AT&T has secured big-name support for its bid to accelerate the process of getting first 3GPP 5G standards finalized, and looks in a better position to be able to deploy before year end, and to outwit Verizon and its semi-proprietary platform. The later months of 2016 saw the two leading US operators grabbing the 5G limelight from the east Asian frontrunners, promising to trial 5G prototypes this year and deploy commercial systems at a very early stage. However, Verizon and AT&T – while both focusing heavily on fixed wireless in high frequency spectrum for their initial trials – have one deep difference of approach. Verizon has worked with a group of large vendors and chip suppliers to create its own…