AT&T to build 5G network pilot at Magic Leap campus

AT&T on Wednesday announced the launch of a 5G test-zone next year on the Magic Leap campus in Plantation.

5G is the fifth generation of wireless networks, billed as being up to 10 times faster than the fastest currentlyavailable wireless speed.

Having 5G connectivity at the Magic Leap campus “will give developers and creators the ability to test devices and applications where the work is being done,” according to a news release.

“New and immersive experiences from Magic Leap’s developers eventually riding on the AT&T mobile 5G network will redefine entertainment and productivity,” said John Donovan, CEO of AT&T Communications.

The announcement was made during Magic Leap’s first L.E.A.P. Conference in Los Angeles. AT&T previously was named the exclusive wireless distributor of Magic Leap’s first product, the Magic Leap One, in the United States. The wearable computer, designed for content creators such as developers and artists, was launched in August in six cities at a price of $2,295.

The invitation-only conference featured speakers including CEO Rony Abovitz and sci-fi author and Magic Leap chief futurist Neal Stephenson.

Magic Leap has become one of South Florida’s mostwatched technology companies after attracting more than $2 billion in investments from businesses including Google, Chinese ecommerce company Alibaba and, most recently, the Public Investment Fund, an investment arm of Saudi Arabia.

Among other announcements, AT&T said it plans to launch a DIRECTV NOW Beta to Magic Leap One in 2019, designed to “give you a new level of control in how and where you watch,” according to a company news release. It also is hosting a Spatial Computing Hackathon in San Francisco, along with Magic Leap. For more on the Nov. 9-11 event, go to Shape .att.com.