The march towards 5G mobile connectivity is starting to build up speed, with a pair of major developments this week.
Firstly, Vodafone and Ericsson have announced a successful test of “pre-standard” 5G speeds using the 3.5GHz radio spectrum.
The test, which took place in indoor and outdoor locations in central London, was independent of the current 4G infrastructure.
Related: What is 5G?
Vodafone is claiming the test is the first of its kind.
“Until now,” the network says, “no one in the UK has shown pre-standard 5G working independently of existing 4G network technologies.”
While the test is good news for Brits seeking to make the leap to fifth generation speeds, ISPreview points out EE conducted a similar test last month that reached download speeds of 2.8Gbps.
However, Vodafone isn’t revealing any speed or distance information in relation to its own field trial, so we’re unsure about its effectiveness.
High Court win for Ofcom
Elsewhere, there was good news for British consumers when it comes to dishing out the 5G spectrum.
Ofcom has fended off legal challenges from networks EE and Three over the regulator’s plans for the spectrum auction (via Engadget).
BT-owned EE wanted no restrictions on how much spectrum it could buy, while Three believes there should be tighter spectrum caps.
The High Court ruled against both and in favour of Ofcom’s plans to cap the spectrum in ways that’ll benefit competition in Britain.
“I reject the argument of H3G that the balance struck was too generous to BT/EE and I also reject the argument of BT/EE that it was too tight and rigid,” the High Court said in a statement.
When the auction takes place, Ofcom will have 190MHz of spectrum up for grabs, across the 2.3GHz and 3.4GHz bands. The latter will be important in establishing 5G services.
Today’s ruling should hasten the arrival of the auction, although both networks could appeal the decision.
Are you ready for 5G? Or do you think the UK’s 4G infrastructure needs improving before we move on to the next state? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
