Vodafone 5G goes live in Newbury
"It’s great to see the company looking after its home town"
THE latest mobile technology is now live in Newbury with Vodafone switching on 5G coverage in the town centre.
5G, the fifth generation of mobile networks, offers faster connectivity and response times than the current 4G network.
The technology has already been used to make the UK’s first 3D holographic call to Vodafone's headquarters in Newbury.
Vodafone spokesman, Simon Gordon, told NewburyToday: "Newbury is live today and you will see more coverage as we go through the year.
"There are some locations that are live in Newbury, our campus, and the centre of town. It's just the start but it will be expanded."
Vodafone has been testing the technology in Newbury since April.
5G going live in Newbury coincides with its launch in seven UK cities - Cardiff, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol and Liverpool.
Newbury had been listed among 12 towns in the UK to join the 5G network later this year.
CCS Insight mobile and wireless industry analyst Ben Wood, who lives in Newbury, said: “Having 5G go live in Newbury is an unexpected bonus for the town as Vodafone had previously indicated it would delay the switch on untill after it had enabled major cities such as London and Birmingham.
"It’s great to see the company looking after its home town and letting all the residents and employees get access to the network right from the beginning.”
Vodafone will be the first company to offer unlimited data on both 5G and 4G with the launch of Vodafone Unlimited on July 10.
The company said that it would not charge a premium price for access to its 5G network and all unlimited SIMs are 5G ready.
Vodafone UK chief executive officer, Nick Jeffery, said: “5G will transform the way we live and work. Our customers are streaming over 50% more content today than they did last year, and with 5G the demand for data is only set to increase.
"That is why we want to remove the limits on data, so that customers can unlock the full potential of 5G, and we can really propel the UK into the digital age.
"By offering unlimited plans to our consumer and business customers, we will revolutionise the market. We will give customers all the data they need, when and where they want it."
