Huawei DROPPED from Vodafone’s 5G line-up as network unveils pricey new contracts and phones
VODAFONE has revealed which phones will be available on its 5G network but has notably left Huawei devices off of the list.
The company will launch 5G in seven UK cities in July but has had to stop pre-orders for a Huawei device that was supposed to be available because the company is dealing with the aftermath of President Trump banning US companies from working with it.
Vodafone had previously said that the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G would be part of the 5G phone line up that it was offering to customers.
However, it has had to suspend the release of these devices after Google cut off Huawei's Android license earlier this week because of the US China trade war.
A Vodafone spokesperson told The Sun: "We are pausing pre-orders for the Huawei Mate 20X (5G) in the UK.
"This is a temporary measure while uncertainty exists regarding new Huawei 5G devices. We will keep this situation under review."
Brief Timeline of the Huawei scandal
Here's what you need to know...
- In October 2012 a US congressional panel warned that Huawei and rival ZTE posed a security threat after an investigation but Huawei denied this
- In July 2018 a UK government report found that there was "only limited assurance" that Huawei wasn't a security threat
- On the August 23 Australia said Huawei and rival firm ZTE would be excluded from its next generation 5G network because of security fears
- On December 24 2018 BT confirmed that Huawei equipment was being removed from the heart of a communication system designed for the UK's emergency services
- On February 24 2019 the US formally charged Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou with fraud
- In March this year Huawei put full-page adverts in the Wall Street Journal telling Americans: "Don't believe everything you hear" and Meng's extradition back to China began
- On March 7 Huawei sued the US government for banning federal agencies using its products
- On May 1 Gavin Williamson was sacked as the UK Defence Secretary and accused of leaking top-secret information on the potential involvement of Chinese firm Huawei in the development of the UK’s 5G network
- Later in the month US President Donald Trump blacklisted Huawei and US tech giant Google suspended Huawei’s access to updates of its Android operating system
- Huawei is now speeding up the process of designing its own operating system
- On May 22 EE dropped Huawei from its 5G smartphone line-up because ‘lifetime support’ can’t be guaranteed on its phones
- A few days later Vodafone did the same
Other phones that will be on offer on the Vodafone 5G network are the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, with contracts starting at £50 per month and £58 per month respectively.
Both are also available with Vodafone Red Entertainment plans, which let you choose between Spotify Premium, Sky Sports Mobile TV, NOW TV Entertainment Pass or Amazon Prime Video subscriptions to have for the duration of your phone contraction.
The plans also include Vodafone Global Roaming Plus, enabling contracts to stay the same in 77 destinations with no extra charge.
Rival mobile network EE will also be dropping Huawei from its 5G phone lineup.
The first seven cities that will receive the Vodafone 5G are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, and London.
More cities will get 5G later this year including Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington and Wolverhampton.
What is 5G?
The next-generation mobile tech is almost ready to upgrade your smartphone...
- There is no official definition of 5G but it is thought to be similar to its predecessors, 3G and 4G.
- It will be a wireless connection built specifically to give devices – like your mobile phone or tablet – a faster and more reliable internet connection.
- The “G” in 5G stands for “generation” – that’s why it is known as “next-generation technology”.
- Companies such as BT, Vodafone and Nokia have also given the development of 5G their support.
- The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) alliance states that for something to be considered 5G it must offer faster data rates.
- NGMN is hoping for speeds of 20Gbps and one millisecond latency.
- This would provide download speeds which are 40 times faster than 4G.
- NGMN believes 5G would provide an era of being able to download files in the blink of an eye - vital to the success of smart homes and self-driving cars.
- Tests conducted by 5G modem-maker Qualcomm, on the other hand, showed speeds eight times faster than 4G.
- Qualcomm's trials showed an improvement in browsing download speeds from a 4G average of 56 megabits-per-second, to more than 490 megabits-per-second for 5G.
In other news, EE has just announced a start date for its 5G network in the UK but also hasn't listed any Huawei phones as being compatible with it.
A report has warned that Huawei could switch off our household appliances if it builds 5G network in the UK.
And, Apple’s ultra-fast 5G ‘iPhone 12’ might be released in 2020 after all.
Are you excited for 5G? Let us know in the comments...
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