Atlanta seems to be a growing hotbed of wireless and wireline technology. AT&T Mobility has been trialing “5G” wireless technology for the last year and Verizon Wireless is beginning their 5G trials next month. Plus, Atlanta is one of the few cities nationwide to offer gigabit speed internet technology from three players: AT&T GigaPower, Google Fiber and Comcast.
5G is one of the next, big and exciting growth areas. It is starting to be tested and trialed in certain cities before it rolls out over the next few years. So, since I live in the metro Atlanta area, I will be able to watch this testing and write about it.
Atlanta, Austin are rapidly growing tech hubs
Years ago, Silicon Valley used to be the only tech hub, but over the year’s other tech hubs have started to pop up around the country. We saw the Seattle area grow into an important hub for Microsoft and other technology companies.
Atlanta has been growing and changing. When I moved here in the early 1980s, it was a smaller and quieter place, but has been rapidly growing ever since. In the mid 1980s, before the big tech explosion, the Atlanta population was about 1.5 million people. Today it’s about 6.5 million people and still rapidly growing. In fact, if you look at the entire metro Atlanta region, I hear it may be much larger.
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Comcast, Kore Wireless in Atlanta
Atlanta is a major headquarters or major corporate market for a number of companies. AT&T Mobility has its headquarters in Atlanta. Verizon Wireless, Sprint and Kore Wireless have a major, southern presence as well. Even though they are not a wireless company, Comcast has a major office in Atlanta, and is playing a role in the new Atlanta Braves Suntrust Park baseball stadium set to open in the next few weeks.
That means there are plenty of wireless jobs and workers. Add to that the countless other technology companies and you can see there are countless job opportunities in this town.
University education specializing in technology is abundant and attracts students from all over the country and the world. Kennesaw State University has an AT&T sponsored executive management program that I have spoken at many times.
Tech hubs see rapid growth curve for wireless and technology
As far as Atlanta and other tech hubs have come during the last few decades, I believe we are still only in the very early stages of a rapid growth curve. That’s the exciting part of this story. Yesterday, there were only one or two tech hubs worth talking about. Today, there are so many more.
That means you can choose the part of the country and the city you want to live in. Entrepreneurial and corporate opportunities, large and small, are rapidly growing. There are always parts of the country where continual growth is a part of the story. This will continue and I expect to see other areas in the United States to try and become the next, big tech hub.
Bottom line, with all the ups and downs in the general economy, certain segments seem to have an almost bullet-proof aura around them. Wireless is one of those segments. And with 5G coming on strong, that will only continue.
