# 5G incoming...



## Fez909 (May 14, 2013)

...in 2020. But it looks like the technology has arrived, and it's made by Samsung. 100s of times faster than 4g, apparently.

Personally I'm happy enough with 3g for now. Hopefully 4g will be sensible prices soon and then I'll upgrade to that. But I don't _need_ it.

I guess those who use USB dongles etc for their exclusive access to internet would appreciate the speed bump the most, but everyone else? I dunno.

Bothered?


----------



## editor (May 14, 2013)

I want to learn how to watch a movie at 24x normal speed to take full advantage of this technology.


----------



## Winot (May 14, 2013)

I wish they'd sort out 3G first (even in central London it's poor).


----------



## stuff_it (May 14, 2013)

(((battery life)))


----------



## FridgeMagnet (May 14, 2013)

Winot said:


> I wish they'd sort out 3G first (even in central London it's poor).


Yeah, I'm working around Tower Bridge at the moment and I mostly just see "E" or nothing.


----------



## Crispy (May 14, 2013)

Woo! It will be possible to go through your data allowance in seconds rather than minutes!


----------



## TruXta (May 14, 2013)

Says here we'll (by which I mean I'll) get 80 mbps top speeds on EE's 4G network over the summer http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/09/ee-speed-4g-mobile-network

Meaning it'll only take me about 400 seconds to go through my data allowance.


----------



## stuff_it (May 14, 2013)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Yeah, I'm working around Tower Bridge at the moment and I mostly just see "E" or nothing.


So a bit like the late 90s then...


----------



## sim667 (May 14, 2013)

They cant even get 4G working properly yet.

Most of my freind on EE say its worse than 3G


----------



## bi0boy (May 14, 2013)

editor said:


> I want to learn how to watch a movie at 24x normal speed to take full advantage of this technology.


 
More like at normal speed in 15360x8640 resolution on a unfurlable 17 inch screen from your watch.


----------



## stuff_it (May 14, 2013)

bi0boy said:


> More like at normal speed in 15360x8640 resolution on a unfurlable 17 inch screen from your watch.


Oh, that will be my 3D projector watch will it? What's the battery life on that?


----------



## Winot (May 14, 2013)

FridgeMagnet said:


> Yeah, I'm working around Tower Bridge at the moment and I mostly just see "E" or nothing.


 
In Chancery Lane I *see* 3G (with full bar signal) but nothing downloads so I guess there's coverage but too many people using it.


----------



## gamma globulins (May 14, 2013)

[dashes to chancery lane]


----------



## TruXta (May 14, 2013)

I've got EE 4G and it seems to be working fine most of the time.


----------



## sim667 (May 14, 2013)

TruXta said:


> I've got EE 4G and it seems to be working fine most of the time.


 
In london?

tyheyre in surrey.


----------



## mauvais (May 14, 2013)

bi0boy said:


> More like at normal speed in 15360x8640 resolution on a unfurlable 17 inch screen from your watch.


Your maths needs a bit of work.


----------



## beesonthewhatnow (May 14, 2013)

stuff_it said:


> (((battery life)))


This. Until battery tech makes another leap forward all these other developments are kinda pointless.


----------



## TruXta (May 14, 2013)

sim667 said:


> In london?
> 
> tyheyre in surrey.


In London yeah.


----------



## Callum91 (May 14, 2013)

4G here in Blackpool is pretty good, roll on 5G! 3G is still utterly terrible however, that shit needs sorting.


----------



## sim667 (May 14, 2013)

Neither of them ever go to london tbh.


----------



## Callum91 (May 14, 2013)

On the handfull of occasions so far that I've used 4G out in the wild it's been both reliable and really fast. I don't feel it so much at home 'cos 99.9% of the time I'm connected to the home wifi. I still find that 3G is patchy and inconsistent at best, I hate ever having to rely on it when I'm out 'cos I just _know _it won't work or it'll be as fast as shifting tectonic plates. Either way, the government needs to invest more in the infrastructure, it could be something Britain excels at (being a somewhat small island nation it's not beyond the kin of man to have nationwide coverage). Perhaps I'm a dreamer...


----------



## cybershot (Oct 17, 2017)

5G high-speed data 'milestone' claimed

Qualcomm has demonstrated mobile internet speeds of 1Gbps using a 5G smartphone chip.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 17, 2017)

I thought 5g wasn't about just about speed increases, but supporting us all using lots of data in a way 4g cant deal with.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 17, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> I thought 5g wasn't about just about speed increases, but supporting us all using lots of data in a way 4g cant deal with.


