AT&T and JBG SMITH have entered into a letter of intent with the aim of delivering a 5G smart city, at scale, at National Landing.
The first network infrastructure deployments are planned for the first half of 2022 and will expand with development of the community.
National Landing is an area in Northern Virginia encompassing parts of the Crystal City and Pentagon City neighborhoods of Arlington County and the Potomac Yard neighborhood in the city of Alexandria.
AT&T and JBG SMITH, an owner and developer of mixed-use properties in the Washington, DC market, said they plan to work together to deliver one of the most robust network infrastructure deployments in any urban environment.
The two partners noted that 5G technology, with local area compute edges, could make National Landing a prototype for smart cities of the future and create a unified consumer experience across asset types. The area could also enhance offerings in mobility and self-driving vehicles, immersive retail and entertainment, and building automation and environmental sustainability.
JBG SMITH’s National Landing portfolio spans 6.8 million square feet of existing office space and 2,856 residential units, 808 units currently under construction plus 7.2 million square feet of additional commercial, multi-family and retail development opportunities in the district.
Under the initiative, a combination of mmWave and sub6 5G spectrum will be enabled by an interconnected series of building side-mounts, street furniture, and underground network infrastructure.
U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) said: “I am thrilled to see this collaboration of leading private sector organizations to promote 5G deployment. American competitiveness in the deployment of 5G networks – and innovation in the emerging technologies 5G unlocks – remain key to our national and economic security interest. This collaboration can be a blueprint for how digital infrastructure is deployed, and I am heartened by the prospects of the innovation this may unlock to advance our country’s competitiveness globally.”
“The development of 5G, AI, cloud and edge technologies is helping usher in the next level of how technology can improve lives,” said Mo Katibeh, who leads AT&T’s network infrastructure and build team. “Together with JBG SMITH, we intend to build a true smart city from the ground up that will allow future innovators to use AT&T’s network to unlock new capabilities through city-wide edge solutions that can serve specific business locations and everyday users at home or on the go. This includes enabling immersive virtual and augmented reality and the massive IoT connections that will become a hallmark of National Landing as the most connected city in the country.”
