It is not yet known what handsets will be available on Three 5G but the company will announce more details in July
Fresh off the launch of EE’s 5G network, Three has unveiled its plans to roll out the next-generation technology.
In a press release accompanied by a 5G hub on its website, Three has said it will launch the service for home broadband customers in London, in August.
The company then plans to launch a mobile version across 25 towns and cities before the end of 2019 including London, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, Rotherham, Sheffield, Slough, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.
EE launched its 5G services in six cities in May, while Vodafone plans to go live on 3 July. You can read more about the different UK network 5G launches on our ‘5G in the UK‘ page.
However, Three claims its network will offer “peak mobile speeds” that will be at least twice as fast as its rivals, and with a “more reliable connection.”
Three CEO Dave Dyson said: “It’s clear consumers and businesses want more and more data. We have the UK’s best network for data and we have led the market on customer usage on both 3G and 4G technologies.
“We have worked hard over a long period of time to be able to offer the best end-to-end 5G experience. 5G is a game changer for Three, and of course I am excited that we will be the only operator in the UK who can offer true 5G.”
Three claims it’s the only network provider capable of offering this so-called ‘true’ 5G because it runs on 100MHz of the 5G spectrum. This is what the global standards body on 5G technology currently describes as 5G.
Dani Warner, broadband expert at uSwitch.com, said: “Three’s 5G plans will have significant repercussions across both the mobile and broadband industry. Until now, much of the discussion of 5G’s arrival has centred on how it will improve mobile connectivity and speeds, but its potential to upend the broadband market, and so quickly, is now being explored by Three.
“The traditional broadband heavyweights will be sitting up and paying attention as Three has fired a significant warning shot here. If it is competitively priced, 5G could well win the ‘space race’ with fibre in the next few years.”
It is not yet known what handsets will be available on Three 5G, but the company said it would announce more details during its mobile launch next month.
It will be interesting to see if Three adds the Huawei Mate X 5G to its lineup. Following a trade ban in the US, Huawei phones were removed from EE and Vodafone’s roster.
You can register for updates at the Three 5G hub.