Yes. It will use incredibly clever beam forming and interference-analysis to take things like the signal refracting and reflecting around the surrounding buildings into account. The base sations will be able to "aim" the signal right at your phone, at the same time as sending a signal to another phone in a differrent direction, all at the same fequency.


----------



## emanymton (Oct 17, 2017)

Crispy said:


> Yes. It will use incredibly clever beam forming and interference-analysis to take things like the signal refracting and reflecting around the surrounding buildings into account. The base sations will be able to "aim" the signal right at your phone, at the same time as sending a signal to another phone in a differrent direction, all at the same fequency.


Wow, really that's incredible.


I have no idea what any of this means.


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Oct 17, 2017)

And I imagine it won’t bring the cost of bills down.


----------



## 2hats (Oct 17, 2017)

emanymton said:


> Wow, really that's incredible.
> 
> 
> I have no idea what any of this means.


Integrated circuit phased arrays is the phrase that pays.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Oct 17, 2017)

Magnus McGinty said:


> And I imagine it won’t bring the cost of bills down.



Bills have been falling for ages though. If you don't want a phone and just want the mins, data and texts, your monthly bill can be very cheap compared to what you got 5 years ago.


----------



## Fez909 (Oct 17, 2017)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Bills have been falling for ages though. If you don't want a phone and just want the mins, data and texts, your monthly bill can be very cheap compared to what you got 5 years ago.


Especially when you see what Americans pay. I can't remember the prices now (  ), but it was ridiculously high compared to Euro prices.


----------



## Crispy (Oct 17, 2017)

This is an excellent video explaining the various techs involved



skip to 3:20 to have your mind blown


----------



## emanymton (Oct 18, 2017)

2hats said:


> Integrated circuit phased arrays is the phrase that pays.


Thanks helps a lot.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Apr 10, 2018)

Fuck me, the government has pocketed £1,355,744,000 in the latest spectrum auction for 4G and future 5G mobile services:



> We have been running an auction of airwaves – or spectrum – in two frequency bands:
> 
> 2.3 GHz, which is usable by current mobile phones and will help improve 4G capacity for today’s mobile users; and
> 3.4 GHz, which is one of the spectrum bands earmarked for 5G, the next generation of mobile technology.





> *Results of the principal stage*
> 
> *Airspan Spectrum Holdings Limited* has not won spectrum in either band.
> *EE Limited* has won 40 MHz of 3.4 GHz spectrum at a cost of £302,592,000.
> ...



Results of principal stage of auction for mobile airwaves


----------



## High Voltage (Apr 10, 2018)

I'd be happy to have fucking "g" at home let along 2g, 3g, 4g or 5g


----------



## High Voltage (Apr 10, 2018)

And whilst I'm wishing for the "moon on a stick" - I'd be happy with some half decent broadband


----------



## cupid_stunt (Apr 10, 2018)

High Voltage said:


> I'd be happy to have fucking "g" at home let along 2g, 3g, 4g or 5g



What no signal at all? Where's that?


----------



## cybershot (Apr 10, 2018)

cupid_stunt said:


> Fuck me, the government has pocketed £1,355,744,000 in the latest spectrum auction for 4G and future 5G mobile services:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No doubt this is answered elsewhere and is some archaic law somewhere, but people develop technology, and the government own the spectrum's it can be used at before it can even be used?

Fucked up.


----------



## Crispy (Apr 10, 2018)

cybershot said:


> No doubt this is answered elsewhere and is some archaic law somewhere, but people develop technology, and the government own the spectrum's it can be used at before it can even be used?



There has to be a governing authoriy for electromagnetic broadcasts, otherwise machines would be interfering with each other all over the place. Some is reserved for civilian use (eg. ham radio) and some is left clear for scientific use (eg. radio telescope). Some is unregulated so long as your total broadcast power is below a certain limit (eg. wifi or walkie-talkies). It's incredibly complex:

 

As you can see, it's chock a block. Starting in the 90s, governments around the world started holding auctions to allocate the most commercially valuable parts of the spectrum. The 3G auction in 2000 netted £22.5bn which was way way overvalued. The 4G auction brought in £2.3bn and this 5G auction only £1.3bn.

Allocation of less valuable parts of the spectrum is done by various methods. License applications, free-use below certain power, committee etc.


