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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Anna Lewis

EE launches 5G network in the UK - including Cardiff - here's how you get it

The UK's first 5G network has been launched in Cardiff.

From today, those in London, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester will be able to access the "next generation" network launched by EE.

The service is expected to be several times faster than the current 4G, with the network provider promising to be able to download films "in seconds rather than minutes".

That's because it mainly uses higher frequencies than 4G which are faster and carry more information.

Those on a EE network must have one of the four eligible 5G phones (PA)

How do you get 5G?

To be eligible for the new network, you will have to have one of a few select handsets capable for 5G.

EE is currently selling four devices capable of supporting the new technology: the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, OPPO Reno 5G and LG V50 ThinQ.

And with contracts starting from £54 a month for 10GB of data, plus a one-off £170 fee, it won't come cheap.

EE's chief executive has also said the company had decided to pause the sale of Huawei 5G phone due to current security concerns.

Vodafone will be launching their own version in a few weeks (PA)

For those not using EE, Vodafone will launch its own 5G service in about five weeks.

It plans to launch the service in 19 cities by the end of the year.

By the end of 2019 EE is also planning to reach 1,500 sites including the 'busiest parts' of Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.

How fast will it be?

EE has said 5G could offer peak speeds of 100-150Mbps in Cardiff.

In comparison, EE has said that 50Mbps was the fastest speed possible when the network launched 4G in 2012.

However, to start with the the fibre lines linking each 5G site to its network will only have a total capacity of only 10Gbps.

As well as faster speeds, the 5G network will also be able to support more phone.

The EE service will be able to support more than a million devices per square kilometre, a compared to around 60,000 devices that 4G technology supports.

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