O2 enters battle for super-fast mobile internet as it becomes fourth 5G network contender 

O2 is to join the battle for the 5G network market this year, chief executive Mark Evans has said, as the mobile operator announced new Apple Watch billing options.

The UK’s three other largest mobile networks — EE, Three and Vodafone — have either launched or revealed plans to launch their own super-fast network this year.

Mr Evans said O2 was ‘committed to launching 5G this year’ and was ‘excited’ to show customers the new experiences it can offer.

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O2 will launch its own 5G network this year, chief executive Mark Evans has said, as the mobile operator announced new billing options for the Apple Watch (file photo)

The first 5G network to be launched in the UK came from mobile provider EE back in May 2019. 

Initially made available in six cities across the countries, the firm plans to increase coverage over the next two years.

It was not long after that Vodafone and Three also announced plans to roll out their own 5G networks, beginning in July and August respectively. 

The O2 boss disclosed their plans to join the 5G fray as the operator announced it was adding the Apple Watch to its custom plans scheme.

This will enable customers to choose how much they would like to pay for the device and then spread that cost over a time period of their choosing, between 3 and 36 months, in order to best suit their budget.

Mr Evans said that mobile contract payment plans were currently too rigid and were preventing people from accessing the latest devices.

‘The mobile industry should offer greater flexibility to make the power of technology accessible for all,’ he said. 

‘It can’t be right that rigid contracts and inflexibility are still stopping consumers from accessing the benefits and freedom of advanced technology like Apple Watch Series 4, offering breakthrough communication and fitness features.

‘At O2 we believe that everyone should benefit from access to technology, so we offer customers the control and flexibility to build plans that best suit their needs.’

The O2 boss disclosed the plan as the operator announced it was adding the Apple Watch to its custom plans scheme. This will enable customers to choose how much they would like to pay for the device and then spread that cost over a time period of their choosing (file photo)

O2 published research from YouGov which suggests that less than 1 in 10 people (0 per cent) currently own a smartwatch, with cost named as one of the biggest barriers to ownership.

According to the research, 81 per cent said they felt trapped by fixed-term contracts for mobile technology and 89 per cent agreeing that operators should make monthly contracts payments more flexible.

Mr Evans also said the company was ‘mindful’ of an ongoing Government review into the presence of Chinese firm Huawei in parts of 5G infrastructure and said he hoped to see a ‘conclusion made on facts’.

The UK Government is currently analysing the potential safety risks of using the Chinese company’s equipment to build 5G networks.

Concerns have been raised around the company’s software engineering, the security of its networks and alleged ties between the firm and the Chinese state.

Huawei repeatedly and strongly denied these allegations.

Mr Evans acknowledged the UK’s own National Cyber Security Centre, which is involved in the analysis of Huawei, is yet to report any security breaches involving the firm and thus that they currently ‘meet legislation’.

WHAT IS 5G AND WHAT DOES IT DO?

The evolution of the G system started in 1980 with the invention of the mobile phone which allowed for analogue data to be transmitted via phone calls.   

Digital came into play in 1991 with 2G and SMS and MMS capabilities were launched. 

Since then, the capabilities and carrying capacity for the mobile network has increased massively. 

More data can be transferred from one point to another via the mobile network quicker than ever.

5G is expected to be launched in 2020 and will be up to 1,000 times faster than the currently used 4G. 

Whilst the jump from 3G to 4G was most beneficial for mobile browsing and working, the step to 5G will be so fast they become almost real-time. 

That means mobile operations will be just as fast as office-based internet connections.

Potential uses for 5g include: 

• Simultaneous translation of several languages in a party conference call 
• Self-driving cars can stream movies, music and navigation information from the cloud
• A full length 8GB film can be downloaded in six seconds. 

5G is expected to be so quick and efficient it is possible it could start the end of wired connections.  

By the end of 2020, industry estimates claim 50 billion devices will be connected to 5G.

The evolution of from 1G to 5G. The predicted speed of 5G is more than 1Gbps – 1,000 times greater than the existing speed of 4G and could be implemented in laptops of the future