Vodafone expands 5G rollout to 19 UK cities this year
Vodafone will roll out 5G in 19 cities across the UK this year as it looks to pull ahead of rivals in the race to launch the new network.
The operator has already announced 5G trials in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Manchester.
Read more: Vodafone connects smartphones to 5G in world first
But it has now added 12 further towns to the list, including Guildford, Portsmouth and Reading.
In addition to the live trial, Vodafone is testing the performance of 5G smartphone, processors and routers at its Newbury headquarters, the company said. The firm also said it has converted many of its existing 4G sites to make them 5G-ready.
The full list of Vodafone's 5G cities |
| Birkenhead |
| Birmingham |
| Blackpool |
| Bournemouth |
| Bristol |
| Cardiff |
| Glasgow |
| Guildford |
| Liverpool |
| London |
| Manchester |
| Newbury |
| Portsmouth |
| Plymouth |
| Reading |
| Southampton |
| Stoke-on-Trent |
| Warrington |
| Wolverhampton |
Chief technology officer Scott Petty said: “Our multi-billion-pound network investment and leading position in setting global standards will ensure our customers have the very latest 5G releases and technology.
“5G will also usher in a new era where everyone and everything is better connected, whether you are running a hotel in Portsmouth or broadcasting live at Media City in Salford.”
Last month Vodafone became the first mobile operator to connect 5G smartphones to the new network. The company said it had completed trials using 5G-enabled smartphones over a four-week period in Madrid and Barcelona.
Read more: New app milks 5G to link users with connected cows
5G technology promises speeds roughly 10 times faster than 4G, allowing for high-speed downloads and 4K video calls.
EE has announced plans to bring 5G to 16 cities in the UK, while O2 has earmarked four cities for the new network.