Qualcomm and EE started commercial 5G network in Great Britain

On May 23, 2019 it became known that Qualcomm Technologies company, Qualcomm affiliated enterprise, and the British mobile operator of EE (is a part of BT group, before British Telecom) announced start of commercial 5G network in Great Britain and availability of a 5G devices of a premium class based on the mobile platform Snapdragon 855 with the Snapdragon X50 modem and the RFFE solutions Qualcomm Technologies. This event — one more important milestone on the way of active deployment of networks of fifth generation worldwide. As a result the British users will have an opportunity to test all opportunities of a 5G smartphones from OnePlus, Oppo and LG based on the modern mobile platform Snapdragon 855. Also EE announced release on the market of a smart hub of HTC with support of a 5G which is provided by the Snapdragon X50 modem.

It is expected that start of 5G network and availability of devices of a premium class with support of the modern standard of communication will allow the British users to feel all advantages of networks of fifth generation, including high data transfer rate and an ultralow delay.

It is expected that the first start of a 5G network of EE will take place on May 30 in six cities of Great Britain — London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester. By the end of 2019 about 16 cities are going to expand this network and to include in it Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Kingston-apon-Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry and Bristol that the greatest possible number of residents of the country had an access to a 5G. To provide large-scale support 5G, EE monthly updates the equipment on more than 100 objects.

In the British 5G network n78 range, the auction for which took place in the country at the beginning of 2019, will be used, at the same time infrastructure of 4G networks of the same company which has great success in Great Britain will become a basis for deployment of EE network. It means that users of EE networks will be able to get all advantages of technologies 4G, a 5G and the fixed telephone network. In the points of Great Britain EE which are most loaded by network traffic will use 5 carrier frequencies in the different ranges, including a 5G. EE expects to achieve a huge gain of data transfer rate in the country in 2019.

The way of Qualcomm Technologies to an era of a 5G lasts many years. It began with early basic researches and led the company to important inventions in the field of a 5G, to the leading positions when developing standard 5G together with 3GPP, to emergence of the first prototypes of solutions 5G NR and two generations of a 5G modems and also complex RFFE solutions. All this paved the way for commercial start compatible to 5G NR of infrastructure and an exit in 2019 of a 5G smartphones and other mobile devices with support of networks of fifth generation.

Cristiano Amon noted:

Qualcomm Technologies is proud of an opportunity to help EE with start of commercial 5G network with Great Britain. After all joint efforts which helped to bring closer deployment of 5G networks for a year it is pleasant to see how networks and devices, compatible to a 5G, begin to extend worldwide. We welcome the British consumers entering a 5G era and are glad that now they will be able to see and open for themselves all tremendous potential of technologies of new generation.

Marc Allera commented:

Thanks to start of 5G networks in Great Britain and to our partnership with Qualcomm Technologies we are where wanted — on the crest of a wave of technologies!. — Emergence of technologies 5G in the British 4G network will sharply change a set of opportunities which we can offer consumers and business, and in 2019 it will concern, first of all, reliability and the speed of our networks. In the closest years of technology 5G will fall within all scope of life of society and will help to make our lives simpler and safer. Marc Allera, the CEO of division of BT on work with mass market