EE has switched on the UK’s first trial of 5G mobile technology at Canary Wharf in London.
The telecoms firm, which is part of the BT Group, is using a site in Montgomery Square to test the technology in a real-life setting.
The next generation of wireless mobile connections, 5G is expected to offer significant speed increases on 4G.
Mobile phones and tablets could download full-length HD movies in less than five seconds, 100 times faster than 4G and 25,000 times faster than 3G.
EE has switched on the UK’s first trial of 5G mobile technology at Canary Wharf in London. The next generation of wireless mobile connections, 5G is expected to offer significant speed increases on 4G (stock image)
The EE trial will test the 5G spectrum and devices used to implement it for performance, speeds and coverage, with the test area visited by around 150,000 people each day.
Fotis Karonis, the 5G technology lead at the BT Group, said: ‘This is the latest milestone in our 5G rollout – a live test of our 5G network.
He added that the Canary Wharf site was a hugely busy ‘hotspot’ where demand for coverage from customers will be high.
‘With constant upgrades to 4G, and laying the foundations for 5G, we’re working to always be able to deliver what our customers need – both consumers and the vertical industries that will make the greatest use of 5G,’ Mr Karonis said.
‘We were UK pioneers with 4G and today we saw the UK’s first live connections on 5G – this is a huge step forward for our digital infrastructure.’
EE said it also planned to introduce 10 more 5G hotspots as part of its trials across east London later in October.
It has previously announced plans to launch a 5G network in 2019.
The telecoms firm, which is part of the BT Group, is using a site in Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf (file photo) to test the technology in a real-life setting
The news comes just days after it was revealed EE and Vodafone are under investigation for their network coverage.
Vodafone and EE are facing an Ofcom probe over claims they failed to provide accurate information about the coverage of their 3G and 4G networks.
Britain’s telecoms regulator said Monday it was launching a formal investigation after finding mistakes in both providers’ coverage data.
The errors meant that EE had overstated its 3G coverage while Vodafone had underestimated the breadth of its 4G network, the regulator said.
Both companies, who are said to have made especially inaccurate statements about their coverage in rural areas, could be hit with huge fines.
The regulator said: ‘Ofcom collects mobile coverage data from communication providers to inform our policy work and a range of research reports.
‘This data is also widely used by other stakeholders.
‘Mobile coverage data is also used to develop coverage maps and apps which, importantly, can help consumers to make informed decisions on which mobile provider to choose.
‘We are aiming to complete our evidence gathering phase in this investigation by the end of December. We will publish a further update on next steps once that phase is complete.’