----------



## 2hats (Apr 10, 2018)

Those use allocations have to be agreed at the ITU (UN) level (radio waves don’t tend to stop at frontiers). The government is obliged to help regulate and enforce them (along with all other signatories).


----------



## mwgdrwg (Apr 10, 2018)

Time to add another layer to the tin-foil hat.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Apr 10, 2018)

mwgdrwg said:


> Time to add another layer to the tin-foil hat.



It's already started, I posted this on the Gateshead Street-lighting thread:



cupid_stunt said:


> It's a growing conspiracy theory, one conspiraloon described 5G as 'more like a total control/weapon system' on a radio forum I keep an eye on, compared the technology to microwave ovens, that he claimed have been banned in Russia since 1976, which is bollocks.
> 
> He followed the usual pattern of posting weird youtube clips, and links to loon sites such as www.electricsense.com, which features all sorts of scare stories about existing technology, including the FACT that YOUR cell phone is KILLING YOU SPERM !!11!!1!
> 
> ...



David Icke is onto it too.


----------



## DotCommunist (Apr 10, 2018)

High Voltage said:


> And whilst I'm wishing for the "moon on a stick" - I'd be happy with some half decent broadband


space X are going to build space internets so you be in the middle of the Kalahari and still get youtube on yer phone


----------



## 2hats (Apr 10, 2018)

DotCommunist said:


> space X are going to build space internets so you be in the middle of the Kalahari and still get youtube on yer phone


Several companies are already doing this or in the process of doing such eg OneWeb, SAS, O3b, plus there is Google’s Project Loon.


----------



## mauvais (Apr 10, 2018)

Crispy said:


> There has to be a governing authoriy for electromagnetic broadcasts, otherwise machines would be interfering with each other all over the place. Some is reserved for civilian use (eg. ham radio) and some is left clear for scientific use (eg. radio telescope). Some is unregulated so long as your total broadcast power is below a certain limit (eg. wifi or walkie-talkies). It's incredibly complex:
> 
> View attachment 132424
> 
> ...


Heh, I used to work there, didn't expect to see one of their diagrams here. RF is frightening - they have/had some proper world class experts involved with this.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Oct 25, 2018)

Vodafone switches on 'full 5G' trial in Manchester | TechRadar



> Vodafone has switched on a trial of ‘full 5G’ in Salford, Greater Manchester and has invited digital startups and media companies in the region to try out the technology ahead of a full launch in 2019.
> 
> Manchester is one of seven cities earmarked for Vodafone 5G trials before the end of the year and the MediaCity UK is host to the company’s first innovation hub. In total, 60 sites across all cities will go live.
> 
> ...


----------



## mauvais (Oct 25, 2018)

There's potentially some interesting stuff in 5G, like broadcast - rather than everyone streaming their own, ostensibly identical but duplicated data for say, iPlayer live TV, it has the capacity to push out a single version of the content that you can receive a la traditional TV transmission. It's being experimented with and trialled at the moment.


----------



## High Voltage (Oct 25, 2018)

cupid_stunt said:


> What no signal at all? Where's that?



"Sunny" Shepton Mallet - but we don't live in the town, just on the outskirts and there's NO mobile signal - the only way we can make or receive calls on our mobiles if through WiFi calling


----------



## Fez909 (Oct 25, 2018)

skyscraper101 said:


> Vodafone switches on 'full 5G' trial in Manchester | TechRadar


I'm in a media company at MediaCity - how do I get me some 5G


----------



## mauvais (Oct 25, 2018)

Fez909 said:


> I'm in a media company at MediaCity - how do I get me some 5G


So am I (which one?) and I didn't even know Vodafone were here.


----------



## Fez909 (Oct 25, 2018)

mauvais said:


> So am I (which one?) and I didn't even know Vodafone were here.


I'm just next door to Booths - don't fancy putting my work name out here, but you wouldn't have heard of it anyway


----------



## Fez909 (Oct 25, 2018)

Apparently it's the Landing/Blue Tower where Vodaphone are.

I assumed that was all BBC


----------



## cupid_stunt (Oct 25, 2018)

High Voltage said:


> "Sunny" Shepton Mallet - but we don't live in the town, just on the outskirts and there's NO mobile signal - the only way we can make or receive calls on our mobiles if through WiFi calling



Blimey, that surprises me, when I lived on the edge of Curry Moor, opposite side to North Curry, we had perfect mobile phone coverage, and that was getting on for 20 years ago now.

