The first locations to be covered by the service, branded 5G Ultra, include London, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff
Vodafone UK has claimed a first in the U.K., with the launch of Standalone (SA) 5G in several major cities. The first locations to be covered by the service, branded 5G Ultra, include London, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff. The carrier said this is the region’s first 5G SA mobile network for consumers.
SA 5G does not depend on an LTE EPC to operate. Rather, it pairs 5G radios with a cloud-native 5G core network. The 5G core itself is designed as a Service Based Architecture (SBA) which virtualizes network functions altogether, providing the full range of 5G features. In a press release, Vodafone UK claimed that this translates to “greater 5G coverage and improved phone battery life, more reliable connections in busy locations, as well as amazingly fast 5G speeds” for its customers.
Initially, only users with Samsung Galaxy S21 or S22 smartphones will be able to make use of the SA service. Other handsets set will be supported beginning next month.
Vodafone UK shared that the upcoming Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London will be the first event to benefit from the new SA 5G network. “Masts in the Wimbledon area have been upgraded to deliver the new service, including ones which provide coverage to the courts and the surrounding outdoor fan zones,” the carrier explained.
Vodafone dipped its toes into SA 5G during the coronation of Charles III when it partnered with ITN to deliver the first public broadcast using network slicing, a new capability that is introduced with 5G Standalone. Vodafone dedicated a small part of the network to ensure ITN could transfer live content to production studios at top speed without being impacted by the Coronation crowds using their smartphone.
“We’re excited about what the future holds for our customers. 5G Standalone is a truly transformational technology that can have an impact on industry and businesses, especially when blended with IoT and Cloud,” commented Nick Gliddon, Vodafone’s UK business director.
