations like AT&T.”

5G, for “fifth generation” wireless technology, enables you to send and receive large quantities of data more quickly with less lag time, also called “latency.” This is critical for applications where real-time data processing is vital. 

The term, edge computing, is popping up in IT discussions lately. Basically, edge computing is keeping data resources closer to the user to increase speed and response time when large amounts of data are being transmitted. At the 5G Lab, in addition to the 5G speeds, UTK will be testing AT&T’s Multi-access Edge Computing service to do exactly this, “keep local traffic local”, to send data with less lag time, or “latency.”

The implications of 5G connectivity echo far beyond online gaming. The combination of lower latency, massive connectivity and faster speeds will create opportunities to transform retail, make autonomous vehicles a reality, make it possible to build smarter and safer factories and revolutionize healthcare.

We believe 5G will eventually reshape entire industries with exciting technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning.

And some of the creative work which will make the vision of a connected future come true will be done at the new 5G lab. It is exciting to think that some of the innovations which will impact lives throughout Tennessee and this world may begin as a “what if” conversation right here in Knoxville. 

For more about what we’re doing to help connect Tennesseans to greater possibilities, visit us online here.

Alan Hill is Regional Director of External Affairs for AT&T-Tennessee.