I would have expected phone companies to be using the mighty Mendip TV & radio mast on Pen Hill, which should/would provide excellent coverage around the Shepton Mallet area.


----------



## High Voltage (Oct 25, 2018)

cupid_stunt said:


> Blimey, that surprises me, when I lived on the edge of Curry Moor, opposite side to North Curry, we had perfect mobile phone coverage, and that was getting on for 20 years ago now.
> 
> I would have expected phone companies to be using the mighty Mendip TV & radio mast on Pen Hill, which should/would provide excellent coverage around the Shepton Mallet area.




Yeah . . . except we live, almost perfectly, in the shadow of the Mendip transmitter, in a valley which runs East - West, the transmitter is "north" of us and it's got a LOT of the Mendips to transmit THROUGH


----------



## mauvais (Oct 25, 2018)

Fez909 said:


> Apparently it's the Landing/Blue Tower where Vodaphone are.
> 
> I assumed that was all BBC


There's occasionally BBC usage in there, as there is in other MCUK buildings, but only Dock/Bridge/Quay House are dedicated and permanent BBC.


----------



## keybored (Oct 25, 2018)

High Voltage said:


> "Sunny" Shepton Mallet


Same.



High Voltage said:


> but we don't live in the town, just on the outskirts and there's NO mobile signal


Same.



High Voltage said:


> the only way we can make or receive calls on our mobiles if through WiFi calling


Same.

Nice if I want a quiet day, I just tell people my Internet must have been playing up.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Nov 8, 2018)

Anything which means I can get a fast, solid connection without needing a landline, or Virgin Media, is fine with me.

5G will let users 'ditch home broadband'



> 5G mobile data will be so reliable and fast most homes will no longer need a separate home broadband connection, according to one of the companies planning to launch a UK service.
> 
> Three UK's chief executive told BBC News there would be enough capacity on 5G to cope with demand, meaning households would be able to save money by ending their fixed-line contracts.
> 
> He predicts consumers will use 13 times as much mobile data in 2025 as today.


----------



## Badgers (Nov 8, 2018)

skyscraper101 said:


> Anything which means I can get a fast, solid connection without needing a landline, or Virgin Media, is fine with me.
> 
> 5G will let users 'ditch home broadband'


I saw that too but it seems a way off yet.


----------



## cybershot (Nov 8, 2018)

skyscraper101 said:


> Anything which means I can get a fast, solid connection without needing a landline, or Virgin Media, is fine with me.
> 
> 5G will let users 'ditch home broadband'



Interesting, mobile firms will need to ditch their data plans if people are going to install 5G access points/modems whatever you want to call them in our homes. I could eat 12GB in a couple of hours at home. I pay £41 a month at the moment just for internet from VM, I'll happily pay my mobile provider the same amount (inflation taken into account, would be more come 2025, maybe more if it's bundled in with a mobile contract which I assume it would be) if the limits are good and the speed is fast and reliable.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Nov 14, 2018)

Six UK cities named as 5G pioneers


> Building on existing trials, EE will turn on 5G in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester by mid-2019.
> 
> By the end of 2019, another 10 cities will get EE networks which could transmit data at speeds faster than 10 gigabits per second.


----------



## Winot (Nov 14, 2018)

Just checked and got this on 4G which is mad (London coming into Paddington).


----------



## kropotkin (Nov 14, 2018)

Wow! I'm on Vodafone and actually pretty impressed with them. Don't get anywhere near that though


----------



## Crispy (Nov 14, 2018)

33 down, 18 up with giffgaff and that's just sitting at my desk. Probably a bit better outdoors. Not quite sure what I need more for, on the go!

(that's better Up than I get on my "fiber" broadband at home ffs!)


----------



## cupid_stunt (Nov 14, 2018)

I am on giffgaff, signal here is poor - just one bar out of five, so I am amazed I've got 48 down & 7 up.


----------



## paolo (Nov 14, 2018)

Crispy said:


> 33 down, 18 up with giffgaff and that's just sitting at my desk. Probably a bit better outdoors. Not quite sure what I need more for, on the go!
> 
> (that's better Up than I get on my "fiber" broadband at home ffs!)



Back in the day when Three had the only truly unlimited plan with tethering, I used my phone, on 4G, as home broadband, because it was faster.

I think I peaked at 80Gb in a month. The fair use limit was a terabyte. My phone used to get stupidly hot, as I downloaded desktop OS updates, films at good res, everything.

