The UK will finally get 5G, with Vodafone becoming the first carrier to offer the service to its customers. The company says its 5G networks will become available as early as July 3, with 5G roaming rolling out later in the summer. And, importantly, the cost of services will not exceed that for 4G coverage.
Of course, there are several caveats. For starters, the network will be available in just seven cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and of course London. As the saying goes , they will be among the first cities in the world to receive 5G networks. This is true: at present, 5G coverage in the world is very, very limited.
In addition, although the cost of the service will match the price of 4G, Vodafone customers who want to take advantage of next-generation cellular networks will have to purchase an appropriate smartphone - 5G-enabled options are currently few, and all these are expensive flagship solutions. However, for sure the operator will offer some discounts and bonuses to new customers. According to the company, for the first time, Vodafone users will be able to choose from four 5G-enabled smartphones (Xiaomi Mi MIX 3, Samsung S10, Huawei Mate 20 X and Huawei Mate X) and one Gigacube 5G home hotspot.
By the way, the largest British 4G operator represented by EE has been actively talking about its plans in the field of 5G, and Vodafone was recently recognized as the worst network in the UK (the company has held this dubious leadership for the eighth year in a row). In this regard, it is rather surprising that Vodafone will be the first to deploy 5G in the United Kingdom. However, EE still has time to spoil the competitor's plans, or at least not be far behind.
Source: 3dnews.ru