Welcome to the latest generation of mobile networking – 5G is here and earlier this week, Vodafone UK launched its 5G network to seven towns and cities with a further group of locations set to gain access to 5G by the end of the year.
Coined as having ‘the underpinning of the 4th industrial revolution’ by Paul Dennett, the City Mayor of Salford, 5G offers users faster download speeds, better service and a reduced likelihood of a signal drop. For businesses, in particular, the advantages are huge. From improving efficiency and reducing costs, to enabling real-time remote collaboration and allowing employees to better communicate on-the-go.
With an investment of over £2bn, Vodafone’s 5G network – which uses fibre cables to access data at a rate between 1GB – 10GB per second – is now accessible to customers with enabled devices, allowing users to access faster download speeds in more places in the UK than any other network. Vodafone has also become one of the first providers to offer 5G roaming in Spain, Germany and Italy, all in time for the summer.
Vodafone celebrated the launch of its 5G network through the world’s first demonstration of touch via haptic technology, which transmits the experience of touch through vibration, motion or force. With the help of two players from Wasps rugby team, Vodafone used its network to demonstrate how one player, dressed in a full body haptic suit for motion capture, was able to feel the impact of a rugby tackle from his teammate in real time.
Users on the network can choose from two 5G enabled smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 and the Samsung S10 5G to access razor-fast speeds, whilst other networks offer similar devices.
From an industry perspective, the race is on to enable 5G across the UK, with O2 due to launch its offering later this summer.
For more industry news and the latest movements and trends across mobile and telecommunications, keep an eye on our blog or follow us on LinkedIn.