They bumped everyone off that tariff in the end.


----------



## Riklet (Dec 11, 2018)

Im getting 2-3Mbps in somerset with giffgaff. fucking crap! could it be a dodgy sim affecting speeds or just this area? Im not actually in the countryside but it always seems pretty poor.

It's nice to fantasize about 5g but most of the country hasnt even got decent 4g yet! Things seem so behind.


----------



## paolo (Dec 11, 2018)

Riklet said:


> Im getting 2-3Mbps in somerset with giffgaff. fucking crap! could it be a dodgy sim affecting speeds or just this area? Im not actually in the countryside but it always seems pretty poor.
> 
> It's nice to fantasize about 5g but most of the country hasnt even got decent 4g yet! Things seem so behind.



5g is really short range, as I understand it. It’s not a straight swap for 4g or earlier.

May well not be the answer you were hoping for where you are. More likely only where *lots* of antennas can be put up, eg cities.


----------



## Crispy (Dec 12, 2018)

Range/signal penetration is proportional to wavelength (and therefore how small the antenna can be) and inversely proportional to bandwidth. This is why AM Radio 4 sounds terrible but can be picked up in mainland Europe (and the antenna is 200m tall). The really high-speed bits of 5G have even shorter wavelength than WiFi, which means terrific speed, tiny base stations, but line-of-sight only.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 28, 2019)

How daily life will benefit from 5G - CNN


----------



## editor (Apr 27, 2019)

There's an awful lot of people spreading scare stories about the supposed immense health risks to humans from 5G, mainly sourced from dodgy websites.

Anyone got a good link to some credible independent research?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 27, 2019)

I'd have thought proving a negative is kind of hard. And they won't listen anyway.


----------



## Poi E (Apr 28, 2019)

How about this scare story? The Telegraph is running a propaganda piece from the Chinese ambassador saying the UK must work with Huawei on 5G. Jesus Christ. Now the right wing of the country want to compromise its security.


----------



## pesh (Apr 28, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> How daily life will benefit from 5G - CNN


i was slightly sceptical about the breathlessly reported life changing benefits 5G promises humankind before reading that article. Now i'm very sceptical.
it's basically 60Mbps MOBILE PHONE CONNECTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN MODERN LIFE!!!! BUY THE NEW SHINY SHINY!!!
whatever.


----------



## editor (May 30, 2019)

Interesting piece here: 
Your 5G Phone Won’t Hurt You. But Russia Wants You to Think Otherwise.


----------



## cupid_stunt (May 30, 2019)

editor said:


> Interesting piece here:
> Your 5G Phone Won’t Hurt You. But Russia Wants You to Think Otherwise.



That's what the US and our government, wants us to believe.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (May 30, 2019)

I was just thinking today how long till fixed line broadband goes the way of landlines for most people. Business and the like will have it, but for home use, mobile will be fine.


----------



## pesh (Jun 2, 2019)

Tech Tent: Why is 5G data capped?


> To put it to the test, our technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones went to Covent Garden in central London, to appear live on the BBC News channel via 5G video link.
> 
> His broadcast went smoothly, although afterwards he revealed there had been a small technical hitch.
> 
> Three days of testing the video-streaming technology had hit EE's data cap. The Sim card needed "topping up" before he could go on air.


£57 a month for 10Gb of data.
Fucking pointless.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jun 2, 2019)

I’d eat through 10gb in a few days.

Load of bollocks.


----------



## joustmaster (Jun 2, 2019)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> I was just thinking today how long till fixed line broadband goes the way of landlines for most people. Business and the like will have it, but for home use, mobile will be fine.


When Elon finishes putting his starlink satellites up.


----------



## cybershot (Jun 2, 2019)

Ah yes. Just when people think they can get rid of their landline broadband. Excessive fees and data caps. Idiots.


----------



## BristolEcho (Jun 2, 2019)

Yeah I'm really not seeing the point in the extra cost for every day folk unless it's uncapped. Even then though my 15gb of 4G data works pretty perfectly and is more than enough.


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 2, 2019)

I'm sticking 4G, my g.


----------



## cybershot (Jun 2, 2019)

https://gizmodo.com/bbc-goes-to-conduct-its-first-broadcast-over-5g-immedi-1835119262


----------



## donkyboy (Jun 2, 2019)

I wonder if he has early signs of parkinsons or just nerves. Lots of hand shaking


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jun 2, 2019)

Didn't unlimited data deals mostly disappear at the start of 4g? Early days and companies need to recoup their huge investments. 

