Vodafone pledges to bring 5G to 19 more UK cities this year

Vodafone to push out 5G across the UK from Birkenhead to Plymouth

Vodafone has pledged to expand its 5G coverage in the UK this year to 19 more cities. It comes after its first 5G trial in Salford, Manchester in October, with sites subsequently going live in Bristol, Cardiff and Liverpool.

Vodafone engineers have also installed 5G antennas in Birmingham, Glasgow, and London ahead of a forthcoming switch-on.

On top of that, the company announced yesterday that it'll soon be pushing its 5G network to more parts of the UK, including Birkenhead on Merseyside, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington and Wolverhampton.

The company claims that all sites are connected to its fibre-optic backbone that can carry data at up to 10 gigabits per second, adding that it's currently "rigorously testing" the performance of 5G smartphones, processors and routers in labs at its Newbury headquarters.

This is likely a reference to its work with Qualcomm, which has seen the two companies work together to test 5G on a dummy smartphone that comes kitted out with Qualcomm's 5G-ready Snapdragon X50 modem.

"This means customers can be assured that the service will work seamlessly when launched later in 2019," Vodafone said.

Once it does arrive, the network is promising that 5G speeds will be around "ten times faster" than 4G. With more than one eye on Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the company adds that its 5G network will also deliver response times of less than five milliseconds into smart factories, connecting robots and mobile machines.

Vodafone UK Chief Technology Officer Executive 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 MediaCity in Salford."