Vodafone switches on 5G network giving Brits ‘fastest mobile speeds ever’
VODAFONE has just turned on its UK 5G network, providing its customers with what it describes as the "fastest mobile speeds ever".
The network has been turned on in seven cities and more areas will be connected to it later in the year.
The seven cities that now have Vodafone 5G are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, and London.
More towns and cities will get 5G later this year including Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington and Wolverhampton.
Vodafone was the first UK operator to announce a 5G switch on date but was pipped to the post by EE, which turned its network on first.
Customers hoping to use the Vodafone 5G network will need to invest in a 5G compatible device first, although there aren't currently that many on the market.
Benefits of 5G include speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G and longer smartphone battery life.
According to Vodafone's own estimations, 5G will work at average speeds of 150-200Mbps, and peak speeds will reach 1Gbps.
This basically means you’ll be able to download a full HD film in around three minutes, which normally takes over 15 minutes on 4G.
At the London Sky Garden launch event Vodafone UK CEO Nick Jefferey said: "Vodafone UK is incredibly proud that we’re leading this 5G revolution.”
Lewis Hamilton was then welcomed on stage to press the button that turned on the network.
At the end of this month 5G roaming will be available in some European countries.
Vodafone has also stressed that its 5G could improve national services like the NHS and UK businesses.
The company says it will not be charging it’s customers a premium for 5G.
The prices of Vodafone’s unlimited 5G mobile plans start at £23.
It is also offering 5G broadband.
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, here's a round up of some of the best 5G phones you can buy in the UK today.
A report has warned that Huawei could switch off our household appliances if it builds a 5G network in the UK.
And, if your current internet connection is too slow, here's eight easy tricks give you a quick speed boost.
Are you going to invest in a 5G device or do you have one already? Let us know in the comments...
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.