I'm perfectly happy with 30gb on 4g. Maybe by the time it's rolled out to places I will actually use it, the prices will have dropped somewhat.


----------



## Lazy Llama (Jun 2, 2019)

donkyboy said:


> I wonder if he has early signs of parkinsons or just nerves. Lots of hand shaking


Parkinsons, sadly.


Story in the Mail today saying that he also has cancer.


----------



## Lazy Llama (Jun 2, 2019)

pesh said:


> Tech Tent: Why is 5G data capped?
> 
> £57 a month for 10Gb of data.
> Fucking pointless.


I'd imagine costs will come down as competition ramps up in the next few months. Early adopters always get stung.


----------



## pesh (Jun 3, 2019)

When 3G came out most providers were offering unlimited packages, I'm genuinely amazed 5G is being capped, it's fantastically pointless.
And amazingly expensive, I'm on a 30Gb 4G plan for £5 a month, so this would work out at about 11 times the price for 1/3 of the data. Progress!


----------



## editor (Jun 3, 2019)

Lazy Llama said:


> Parkinsons, sadly.
> 
> 
> Story in the Mail today saying that he also has cancer.



Poor bloke


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jun 3, 2019)

pesh said:


> When 3G came out most providers were offering unlimited packages, I'm genuinely amazed 5G is being capped, it's fantastically pointless.
> And amazingly expensive, I'm on a 30Gb 4G plan for £5 a month, so this would work out at about 11 times the price for 1/3 of the data. Progress!



Maybe to stop people just replacing their home broadband with it just yet? 

30gb for a fiver a month is very cheap though. Way cheaper then I saw when shopping round recently.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jun 3, 2019)

donkyboy said:


> I'm sticking 4G, my g.



It’s a g thang


----------



## Lazy Llama (Jul 3, 2019)

Lazy Llama said:


> I'd imagine costs will come down as competition ramps up in the next few months. Early adopters always get stung.


Vodafone are launching in 7 cities today.


> Prices for the Unlimited Max plan will start at £30 per month for a SIM only contract. That gets you unlimited data and the fastest 5G (or 4G) speed available, with customers paying more on top of that based on which handset they opt for.
> ...
> Vodafone also launched its 5G home broadband product at the event – the Huawei-made Gigacube – at a cost of £30 per month, and its “converged” home broadband/mobile contract at a cost of £50 per month for a landline, unlimited 5G mobile data and a free Amazon Echo Plus.


Vodafone switches on 5G across seven UK cities with “no premium” over 4G

(Disclaimer: I work for Vodafone - no, I cannot help with your mobile  )


----------



## mwgdrwg (Jul 3, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> It’s a g thang



Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 3, 2019)

Lazy Llama said:


> Vodafone are launching in 7 cities today.
> 
> Vodafone switches on 5G across seven UK cities with “no premium” over 4G
> 
> (Disclaimer: I work for Vodafone - no, I cannot help with your mobile  )



I liked the sound of the £30 home broadband gigacube. But I noted that you only get 100GB a month for that money (and you’d have to pay £100 upfront) - to get the full unlimited service it would be £50/month and £50 upfront


----------



## Lazy Llama (Jul 3, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> I liked the sound of the £30 home broadband gigacube. But I noted that you only get 100GB a month for that money (and you’d have to pay £100 upfront) - to get the full unlimited service it would be £50/month and £50 upfront


Yeah, you'd probably want more than 100GB, but even then £50/mo isn't bad. Just a pity that there's no coverage where I live (zone 2 in London).


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 3, 2019)

Lazy Llama said:


> Yeah, you'd probably want more than 100GB, but even then £50/mo isn't bad. Just a pity that there's no coverage where I live (zone 2 in London).



You don't have any coverage at all for Vodafone where you live? Isn't 5G supposed to address all those dead spots in London?


----------



## Lazy Llama (Jul 3, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> You don't have any coverage at all for Vodafone where you live? Isn't 5G supposed to address all those dead spots in London?


No 5G coverage yet where I am - only launched today. I get in excess of 100mbps on 4G at home.


----------



## existentialist (Jul 3, 2019)

cupid_stunt said:


> It's already started, I posted this on the Gateshead Street-lighting thread:
> 
> 
> 
> David Icke is onto it too.


