Belfast has been named as one of the first cities that will get super-fast 5G mobile internet as BT gears up to roll out the new technology nation-wide.Mobile networks have been offering mobile data services for a number of years, with most networks now offering fast 4G and 4G-LTE internet that provides speeds of up to 20Mbps and response times of around 50ms. This technology is due to be supplanted by the upcoming 5G standard, which promises an incredible limit of up to 10,000Mbps and theoretically could get response times of as low as 1ms.
BT has now announced that Belfast will be among the first cities to get 5G coverage as part of a rollout that will involve 16 cities in the UK. It plans to roll the technology out to consumers through the EE mobile network, but has said that the exact date of the launch is still a secret. BT plans to be the first to perform a wide-scale rollout of this new technology.
BT Enterprise's chief executive Gerry McQuade
told Belfast Telegraph that "We haven't given the date. We want to be first with 5G. We're pretty comfortable with the date we're working to but it's a very competitive space so we're very keen not to say." Development of the 5G network has been spearheaded by firms such as Qualcomm and Huawei, and worldwide commercial rollout is expected in 2020.
Source: Belfast Telegraph
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Brendan is a Sync NI writer with a special interest in the gaming sector, programming, emerging technology, and physics. To connect with Brendan, feel free to send him an email or follow him on Twitter.
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