The first official 5G transmissions in the UK have gone live from the Vodafone site in Greater Manchester.
It’s part of the telco’s new innovation centre that is being run in collaboration with the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Live mobile data traffic from the site in Salford is connected to Vodafone’s nationwide fibre network.
Until now, companies have tested the technology either within a single location, or using parts of the 4G network to complete the 5G service.
Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery, said: “We are leading the roll out of 5G across the UK, starting with Greater Manchester. A further six cities – Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and London – will shortly receive full 5G too. Next year, we will bring 5G to the Scottish Highlands, Cornwall and the Lake District, among other locations.
Vodafone is inviting companies to join the innovation centre that is slated to open in the Spring. It includes 5G wireless routers, gigabit-capable optical-fibre links and Internet of Things (IoT) services, which can digitally connect everything from office security systems, vehicles, and household appliances to livestock and pets.
Network engineers are already achieving high-speed Internet connectivity and low latency from the Salford site using Active Antenna (Massive MIMO) technology. This effectively provides multiple-data ‘channels’ from a single antenna, coupled with our 3.4GHz 5G spectrum.
Vodafone secured the largest block of this 5G spectrum at this year’s auction.
