In the last three months of 2018, Vodafone carried out a 5G trial in seven of the UK’s major cities. The firm has announced today that its 5G network will launch properly this year in a total of 19 towns and cities, including those involved with the trial. Last April, Vodafone did well in bidding in Ofcom’s spectrum auction which left it in a strong position to bring 5G to customers.
The cities and towns that will be included in the launch are (* marks today's newly announced locations):
- Birkenhead*
- Birmingham
- Blackpool*
- Bournemouth*
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Glasgow
- Guildford*
- Liverpool
- London
- Manchester
- Portsmouth*
- Plymouth*
- Reading*
- Southampton*
- Stoke-on-Trent*
- Warrington*
- Wolverhampton*
Discussing the announcement, Vodafone UK Chief Technology Officer Executive, Scott Petty, said:
“Our multi-billion-pound network investment and leading position in setting global standards will ensure our customers have the very latest 5G releases and technology. 5G will also usher in a new era where everyone and everything is better connected, whether you are running a hotel in Portsmouth or broadcasting live at MediaCity in Salford.”
Users connecting to the 5G network will get data via mobile sites that are connected to Vodafone RedStream, a fibre optic network that provides speeds of up to 10 Gbps. Additionally, Vodafone has invested in Active Antenna, a technology that makes 4G sites 5G ready, allowing for multiple-data channels over a single antenna.
No specific launch date was given by Vodafone but it will be going toe-to-toe with similar launches by EE and the O2 network.
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