Vodafone says it will switch on its 5G network for consumers and business customers in seven cities across the UK on 3 July 2019.
In what the operator claims is a worldwide-first, Vodafone will also offer 5G roaming in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain over the summer.
5G at 4G prices
The seven cities will be Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London. Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington and Wolverhampton will follow later this year.
Vodafone says it plans to price 5G the same as 4G for both consumers and business customers. Vodafone will also offer a 5G router for use in the home and office to give customers without a fixed line connection high-speed broadband access.
We’re first, says CEO
Vodafone UK’s CEO Nick Jeffery said, “We started our 5G journey more than three years ago. We led the way in setting 5G standards to ensure phones and networks work well together.
“We upgraded our masts to be able to take 5G without disruption. And we were the first UK company to test 5G over our all-fibre core fixed and mobile network.
“This is important. It means we can today announce the largest launch of 5G in the UK and be the first to announce 5G roaming. It means that UK businesses can lead the world in adopting 5G to boost productivity and attract investment.
It means consumers can get the fastest mobile speeds ever, and it means that our public sector will be able to adopt new services to improve healthcare, social services and housing.”