AT&T believes “5G will reshape the fabric of society,” but “because of the hype around it, it’s clear that a lot of people expected one big shift overnight,” Mo Katibeh, chief product and platform officer at AT&T Business, tells SDxCentral.

Patience is a rare virtue in technology, but that’s exactly what AT&T and other 5G proprietors are calling for. “In reality, these breakthroughs build over months and years,” Katibeh wrote in response to questions.

5G reached broad availability by the end of 2020, and 2021 will mark a period of innovation upon that technology, according to Katibeh. “We’re cultivating the 5G ecosystem, and I fully expect that we’re going to see more and more wow moments throughout the year.”

Plenty of work remains undone and much will have to occur before 5G can consistently and unequivocally outperform 4G LTE networks at large. 5G performance is unequal, and so bad in some cases that users are disabling 5G.

The development of 5G and the many layers it encompasses or promises to touch “will take time as we move from a 4G world to a 5G world at scale,” Katibeh said. “Much like 4G introduced the world to the gig economy, we believe mobile 5G will jumpstart the next wave of unforeseen innovation.”

Meanwhile, businesses have to trust the process and plan accordingly for these outcomes. “Companies need to realize that if they don’t adapt and innovate, the reality is that they may not survive,” Katibeh said, adding that AT&T is putting an extra effort into helping its business customers refine their plans for 5G based on their unique objectives. 

The accumulation of that approach also calls for enterprises to embrace and innovate on technologies that are related to or benefit from 5G, including edge computing, the cloud, and private cellular networks, he said. 

AT&T is also striving to make technology improve the efficacy of remote working, according to Katibeh. He referenced the operator’s reinvigorated alliance with IBM as an example of that effort. This includes the companies’ collaboration on a 5G and multi-access edge computing network at IBM’s lab in Yorktown Heights, New York, to develop new 5G capabilities for enterprises. 

Katibeh also addressed the personal challenges he and his colleagues have confronted during the ongoing global pandemic. The absence of in-person connections and collaboration with colleagues has impacted work at AT&T, he said.

“The sorts of connections those interactions can help build a stronger team and, by extension, a stronger work product,” he said. “Obviously, many aspects of work life are on hiatus in the interest of public health,” but he and his team have found creative ways to introduce new ideas and maintain workflow amid those challenges.

One of those ideas, “desk yoga,” was a weeks-long wellness plan “designed and guided by licensed professionals to enable employees to invigorate their bodies and minds from the safety of their remote work locations,” Katibeh said.

The company also instituted a “walk and talk” program that brought small groups together for virtual walks around their respective neighborhoods or living rooms to encourage more personal connections. Finally, he said, a “no meetings Fridays” challenge encouraged a limiting of formal meetings in favor of direct collaboration and independent work.

This created “a bit more of those random interactions that we’d have in the office,” Katibeh said. “It’s been a big success and we’re continuing it into 2021.”