Is 5G on Its Way to Ireland?

Irish operators currently rolling out ‘4G Plus’ that delivers speeds of over 100Mbs on existing devices like iPhones.

15:55 26 May 2017

Irish telecoms operator ComReg has quietly put out the results of a mobile licensing contest considered to play a crucial role in the rolling out of 5G mobile services in the country.

 

Five operators are to pay €78million with the big three – Vodafone, 3 Ireland and Meteor – paying €53m. The 15-year licenses they bought entitle them to start building 5G networks next year.

 

5G is expected to replace 3G and 4G networks offering about six times the speed of top-end fibre broadband, which means that a full high definition movie can be downloaded in under two seconds. Due to its speed, 5G is expected to allow devices to react to each other instantly. This is really important in situations where devices heavily rely to each other such as public utilities and emergency systems.

 

So, when can we expect 5G services in Ireland? 3 Ireland say it is in the process of planning its network now. Its chief technology officer, David Hennessy, says he hopes to have a 5G network in place in the next two to three years.

 

"We'll be looking to do 5G trials next year," says Hennessy. "Then we'll look to launch services in 2019 or 2020, depending on the ecosystem."