Tomorrow, on Thursday 30 May 2019, EE is set to launch the UK’s first 5G network as it switches on 5G in six cities; London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester.
Matthew Howett, Founder & Principal Analyst at Assembly comments:
“Network differentiation has always been EE's strength. They were the first in the UK to launch 4G and being the first in the UK to launch 5G shows how important network leadership is to them. This time round they are also uniquely positioned to offer consumers more seamless connectivity making use of BT's WiFi and broadband networks. The early days of 5G will be a premium proposition and unsurprisingly there will be a price premium to match. Much like with 4G, we would expect this to fall over time when all operators have launched and more devices have become available.
To convince consumers to make the leap from 4G to 5G it's important to communicate that it's more than just about speed. While peak download speeds will be faster, crucially there will be more capacity and lower latency which will allow for a whole host of new applications and services. The partnership with Niantic is a clever way of showing consumers just what's possible."
The uncertainty around Huawei in the supply chain remains, however operators can't stand still. Research we published recently show's any significant delay to 5G launch could cost the UK economy between £4.5bn and £6.8bn.”
