We have seen Samsung Galaxy S10 5G phone bundled with 30 gig of data, free calls and free texts for £79.00 a month.
To mark the occasion BT and the BBC have this morning carried out a live TV broadcast using the service.
Commenting on the launch, Angela Logothetis, CTO, Open Network Division at Amdocs, said, “The hype around 5G has been matched by a high level of investment by mobile operators. We’re now seeing the first live networks being made available to consumers with EE’s 5G network launching today. EE will now be exploring it they can run multiple networks for specific use cases – from health to manufacturing, logistics, connected vehicles and consumer connectivity.
Network slicing, a method of using dedicated virtual networks with functionality specific to the service or customer over a common network infrastructure, will play a critical role in this. It enables operators to meet the needs of different vertical services, create new business models and generate new revenue streams. It will be crucial to ensure that operators can generate the revenue to allow them to continue their 5G network expansion.”
Zoran Vasiljev, CEO of Apigate, added, “Consumers in the UK are today welcoming new 5G services from EE, which will be available in certain cities. Vodafone is not far behind, turning on its 5G service in the UK from July. However, the continued roll out of 5G into other parts of the country is reliant on operators successfully generating revenue from their new networks, across the consumer and business markets. This could initially be a challenge considering subscribers need to invest in new 5G-compatible handsets, which are limited and costly.
“Operators must open up their networks to new partners that can help them expand into innovative lines of business, ensuring they do not simply become bit pipes for other companies’ services. With verticals such as automotive, healthcare, media and gaming looking to reap the benefits of 5G, partnering with businesses in these sectors is a sure way to help operators generate a return on investment. By using open source technology, operators can open up their networks to third parties, such as cloud service providers, mobile applications and developers, to reach new customers and access new revenue streams beyond the standard connectivity pipe.”
Ingo Flömer, VP of Business Development and Technology, Cobham Wireless
“5G will undoubtably unlock a range of exciting new consumer and business use cases. However, the new connectivity standard fails to address a more pressing problem: the lack of reliable mobile connectivity in many under-connected areas of the UK.
“‘Not-spots’ don’t only exist in villages and rural areas of the country; getting 4G mobile coverage is still a massive challenge for subscribers on major over ground rail routes, transport tunnels, and in infrastructure like sports stadiums, airports and music venues. 5G might present lucrative business and consumer cases, yet there’s a lot of revenue still to be unlocked by deploying 4G. In-stadium services to enhance the fan experience, for example, or ad-supported media and entertainment mobile streaming on commuter trains.
“There will come a time when blanket 5G coverage is needed, but more important is the necessity for adequate 4G mobile coverage now, to guarantee quality of service for consumers, and support business and operator growth, in all areas in the UK.”
A practical and common sense 'meanwhile on planet earth' comment there from Cobham.
Meanwhile, we would love to hear from anyone using the service to find out what they are using 5G for and to get their first impressions.