Forget 4G – Three has now revealed that its 5G network will be landing in August, with peak speeds that are at least 2x faster than other mobile networks. The company hasn’t gone into specific numbers, but EE claims speeds on its 5G network could exceed 1Gbps, so logically that would mean Three’s could exceed 2Gbps.
When you consider that real-world 4G networks tend to offer speeds of below 100Mbps in the UK, that’s extraordinarily fast.
Of course, you won’t always be getting peak speeds, and nor will everywhere get Three 5G on day one. The network has said that its initial launch will be for 5G home broadband in London, but that it will be bringing 5G for phones to the following 25 towns and cities this year:
London, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, Rotherham, Sheffield, Slough, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.
Further reading: What is 5G?
The superfast speeds will apparently be possible through a combination of high capacity smart antennas and having more than twice as much 5G spectrum as its closest rival, with 140MHz overall (compared to 40MHz or 50MHz from rivals).
Three notes that according to the ITU (the global standards body on 5G technology) a network needs at least 100MHz of 5G spectrum to offer ‘true’ 5G, so that makes Three the only UK network that can do this at launch.
Dave Dyson, CEO at Three, said: “It’s clear that consumers and businesses want more and more data. We have the UK’s best network for data and we have led the market on customer usage on both 3G and 4G technologies. We have worked hard over a long period of time to be able to offer the best end to end 5G experience. 5G is a game changer for Three, and of course I am excited that we will be the only operator in the UK who can offer true 5G.”
Looking ahead, Three plans for 5G to cover 80% of its network traffic in the next three years, so expansion should be fairly fast.
And even those people stuck on 4G might not be left behind, as the network is also investing in upgrades to its 4G infrastructure which could allow for up to 400% improvements in speed and capacity. So wherever you are and whatever phone you have you should get ready for some serious upgrades.
