The days of buffering and disconnected video chats will soon be behind us – 5G is coming to the UK.
The next stage in mobile technology is set to do away with all the issues of 4G signal, in turn revolutionising our lives. From powering businesses, improving our homes and spearheading advances such as driverless cars.
And tech companies are already getting up to 5G speed. Earlier this month, Samsung released its first ever 5G phone, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, for sale in South Korea, marking the start of 5G smartphones.
But what is 5G and why does it have the capacity to change so much?
What is 5G technology?
5G technology is the next generation in mobile networks. Like 3G and 4G before it, 5G is expected to be better and more powerful than what we’re used to.
The new technology will use higher frequencies than the likes of 4G, offering more speed and higher bandwidth.
If all goes well, 5G could potentially spell the end of Wi-Fi, particularly in public places, as the network will be strong enough to facilitate all the mobile internet browsing you could possibly want, from watching shows on Netflix to being able to scroll Instagram without interference.
As well, because the network will have a bigger capacity than 4G, it means that thousands of devices in a small area can be connected at the same time.
Ever been in a big crowd, say at a festival, and unable to use WhatsApp? 5G should lead to the end of those offline periods.
When is 5G coming to the UK?
The good news is that 5G will change lives. According to research by RootMetrics, only 53 per cent of UK mobile users are happy with their network speeds, with many saying they would pay more for better connectivity.
Margot James, minister for digital and creative industries, said: “We’re already investing £25 million in new test beds across the UK that will pave the way for our 5G future and our work with industry will be vital to help us achieve these ambitions.
The bad news, however, is that it’s going to take a while before 5G arrives in the UK. The UK rollout isn’t set to begin until 2020, whilst other countries such as South Korea and Japan could launch their next generation networks by the end of this year.
Why is 5G taking so long?
If 2020 is set to be the UK 5G rollout date, it could be even longer until the network receives full coverage across the UK.
It’s taking a while to get the technology developed and tested, though advances have been made in the past few months. Earlier this year, Ofcom held a 5G auction, in which the operators spent a total of £1.35 billion in order to test their services on the UK’s airwaves.
EE, 3, Telefonica (which owns O2) and Vodafone will all be testing out their 5G services.
O2 will begin testing 5G at the O2 Arena in North Greenwich before rolling out to full coverage in 2020.
As Vodafone won the largest block of spectrum in the 5G auction, it is holding trials in several different cities, including Birmingham New Street Station, creating the UK’s first 5G train station.
USwitch’s mobile expert Ernest Doku said that whilst the trials are a good Launchpad ahead of the full rollout, the emphasis should not focus solely on city areas.
He said: “This announcement marks a big moment in the rollout of 5G, but looking ahead it’s up to the industry to make sure that it’s not just these urban centres that feel the benefits.
“This technology should be truly universal, not just available in the areas with the highest concentration of customers.”
Elsewhere, Chinese tech giant Huawei has just been granted permission to use their equipment in the UK’s 5G network, despite long-standing concerns over the potential security risk the firm poses.
Are there any 5G phones yet?
At this year’s Mobile World Congress, every smartphone maker had some form of 5G phone on display.
Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G a week earlier, though the company was keen to show off the new device. Conor Pierce, corporate VP for Samsung UK and Ireland, told the Standard: “I think when you have common ground and reliable connection to 5G, I think that will allow us to engage in different ways – it’s the beginning of a new era for the way we live our lives.”
Chinese phone company OnePlus had a prototype of its 5G smartphone on show, whilst Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Mix 3 5G, the 5G version of its popular Mi Mix device.
Huawei is also going to be releasing a 5G phone in the form of the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G, which is expected at some point this year.
The other benefits 5G will bring
With all these powerful internet connections around, it’s likely there will be even more internet of things (IoT) devices taking advantage of this.
Driverless cars is one area where we could really see the benefit of better internet.
According to the World Economic Forum: “By making driving, mapping and video data available in real-time, 5G will extend the ability of vehicles to perceive their environment beyond line of site, though robust vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure connectivity to coordinate to improve traffic safety, efficiency, and flow.”
Furthermore, 5G could even power things such as drones being used to deliver medical supplies.
BT said 5G speeds can help with “advanced disaster recovery services using drones, such as delivery of equipment, medicine, food, water and blood.”
There are also some more general things 5G will improve in our day-to-day lives. According to O2’s smart cities report, 5G could save households up to £450 a year on bills ranging from energy to food and council.
Things like smart fridges will reduce food bills, a 5G-enabled smart grid will cut down on your energy bills, and if councils take advantage of smart refuse collection, the costs saved here could be passed on to homes.
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