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As one of the industry's first customer-centered labs, the AT&T Proof of Concept Labs has helped test and prove technologies across networking, mobility, 5G, edge, and more.
Key Takeaways:
- For 30 years, AT&T's Proof of Concept (PoC) Labs have provided enterprises with a real-world environment to evaluate emerging solutions, from early IP networking to edge computing.
- As AT&T marks 150 years since the first phone call, the labs are a testament to the company's commitment to customer-led innovation and success.
- The team of AT&T experts works with more than 500 customers each year across healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and more, helping them leverage connectivity solutions to lead their industries.
- Innovative companies like the Dallas Cowboys, DirtFish Rally School, iHeartMedia, and Sovato have used the labs to validate connectivity for large-scale events, remote broadcasts, resilient real-time audio delivery, and remote surgical applications.
AT&T Proof of Concept (PoC) Labs celebrates its 30th anniversary as the first-of-its-kind enabler of next-level networking technology and innovation. In a hands-on lab, customers and AT&T teams test and validate emerging technologies before they are deployed in the real world, helping ensure new services, experiences, and technologies work reliably at scale. Established in 1996, the program began as a practical way to help customers understand how new networking technologies would perform in their own environments. What started with a small lab spun off from AT&T Bell Laboratories grew into an important driver of customer satisfaction for AT&T Business, supporting more than 500 enterprise businesses each year across a variety of industries.
"We start with the customer first. For three decades, the AT&T PoC Labs have been a critical vehicle for helping customers move from possibility to execution," said Zee Hussain, SVP, Global Enterprise Solutions, AT&T Business. "As one of the industry's first customer-focused innovation labs, this program is a proof point for AT&T's role as the right collaborator who understands and solves connectivity needs. The customer leads the way, and we work alongside them to test what's possible and connect them to greater possibility."
From early networking to business-grade innovation
As businesses began moving from legacy networking technologies to more flexible Internet Protocol (IP)-based environments, the original vision was simple: bring customers, AT&T experts, and emerging technologies together to validate solutions and make decisions faster. Over time, the labs evolved into a proving ground where customers could see new technology in action, test their own applications, assess network designs, and reduce risk before deploying at scale.
Key milestones that helped shape business connectivity as we know it:
- 1990s: IP Networking – Businesses needed more flexible networks as they expanded beyond headquarters and adopted email, client-server applications, and early internet-based tools. AT&T experts helped companies move from legacy networking to IP-based applications through technologies like IP-enabled Frame Relay, laying the foundation for modern business operations.
- 2000s: Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and Global Enterprise Connectivity – Increasingly distributed organizations required secure, reliable connectivity across locations. Testing supported the adoption of MPLS-based architectures, establishing the foundation for modern wide-area networks (WANs), global collaboration, and real-time business operations.
- 2010s: Cloud Adoption – The shift of applications and workloads to cloud environments increased the need for better network performance and greater control over traffic between corporate networks and cloud platforms. The team helped enterprises integrate cloud connectivity and software-defined networking into existing environments through solutions like AT&T NetBond®, helping accelerate cloud adoption.
- Today: Converged Connectivity, Secure Edge, Private Cellular, and 5G – Edge computing, industrial automation, AI workloads, and connected devices require secure, resilient connectivity wherever work happens. In the labs, customers can test live applications and a variety of configurations that bring together fiber, 5G, satellite, security, and edge technologies as part of AT&T's converged network strategy. The testing environment also evaluates capabilities such as private cellular, network-integrated security, edge computing, and 5G-enabled solutions, helping customers determine how they can support use cases for manufacturing, remote operations, large events, and other emerging applications.
Today, the AT&T PoC Labs have locations in Dallas; Alpharetta, Ga.; Chantilly, Va.; Chicago; and Middletown, N.J. Testing happens in the labs, at customer sites, and in the field using portable Proof of Concept Kits that support use cases such as Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) with 5G and low Earth orbit satellite (LEO), as well as private 5G with endpoint devices.
Customer innovation across industries
The clearest measure of the labs' impact is the innovation customers have been able to achieve, turning ideas into possibility. Across industries, the team has helped customers translate complex connectivity challenges into practical breakthroughs, from cashless vending and enhanced fan experiences to new possibilities for remote surgery.
- DirtFish Rally School faced a connectivity challenge when broadcasting a live summit from the foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains, where cellular and Wi-Fi coverage was unavailable. The AT&T PoC Labs and Global Video Solutions (GVS) team deployed a Proof of Concept Kit with a portable private wireless network from a carry-on-size suitcase, replacing equipment that once required a 50-foot bus. The solution supported live in-car footage and new camera angles, creating a more dynamic viewing experience for fans.
"While the technology inside our cars is cutting edge, our ability to share the sport hasn't kept pace," said Brenten Kelly, managing director at DirtFish Rally School. "Rally happens in some of the most remote places in the country, often without cellular service. If we couldn'T document it, we couldn'T share the sport beyond the people standing at the side of the road with us. The PoC Labs and GVS helped us prove that we could bring those experiences to a much larger audience and showed us what was possible for the future of rally racing."
- Dallas Cowboys needed reliable connectivity for event operations as fan experiences expanded beyond the stadium into surrounding areas where traditional Wi-Fi may not reach. AT&T Business Wireless and lab experts helped test a network slicing solution over AT&T's public 5G network, creating a prioritized lane for critical operations and helping inform future deployments across large, sports-anchored districts.
- iHeartMedia reaches nine out of 10 Americans through its broadcast radio assets, and even more through its iHeartRadio streaming service, podcasts, and other platforms. To support resilient, real-time audio delivery nationwide, the company worked with the labs to compare leading SD-WAN platforms under identical conditions. The testing validated performance against iHeartMedia's resiliency and operational needs, giving the company confidence to make a data-driven technology decision.
- Sovato, the world's first robot-agnostic platform for remote procedure programs, depends on highly secure, reliable, and high-performance connectivity to provide its solution that enables remote surgery and procedure programs. The company worked with the PoC Labs to evaluate AT&T Virtual Private Network (VPN), AT&T Dedicated Internet, and AT&T satellite connectivity in real-world environments. The testing confirmed that the network could consistently meet stringent performance requirements for procedural and surgical applications, unlocking new possibilities for patient care, operational efficiency, and clinical excellence.
Built for what comes next
As AT&T continues to celebrate 150 years of connecting Americans since the first telephone call, the AT&T PoC Labs carries that legacy forward. In the era of AI, this work ensures customers are prepared for the consistent low latency needed for AI and automated technologies like autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) and robotics. The labs helped test and validate AT&T Private Cellular Anywhere, a 5G solution designed to support real work across sites, hard‑to‑reach environments, and mobile teams with the control and performance modern operations require. The team also helps enterprise customers build AI-ready networks by evaluating how AI traffic patterns may affect network design and future capacity needs, helping customers prepare for an increasingly connected future.
From private cellular to AI and what comes next, the labs connect innovation with measurable business outcomes and help enterprises prepare for the future of connectivity. By helping customers test and validate advanced connectivity, the AT&T PoC Labs enables new services, experiences and technologies to work reliably while helping organizations move forward with confidence.
Learn more about the AT&T PoC Labs and how to connect with the team: https://www.business.att.com/business-solutions/proof-of-concept-labs
About AT&T
We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 150 years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.
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