AT&T Unveils “Sound of Silence” Ad to Tout 5G Football Helmet Partnership

AT&T has unveiled its “Sound of Silence” advertisement for the first-ever inclusive 5G helmet for Deaf and hard-of-hearing football players.

The football helmet was built in collaboration with AT&T and Gallaudet University, which is a global leader in bilingual education for the deaf community.

The new ad, which features the song “Sound of Silence” playing in the background, offers a glimpse at how the helmet enhances on-field communication for student-athletes who use American Sign Language. The technology works by showing a coach’s play in the athlete’s helmet through augmented reality on the digital display located within the visor.

“Last Saturday, Gallaudet Football and AT&T made history with the first-ever 5G connected helmet. The output of this collaboration is the epitome of how Connecting Changes Everything,” said Kellyn Kenny, chief marketing and growth officer at AT&T. “Every detail of ‘Sound of Silence’ gives you a glimpse into the lives of these coaches and players, and how connectivity has forever changed the game.”

The helmet was used for the first time in the NCAA Division III competition during Gallaudet’s game against Hilbert College on Oct. 7.

“We work out the same way as every other college football program, we practice the same way, we compete the same way,” Chuck Goldstein, head football coach at Gallaudet University, said in a previous statement. “The difference between coaching a hearing team compared to a Deaf team is first the communication. The AT&T 5G-connected helmet will change football.”

Watch the ad below before it officially debuts on ESPN Saturday.