US operator AT&T teamed with the University of Missouri to launch a 5G laboratory on its campus, targeting development of use cases including remote surgery and telemedicine, along with AR/VR technologies.

The move expands on an earlier partnership which resulted in a dedicated course on connectivity and 5G being taught, with students developing use cases covering healthcare and campus security.

AT&T VP and GM Alyson Woodard stated the lab aimed to tap innovations from “across different disciplines” to create real-world solutions. She explained the University of Missouri is one of only six in the US offering courses on human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, arts and science, law, and nuclear research in the same site.

Bimal Balakrishnan, associate professor of Architectural Studies at the university, said the facility will enable a swift transition of ideas “from experimentation to implementation”.

Verizon and T-Mobile US are among rival operators which have recently stepped-up efforts to develop 5G use cases.

In December 2020, AT&T opened an R&D lab at Purdue University to research services spanning manufacturing, agriculture, smart cities, rural broadband and IoT.

The operator also runs a 5G content creation lab in New York City.