Vodafone Starts First Full 5G Trial

The network provider is trialing 5G bandwidth in Manchester ahead of commercial plans for 2019.

Despite the fact that there are no 5G phones currently available for purchase, Vodafone is providing its customers with 5G bandwidth in the Greater Manchester area. This is the “first official 5G transmissions in the UK”. Furthermore, it is noteworthy because Vodafone won’t be using a 4G network alongside 5G. Gizmodo explains that “although the two technologies can’t share the same equipment in the same way 3 G and 4G could”, other trials have kept 4G on while trying out 5G.

This trial is “part of telco’s new innovation centre” in Salford, and “live mobile data traffic” from this site is “connected to Vodafone’s nationwide fibre network”. The 5G is being tested throughout the entire process using wireless routers. Vodafone’s trial will also use the newly released 3.4GHz spectrum band, and specific areas could receive Gigabit speads.

The Salford site has already successfully achieved “high-speed internet connectivity and low latency”. This was accomplished through Active Antenna (Massive MIMO) technology, which delivers “multiple-data ‘channels’ from a single antenna”. At an auction earlier this year, Vodafone “secured the largest block of this 5G spectrum”.

However, ISPreview warns that while Vodafone has advertised the trial as “the first to switch on  full 5G service”, it does not constitute “a true commercial deployment”.

Nick Jeffery, UK Chief Executive at Vodafone, has said: “We are leading the roll out of 5G across the UK, starting with Great Manchester. A further six cities—Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and London—will shortly receive full 5G too. Next year, we will bring 5G to the Scottish Highlands, Cornwall and the Lake District, among other locations”.

Speaking about Vodafone’s involvement with the city of Manchester, Jeffery also said, “We have worked closely with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to help ensure the city is not only an economic powerhouse, but also a digital powerhouse. That is why we are making a multi-million pound investment to offer world-class communications to Greater Manchester’s thriving media and tech community, consumers and our own 1,000 or so employees who work there”.

Local businesses and organisations have been invited by Vodafone to register interest in using the 5G bandwidth. The partnership with the Mayor of Greater Manchester and MediaCityUk has allowed for the centre to be furnished with the most cutting edge technology, including all technology necessary for the 5G service. Another way Vodafone is supporting the community is through Vodafone Techstarter, which is an award “for innovative technology with a social purpose”. Not only will the winners be able to access the innovation centre, but there is also a “£300,000 fund through a partnership with the Vodafone Foundation and Social Tech Trust”.

The introduction of 5G phones into the market is quickly approaching, with several phone manufacturers, including OnePlus and LG, giving official announcements for their commercial 5G phones. With the six further cities that will follow Manchester in the Vodafone trial, other network providers are likely to begin their own 5G tests imminently.

Fiona Dattan

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