AT&T detailed plans for a new edge computing test zone in Silicon Valley where it aims to enable developers to trial next generation use cases including connected cars and VR.

At launch in early 2018, AT&T said the test zone will cover an area of several miles and use a 4G LTE connection alongside cloud computing. However, the operator plans to upgrade to a 5G connection once the final standards are set and equipment becomes available, which AT&T said could happen as soon as the end of 2018.

AT&T said it doesn’t yet have specific projects in mind, but it wants to encourage developers and other stakeholders to “rapidly test and innovate with us” and explore business plans for new services. The operator said potential projects may include tests of augmented and virtual reality, autonomous cars and drones.

“Our goal in this experiment is to find the right architecture, the right services and the right business value in this ecosystem,” Igal Elbaz, head of the AT&T Foundry, said in a statement: “It’s all about moving quickly and collaborating closely with third-party innovators and developers.”

Network evolution
AT&T billed edge computing as a natural next step in network evolution which will help to deliver high-performance applications on mobile without destroying battery life.

Rather than sending signals hundreds, or thousands, of miles to a data centre, AT&T indicated it will install graphics processors and other computers in its cell towers and small cells to bring compute and processing power closer to users. This, along with 5G, will enable near real-time connections which drastically reduce latency and improve performance of applications like VR.

The new systems at the edge will be coordinated and managed by AT&T’s new software defined network. The operator already virtualised more than 40 per cent of its network and is aiming to hit 55 per cent by the end of this year.

“We don’t think you can claim to be preparing for 5G and EC if you’re not investing in SDN,” AT&T wrote in a July press release.

In addition to the test bed, AT&T Labs is working to develop a “large-scale, low-cost and zero-touch edge computing platform that leverages open source edge stack,” the operator said.

AT&T in July detailed plans to roll out edge computing over the coming years, starting in dense urban areas and expanding outward over time.