Edinburgh has been included in a list of 100 places in the UK and Europe that will be part of Vodafone’s new 5G network.
Vodafone customers in parts of the capital – including around Glasgow Road, Castlehill and Festival Square – will have access to the new high-speed roaming network alongside the likes of Belfast, Leeds and Greater Manchester, at no extra cost.
The company also now offers 5G roaming in five locations in the Republic of Ireland; 5G roaming already covers Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK as part of Vodafone’s 5G roll-out.
In addition, Vodafone has become the first UK company to successfully introduce 5G multi-operator radio access network (MORAN) technology.
This enables providers to share the same mobile base station, helping to reduce energy and the number of masts needed.
The expansion of Vodafone’s 5G network in Greater Manchester underlines its commitment to providing this key regional powerhouse with the latest digital connectivity based on a converged full-fibre and mobile infrastructure. MediaCity, Salford, is also the location of Vodafone’s first digital test bed and is now being used by more than 100 application developers and start-ups.
Belfast, Edinburgh and Leeds are also thriving technology cities with mobile data usage in each location growing by more than 90% over the last two years. The arrival of 5G meets future demand and means more customers can experience Wi-Fi-like speeds on the move with almost no buffering or time lag.
For example, customers can use one of Vodafone’s entertainment services – Spotify Premium, Amazon Prime Video, Sky Sports Mobile TV or a NOW TV Entertainment Pass – at up to 10 times faster on 5G than with 4G.
Vodafone UK customers travelling to the Republic of Ireland can now also enjoy 5G roaming in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. Customers do not pay extra to use 5G abroad as it is included in their home plan. Vodafone already offers customers 4G roaming in 158 destinations – more than any other UK network – and allows them to use their home plan in 48 European destinations at no extra cost.
Vodafone UK Chief Executive Officer Nick Jeffery said: “We have started the new year as we mean to go on. We now offer 5G in double the number of places than our nearest rival and we have significantly boosted the capacity of our network. It is ready for the arrival in 2020 of some great new 5G handsets and the next big software release bringing ultra-low latency. Together, these will push 5G to the next level.”