Look, we all know the state of 5G here in the US. The latest testing proves that it's not great. AT&T's 5G may be suspect in its home country, but now it's announcing a new roaming agreement that gives customers traveling abroad access to 5G in Japan.
Through a deal with Japan's leading mobile operator, NTT DOCOMO, AT&T customers with plans that allow access to 5G here in the States will also be able to use 5G on roam-capable devices while traveling in Japan. According to AT&T, the first device that works with 5G roaming will launch on its network this week.
This is the first time a US-based cellular company has offered 5G roaming in Japan, but I'm guessing it won't be the last. Japan and the US are different in many ways, and that's very true when it comes to how much sheer land their mobile networks need to cover. AT&T's roaming through DOCOMO covers all prefectures in the country and is expected to be available in over 500 cities by next March. Here in the US, it's still hard to find 5G in many states. And AT&T? Its current 5G performance in real-world testing is somehow slower than its 4G speeds.