EE has announced that Cardiff will be one of the six UK cities to be the first to get faster 5G mobile networks.

Building on existing trials, EE will turn on 5G in Cardiff, London Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester in 2019 with another ten cities by the end of 2019.  Other UK networks are now trialling 5G to accelerate their rollout next year.

The other ten cities will be Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry and Bristol.

5G is a next generation mobile internet technology that promises to deliver faster download speeds, better connections and wider coverage. 4G downloads can reach 50 megabits per second while 5G is able to operate at speeds that are 100 times faster, which means it could be used to meet rising demand for mobile video.

To place that in context, you will be able to download a full HD movie in less than 10 seconds on a 5G network. The same task would take closer to 10 minutes on 4G. Furthermore, 5G will also have greater capacity, meaning the networks will be able to cope better with many high-demand applications all at once – from connected cars and IoT (Internet of Things) devices to virtual reality experiences and simultaneous HD video streaming

Wales Set to Become World Leader in 5G Development following the first meeting of an expert group set up to prepare and shape a coherent national 5G programme in Wales, which will support the wider 5GUK ecosystem and position Wales as a world leader in the development and delivery of 5G.

WHO IS THE EXPERT GROUP:

Professor Simon J. Gibson, CBE – [Chair] Chairman Innovation Point, the Alacrity Graduate Entrepreneurship Foundation and Chief Executive of Wesley Clover Corporation.

Mike Galvin – Leading on the digital project within the Swansea Bay City Deal.

David Homer – Vice President at HPE, Enterprise Account Executive for Ericsson Worldwide.

Dr Anil Shukla (QinetiQ Fellow)

Phil Smith – Former Chief Executive and Chairman of Cisco UK & Ireland, Senior Independent Director of IQE, Chair of Innovate UK, Chair of the Tech Partnership, co-Chair of the Digital Skills Partnership and on the board of the Digital Economy Council.

David Warrender – CEO Innovation Point

Professor Paul J Tasker – School of Engineering, Cardiff University

Professor Matt Jones – Head of The College of Science at Swansea University.

Chaired by Simon Gibson CBE, this group has a wealth of experience and includes representatives from the academic, scientific, industrial and technology sectors.