Launching 5G in the UK as early as 2020

The communication industry and the Government require greater collaboration in order for the UK to become a world leader in 5G, a report has claimed.

19:12 30 July 2018

The communication industry is looking forward to launching 5G in the UK as early as 2020. The next-generation mobile network is expected to offer up to 100 times faster speeds and ultra low latency, which is needed to power smart cities, Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cars, among others.

 

However, operators have long complained about the difficulty of accessing sites and getting planning permissions.

 

In a report, the Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG), said: “Put simply, if the network cannot be put in place at optimum efficiency, the UK will barely be a 5G player, let alone global leader,”

 

The report calls for greater collaboration between operators, local authorities and central governments to raise awareness of the benefits of 5G and to ensure a smooth rollout.

 

“The Government is rightly ambitious in wanting to ensure that the UK can benefit from being a global leader in the use of 5G,” declared Richard Hooper, chairman of the BSG. “The difficulty lies in how to efficiently deploy the infrastructure that 5G requires and we believe that this report provides a roadmap for how we can do so – removing unnecessary barriers and helping to deliver more investment and ultimately better coverage and capacity for users.”