5G network UK launch

Three has claimed that its 5G network puts its technology ahead of its rivals. This will be the third UK mobile network provider to introduce its 5G network when it is released in August 2019. EE has launched their network in May and Vodafone has a launch date for July.

Ultimately, consumers and businesses want more data. 5G is the fifth generation of mobile internet connectivity. Faster download and upload speeds, more stable connections and wider coverage is promised. Radio spectrum is supposed to be improved enabling more devices to access the mobile internet simultaneously.

What about fixed line?

I have written loads of blogs about fibre optic and copper wire fixed line broadband. It is unlikely these will be given up. Also, wireless connectivity may be good but physical wires will still provide people with certainty

All you need to know about Three’s 5G network

• Three is aspiring to have 5G sites in 25 towns and cities up and down the UK before the end of 2019.
• The investment reached £2 billion
• This includes the cloud core network built by Nokia and reframing 3G network
• The target is 80% of network traffic running over 5G by 2022
• Three believes its customers will be using 13 times more data by 2025
• Three customers already use more mobile data on average than any other UK network
• Like EE, Three will not be stocking Huawei 5G handsets at their launch in August.

Areas which will begin to roll out 5G network this year:

• Birmingham,
• Bolton,
• Bradford,
• Brighton,
• Bristol,
• Cardiff,
• Coventry,
• Derby,
• Edinburgh,
• Glasgow,
• Hull,
• Leeds,
• Leicester,
• Liverpool,
• Manchester,
• Middlesbrough,
• Milton Keynes,
• Nottingham,
• Reading,
• Rotherham,
• Sheffield,
• Slough,
• Sunderland
• Wolverhampton

My first thought was how different this could really be from 4G. However, it is a brand-new radio technology, but the speed will depend on which spectrum band the operator runs the 5G network technology on.

Overall

The world is going mobile and consumers are using more data every year. Streaming is hugely popular, and breakdowns are not. With people owning more than one device as well, 5G network will be more effective at handling thousands of devices simultaneously.