For this vignette of a recent episode of the Futurum Tech Webcast, Part of the 5G Factor series, analysts Shelly Kramer and Ron Westfall deliberate on why the AT&T partnership with the University of Tennessee is important to advancing mmWave technology development.  

Their discussion covered:

• AT&T is installing a 5G test bed using mmWave spectrum at the University of Tennessee as Knoxville, complementing ongoing partnerships with Texas A&M, University of Missouri, and University of Connecticut, that demonstrate mmWave capabilities for emerging applications.
• How the partnership aligns with ongoing mmWave portfolio development work by key mobile players such as Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia, Rakuten, and Samsung. 
• The partnership’s role in enabling college personnel and students to experiment and validate mmWave capabilities across applications like ML. AR/VR, biometric data, distributed workforce, and rural environments.
• How mmWave is integral to existing operator use cases and 5G monetization objectives such as 5G fixed wireless access, smart home bundles, and smart facilities.

Shelly and Ron view mmWave technology as ready for prime time 5G services, due to innovations like beamforming, and that the technology will play an integral role in the deployment of 5G capabilities across dense urban, FWA rural outreach, smart facilities, and AR/VR environments.