So, what exactly is 5G?
5G is the successor to 4G, the current standard broadband connection. 5G is able to send more information faster and able to respond quickly to commands, at a rate we’ve never seen before. So, with 5G you’ll be able to do all the things you can with 3G and 4G, like browse the web on your phone or share documents across your devices. But, with 5G, there will be transformational opportunities too. Hyper-connectivity between machines, smart devices and people means we’ll start seeing intelligent new processes that have just not been possible (or conceivable) until now. In short, 5G is so much more than a step on from 4G. 5G is driving the digital revolution.
With a 5G phone in the UK, you get to enjoy incredible speeds that will revolutionise lives, especially mobile ones. No more slow internet, slow downloads and all the frustrations that come with a slow internet. 5G takes the online experience to another level and makes things a lot easier especially in times when internet use is paramount.
Why is 5G so fast?
When people hear about 5G, it’s mostly about how fast it is. It’s not surprising this tends to make the headlines; 5G is expected to be able to reach speeds in excess of 1Gb/s and capable to reduce latency from 20ms to 40ms on 4G to less than 10ms. And, in a few years, we could see speeds of 10Gb/s. That’s 10 times faster than 4G. Your average HD movie takes a day to download on 3G and around 10 minutes on 4G. With 5G, you could be watching your favourite film in as little as 5 seconds.
The speed of a wireless system like 5G depends on the amount of information that you can send over a unit of area, otherwise known as area-throughput. With 5G, advanced technology means information can be sent in a more efficient way and, by using higher frequencies, there is more available bandwidth for the information to be sent. These combined
But is it worth it?
Congested parts of the United Kingdom like Birmingham, London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast appreciate the fast speeds, which is at least double the current 4G. The speeds change with location but are still fast. Even when data is downloading at a constant rate, things happen much quicker.
5G also removes congestion effects. You can easily do what you want, when you want it, including streaming your favourite show on TV.
The United Kingdom was more prepared for the 5G than the previous 4G and 3G networks. Compelling handsets available today handle the 5G network with ease, unlike the first ones that crippled under addition of sophisticated systems.
Having both 4G and 5G internet is always confusing as you may not tell if you have internet or not as it swaps between the two. It is therefore hard to tell which is the fastest when trying to download music or a video.
You will experience some pains of early adoption. Besides the extra expense you will get your money’s worth. With Vodafone you can get 5G on all current tariffs and they have unlimited UK data tariffs from £25.00 per month. Please contact the Crystaline team for further information on 5G and unlimited data plans.
Will 5G replace Wi-Fi?
Overall, no – in fact, the two will probably co-exist for quite some time. You can expect to see 5G and Wi-Fi being used as a collaborative network that allows all devices to be connected all the time in a way that makes the most of the speed and low latency of 5G but also the reliability and robustness of Wi-Fi.
That said, we’re seeing some businesses starting to adopt private 5G networks. These networks connect only specified devices, and really suit manufacturing companies, just for example, where there are a large number of connected devices that need a network that can keep up. It also means really critical devices can be prioritised so that they stay operating even if the rest of the network is disrupted.
5G Coverage by network
Vodafone’s Coverage
Vodafone 5G is live in 54 towns and cities across the UK, with many more to come.
Ambleside, Bebington, Belfast, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bishopbriggs, Bolton, Bootle, Bournemouth, Bristol, Bristol Airport, Cardiff, Cheadle and Gatley, Cheltenham, Crosby, Droylsden, Dunbarton, Eccles, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guildford, Horwich, Huyton-with-Roby, Inner London, Isles of Scilly, Kingswood (Bristol), Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Llandudno, Manchester, Mangotsfield, Newbury, Oldbury/Smethwick, Paisley, Penarth, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Prestwich, Reading, Rochdale, Salford, Solihull, Southampton, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Stretford, Sutton Coldfield, Swansea, Swinton and Pendlebury, Urmston, Wallasey, Warrington, Wolverhampton.
Although international travel is far more limited due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic Vodafone also has the best roaming offering on 5G
Vodafone 5G awards:
Vodafone has also recently been voted as the best 5G network in London by a leading performance testing company called Umlaut.
Vodafone have invested thoroughly in there 5G network to ensure our customers have the fastest and most reliable experience – particularly for web browsing, file downloads and video streaming. And they are taking this 5G experience to more and more places across the UK every day.
Vodafone has also won ‘operator with the best 5G industry deployment’ at 5G Week Awards.
Vodafone’s winning entry featured its collaboration with Ford to build a 5G-powered ‘Factory of the Future’, but the judges also wanted to acknowledge Vodafone’s work with European airline, Lufthansa.
