EE and OnePlus Bid for 5G

EE signs deal with OnePlus in a bid for UK’s first 5G coverage.

19:17 11 December 2018

EE has signed a deal with Chinese smartphone minnow OnePlus and is expected to launch the first 5G smartphone on UK networks next year.

 

The network operator has previously announced plans to launch 5G in 16 UK cities starting in 2019. The deal with OnePlus will mean the smartphone maker will be among the first to secure 5G coverage for its new phone. 

 

Other tech giants to confirm they are working on their 5G smartphone include Samsung and Huawei.

 

OnePlus chief executive Pete Lau said that their new 5G smartphone is expected to be significantly more expensive than its current £450 devices.

 

Mr Lau added: "Countries like Japan and Korea will be fast to 5G, but also Europe. In Europe we are definitely seeing very quick movement towards 5G and we will have a 5G device in the first half of next year in Europe."

 

Current smartphones will not be able to connect to the faster network, which will require new phones with the latest modem technology to connect, largely supplied by rival chip giants Qualcomm and Intel. Currently, no consumer smartphones on sale are able to connect to 5G.