When two of the nation's largest carriers go live with their next-gen networks later this year, phones and tablets won't be available. It looks like Verizon and AT&T are preparing mobile hotspots for 5G instead.
Verizon confirmed its decision to Bloomberg. At MWC 2018 in Barcelona, Verizon's Ronan Dunne said phones and tablets should arrive beginning in the first half of 2019. In the meantime, the carrier plans on adding mobile hotspots in 2018.
Last month, AT&T hinted at the idea during its earnings call. Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief executive officer, said adoption of 5G would likely be slow simply due to the absence of compatible hardware. With that said, AT&T can easily get mobile hotspots into its lineup for whenever its 5G network launches.
The other two major U.S. carriers, T-Mobile and Sprint, have yet to announce anything regarding 5G-ready mobile hotspots. Both, however, are also in the process of building their own 5G networks with a full launch set for next year.
It's up to hardware manufacturers to get compatible mobile devices onto the market. Companies like Qualcomm and Intel are already helping to make that a reality, and throughout 2019 we should see adoption increase much like 4G LTE did way back at the time of its launch.

Disguise your little one with the help of a themed costume
From avocado halves to hoppy bunnies, costumes speak to every child's unique spirit. And we've collected our favorite options.

Add magic to your living space with these string lights
String lights add personality and soft light to your living space. Here are some of the best.

The Galaxy S20 Ultra's Space Zoom camera is amazing and a bit creepy
The Galaxy S20 Ultra supports up to 100X zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom, but is it any good? Can a phone really product usable photos at 100x zoom? We've got our Galaxy S20 Ultra already so join us to find out!

Solve all of your problems, add the perfect calculator to your life
With the right calculator, everything adds up! Whether you need a basic model or one with more advanced functions, there is a calculator that will meet your functional requirements.