EE’s Coverage
EE 5G is live in 100 towns and cities across the UK:
London Edinburgh Birmingham Belfast Manchester Cardiff Bath Bristol Chelmsford Coventry Leicester Liverpool Glasgow Hull Leeds Lichfield Lisburn Newcastle Nottingham Plymouth Salford Sheffield Stirling Sunderland Wakefield Wolverhampton, Altrincham Ashford Ashton-under-Lyne Belshill Birkenhead Borehamwood Bransholme Brentwood Bury Castlereagh Chatham Cheshunt Chesterfield Chester-le-Street Chorley Clevedon Clifton (Notts) Clydebank Cumbernauld Dartford Dinnington Doncaster Dudley Epsom Grays Gillingham Guildford Ilkeston Hamilton Hoddesdon Harlow Huddersfield Inchinnan Jarrow Kimberley Kingston-upon-Thames Loughborough Loughton Maidstone Milnrow Minster Motherwell Newton-le-Willows Northampton North Shields Nuneaton Oldham Paisley Pontefract Potters Bar Rochdale Rochester Romford Rotherham Rugeley (West Midlands) Solihull Southend-on-Sea South Shields Staines-upon-Thames Stevenage Sutton Coldfield Swadlincote Sydenham Walsall Waltham Abbey Waltham Cross Walton-on-Thames Washington Watford West Bromwich Westhoughton Weston-Super-Mare Weybridge Wickford
EE 5G Awards
EE has been voted No 1 network by Rootmetrics.
O2’s Coverage
O2 5G is live in following 75 towns and cities:
Aberdeen, Ashford, Banstead, Basildon, Belfast, Birmingham, Blydon, Bradford, Bridge of Don, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Chatham, Chesterfield, Chipstead, Coventry, Dartford, Derby, Dewsbury, Dundee, Dyce, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Esher, Gateshead, Gillingham, Glasgow, Grays, Hemel Hempstead, Huddersfield, Hull, Jarrow, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Lowestoft, Luton, Manchester, Mansfield, Middlesbrough, Morley, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Newtownabbey, North Shields, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Orpington, Oxford, Peterborough, Plymouth, Rainham, Redhill, Rotherham, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Sheffield, Slough, South Shields, Staines, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunbury, Sunderland, Thundersley, Tynemouth, Warrington, Washington, Weybridge, Windsor, Worthing and York.
Three’s Coverage
3 currently offers 5G coverage in 68 locations, including large parts of London:
Aberdeen, Abingdon-on-Thames, Aldershot, Balloch, Barrow-in-Furness, Basildon, Bath, Bedford, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Blackpool, Borehamwood, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Brookmans Park, Cannock, Cardiff, Chatham, Clayton-le-Woods, Coventry, Crawley, Cullingworth, Derby, Doncaster, Dundee, Glasgow, Gorebridge, Grimsby, Guildford, Heanor, Hedge End, Hemel Hempstead, Huddersfield, Inchinnan, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Leyland, Liverpool, London, Lower Stondon, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Motherwell, Neston, Newquay, Nottingham, Nuneaton, Peterborough, Plymouth, Preston, Reading, Redcar, Royston, Sheffield, Shelly Green, Slough, St Albans, Stevenage, Sunderland, Swadlincote, Swansea, Swindon, Westhoughton, Wickford, Wigan
IoT
How will 5G affect the Internet of Things (IoT)?
IoT is really gathering momentum and showing what it can do for businesses of all sizes. 5G will accelerate this movement since it means IoT applications have the wherewithal to collect massive amounts of data using a really efficient, responsive, high-speed network. This is where things like data collection and real-time analytics will come into their own. With 5G, IoT can really flex its muscle.
IoT explained
The Internet of Things (IoT) incorporate everything that’s connected to the internet, it is the concept of enabling devices and gadgets around the home, or within the workplace to talk to one another. Smart devices, AI and robots all contribute to IoT systems. IoT has revolutionised the way we connect to the internet, allowing an always-on connection.
From bike locks and trackers to SIM cards in Gardening machinery; IoT is not only changing the way we live, but it’s changing the way we work. Imagine driving to work and your phone is able to detect where you are in your journey and turns on your heating before you arrive. Or perhaps you want to reduce your water consumption; in which instance you would turn to the intelligence of smart sprinklers and irrigation controllers.
Elevate your business with IoT
In the workplace specifically, IoT can be effective in cutting costs and driving efficiencies by making objects and devices more intelligent. In allowing more intelligent systems into your business, you could see your staff happier; think vending machines that ask to be refilled as soon as they need to be, or desks that warn you when you’ve been sitting down for too long.
Crystaline will be able to deploy Vodafone’s market-leading global IoT managed connectivity, platform and services, enabling more businesses to take advantage of IoT solutions within their organisations. We are also developing our own IoT services, underpinned by Vodafone’s IoT connectivity and global platform, which allows for central visibility and control of connected devices anywhere within Vodafone’s global footprint.
If your thirst for 5G is now, then speak to us about how we can enable you to make that change. We can start you with unlimited data from as little as £25.00 per month on Vodafone. Please contact the Crystaline team on 0344 8464 222 of email us on info@crystaline.uk.