After months of anticipation, Vodafone has finally switched on its 5G network in seven cities across the UK today.
The tech giant has launched the network in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London.
It will then arrive in Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington and Wolverhampton later this year.
Additionally, Vodafone’s first rural 5G mast has gone live on the Isles of Scilly today.
Anne Sheehan, business director at Vodafone UK, said: “5G is a game-changer for the economy and UK businesses.
“We are committed to helping our customers take advantage of this technology by making it widely available in the UK and through roaming.
“We want to help UK businesses become global leaders and 5G will play an important role in achieving that aim.”
As well as switching on the network in the UK, Vodafone has also announced that it’s offering 5G roaming in four European countries this summer - the UK, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Vodafone’s 5G network will be up to 10 times faster than 4G, working at average speeds of 150-200Mbps.
For consumers, that means faster download and connection speeds, such as the ability to download a full HD film in just 3 minutes!
How to access Vodafone’s 5G network
To access Vodafone’s 5G network, you’ll need to be in one of the seven cities it’s available in - Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool or London.
You’ll also need a 5G smartphone. At launch, Vodafone is only offering two compatible devices - the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G.
However, Vodafone will also soon launch its own 5G GigaCube - a wireless router that will turn the 5G network into Wi-Fi.
