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- Internet of things (IoT)
- Next Generation Network (NGN)
- Connected drones
- Open RAN
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5G will power the digital future, helping us build inclusive and sustainable digital societies around the world.
Vodafone is a world leader in 5G technology, operating Europe’s largest 5G network and continually expanding our 5G connectivity and improving our 5G services.
What is 5G?
5G is the latest and fastest mobile network generation. For smartphone and smart devices users, 5G enables improved performance – no lag, no patch connectivity and superfast, stable downloads on the move.
5G will also support the growth and development of Internet of Things (IoT) technology – millions of devices seamlessly connected and sharing data through a single super-fast network.
What will 5G do?
There are three primary advantages to 5G.
- 5G is very fast. 5G is up to 10 times faster than 4G, designed to operate at average speeds of 150-200Mbps. Peak speeds can reach over 1Gbps
- 5G has low latency—there is virtually no lag time when using a device connected to a 5G network
- 5G has huge capacity—5G can handle lots of people and devices accessing the network simultaneously, even in crowded areas like cities or big events
These advantages will enable us to do a variety of things through 5G, such as:
- Stream and download content faster and without interruptions or buffering delays
- Power future tech like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR)
- Enable the development of smart cities
- Connect the IoT and enable connected cars and driverless cars to operate safely
- Enable the future of healthcare—imagine remote surgery being carried out across huge distances in almost real-time
- Support emergency rescue operations and connect healthcare drones
5G coverage and reliability
Vodafone is taking the largest international 4G network and putting it on 5G. Network slicing on 5G will enable it to be reliably deployed to specific critical applications such as cars, emergency vehicles, factories and hospitals.
5G device support
5G is expected to support up to 1 million connected devices per 1 square kilometre, compared to around 2,000 connected devices per 1 square kilometre with 4G.1 This will be vital for the Internet of Things era, where lots of additional devices like cars and commercial drones will eventually be connected to mobile networks.
How fast is 5G?
5G can reach speeds of up to 10 times faster than 4G. 5G works best at average speeds of 150-200Mbps, and peak speeds can reach above 1Gbps.
By comparison, 4G works at average speeds of 23-35Mbps.
For example, a full HD film could be downloaded in less than 3 minutes on a 5G network, as opposed to around 15 on a 4G network.
5G speeds can vary and depend on multiple factors.
5G has significantly lower latency of <20 milliseconds (ms) for some consumer applications (e.g. gaming or augmented reality) and <5ms for ultra-low latency applications (e.g. in smart factories).
Is 5G safe?
5G is safe to use. 5G frequencies are covered by existing international and national exposure guidelines and regulations for radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF).
Vodafone takes the safety of our customers, the public and the environment very seriously. We comply with national regulations in all markets, and will continue to do so across the range of new 5G devices and new radio masts.
Vodafone created the industry-defining Global IoT Service, built around the Vodafone Global SIM and management platform.
We are rated as an IoT leader by a number of industry analyst houses, and today we connect more than 123 million devices globally using a range of network technologies:
LTE-M
LTE-M is another LPWA technology and complements NB-IoT because it can be used in cases where some voice service is required (e.g. smart watches). After reaching nationwide coverage of NB-IoT in the Netherlands in 2017, VodafoneZiggo enabled LTE-M on all NB-IoT sites and completed the first successful Voice over LTE call over LTE-M in June 2018.
The main Fibre To The Home (FTTH) technology we have deployed is Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON).
This shares a system capacity of 2.5 Gbps downstream and 1.25 Gbps upstream across typically 32 to 64 customers. This enables our customers to reach the peak speeds of 1 Gbps outlined in our Gigabit Society vision.
We can evolve these FTTH networks by overlaying additional optical wavelengths of new PON technologies such as XGS-PON (10 Gbit/s symmetric) and NG-PON2 (40 Gbps via four additional wavelengths). Hence, the asset life of our fibre investment should be good for a few decades. We can use it for consumers, business customers and mobile infrastructure such as small cell backhaul.
We have also started to evolve our cable networks to DOCSIS 3.1, which will allow them to deliver speeds of up to 1 Gbps to customers.
Building An Open RAN Ecosystem For Europe
Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telecom Italia (TIM) and Telefónica deliver recommendations for building an Open RAN ecosystem for Europe. This paper highlights the urgent need for Europe to make Open RAN a strategic priority. Europe’s best opportunity to defend and grow its place in the global 5G and 6G industry lies with building a broad and deep Open RAN ecosystem.
Vodafone is preparing to welcome connected drones to its global network.
Mobile network infrastructure offers many capabilities for putting cellular connected drones to good use. Vodafone first set foot in the drone scene in 2016 and Vodafone have been innovating ever since. Find out more about our latest trials and technology developments by exploring our published papers and articles.
Open RAN
Pioneered by Vodafone and its partners,
Open RAN will lead to a more cost-effective, secure, energy efficient and customer-focused network of the future.
What is Open RAN?
Open Radio Access Networks (RAN) is a new approach to building the mobile networks that are needed to connect smartphones and devices to the internet and other users. Traditional RAN solutions generally require telecommunications operators to work with single suppliers across an entire mobile site. This approach can be a barrier to entry for smaller suppliers that might not have the financial requirements or the resources to build and manage solutions across the entire RAN ecosystem (e.g. radio antenna, baseband units, CU/DU servers, management and orchestration software etc.).
Vodafone Consumer products and services
Vodafone offer a wide variety of products and services to consumers, businesses, governments and partner organisations in Europe and our Rest of World regions.
Vodafone products
Vodafone is a leading provider of digital products and services for consumers and businesses across our markets.
Vodafone Mobile
Vodafone offer a range of the latest smartphone technologies and mobile devices across our markets, partnering with industry leading brands from around the world.
Vodafone Fixed broadband and super-fast WiFi
Vodafone operate the largest next-generation network in Europe passing 118m households
V by Vodafone (Vodafone Smart Tech)
Vodafone offer a range of smart devices that help customers keep track and stay connected with the things and people they care about
Vodafone TV
Vodafone operate one of the biggest and most successful digital TV platforms in Europe
Vodafone Broadband and Super Wi-Fi
Today Vodafone have more than 27 million broadband customers connected to Europe’s largest network with 31.9 million across the continent having Gigabit capable connections.
Vodafone Broadband and Super Wi-Fi
Today we have more than 27 million broadband customers connected to Europe’s largest network with 31.9 million across the continent having Gigabit capable connections.
What is Vodafone Super Wi-Fi?
Our homes are now more connected than ever, with internet-enabled devices becoming a greater part of our daily lives. In some homes, there may be Wi-Fi blackspots, which can result in limited coverage in particular rooms or areas of the premises.
Vodafone Super Wi-Fi provides fast, reliable Wi-Fi coverage to every corner of a home, ensuring that our customers can stay connected at all times.
Vodafone Super Wi-Fi uses small Wi-Fi access points which work together with a home broadband router. This creates a smart and dynamic network which adjusts when needed to create the best possible connection for your home and connected devices.
Vodafone Super Wi-Fi is currently available in Spain, UK and Italy.
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