The loons are all coming out of the woodwork on my FB feed 

Even people I've thought were quite sound are going a bit 

 

about it all, which I don't necessarily damn them for.

But when I point out, quite reasonably, that there's absolutely nothing new about this from an RF radiation point of view, and that actually 5G's all about absolutely tiny picocells running at miniscule powers, then the ones who start giving it the "ahhhhhh, but WHO told you that?" and tapping their noses frantically...those are the ones who go into the bitbucket.

So it is fair to say that 5G has already speeded up my Facebook experience. Yay 5G!


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 3, 2019)

Lazy Llama said:


> No 5G coverage yet where I am - only launched today. I get in excess of 100mbps on 4G at home.



The press release info seems a bit vague then. It just says 5G launched today in 'seven cities' - including 'London' so I guess its not quite as available as we're led to think.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 16, 2019)

I was checking the details on this 'Gigacube' today which Vodafone have just launched - apparently it's a rebadged Huawei B818 and "can deliver up to 1Gbps download speeds to up to 64 devices simultaneously and with a 90 metres range"

I've been putting in some London postcodes on the status checker - it says limited or no coverage in loads of places - even my office in Oxford Circus which is about as central London as you could get it says 'limited coverage' and none at all where I live in SW15. Load of bollocks.

This little box delivers unlimited 5G for an incredible £50 per month | TechRadar


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 16, 2019)

Cost breakdown below for the gigacube.


----------



## emanymton (Jul 16, 2019)

Is there even any point yo 5g for the average user? With my 4g i can stream Netflix and YouTube with no buffering, why would most people need anything faster than that?


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 16, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> I was checking the details on this 'Gigacube' today which Vodafone have just launched - apparently it's a rebadged Huawei B818 and "can deliver up to 1Gbps download speeds to up to 64 devices simultaneously and with a 90 metres range"
> 
> I've been putting in some London postcodes on the status checker - it says limited or no coverage in loads of places - even my office in Oxford Circus which is about as central London as you could get it says 'limited coverage' and none at all where I live in SW15. Load of bollocks.
> 
> This little box delivers unlimited 5G for an incredible £50 per month | TechRadar



Vodafone only launched 5G in London on 3rd July, it'll takes many months before there's decent coverage across London, and many years before it becomes standard across the country. 

Interesting guide to 5G here: What is 5G and when will UK networks rollout?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 16, 2019)

emanymton said:


> Is there even any point yo 5g for the average user? With my 4g i can stream Netflix and YouTube with no buffering, why would most people need anything faster than that?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 16, 2019)

On a serious point. Not being tethered to cable or phone line is a big plus. Presumably one would be able to take their 'gigacube' or whatever anywhere they wanted, as long as it was connected to a power source and they got reception.

 Plus there is less latency I think? Which is important for gaming (I'm told).


----------



## Fez909 (Jul 16, 2019)

emanymton said:


> Is there even any point yo 5g for the average user? With my 4g i can stream Netflix and YouTube with no buffering, why would most people need anything faster than that?


It will make downloading files quicker, not just streaming. Imagine opening a thread on Urban with 100s of embedded images/whatever. That'll load faster.

Or using your Netflix example, imagine you're going into an area with no coverage and want to download it for offline viewing - you'll get that video quicker now.

If you've ever been to a gig or festival or just anywhere with lots of people in a small area, and been unable to make a phone call...5g will help with that.

5g is more power efficient, so your batter will last longer.


----------



## emanymton (Jul 16, 2019)

Fez909 said:


> It will make downloading files quicker, not just streaming. Imagine opening a thread on Urban with 100s of embedded images/whatever. That'll load faster.
> 
> Or using your Netflix example, imagine you're going into an area with no coverage and want to download it for offline viewing - you'll get that video quicker now.
> 
> ...


I don't have any problem with threads loading? How often do most people really download large files using 4g? I have downloaded stuff on Netflix a couple of times and it only takes a couple of minutes. I just don't  thing the few benefits are worth the extra cost for most people.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 16, 2019)

emanymton said:


> I don't have any problem with threads loading? How often do most people really download large files using 4g? I have downloaded stuff on Netflix a couple of times and it only takes a couple of minutes. I just don't  thing the few benefits are worth the extra cost for most people.



The extra cost will only apply in the early days, to people daft enough to sign-up, once the networks are rolled-out, you'll see prices drop to what 4G packages are now, but with benefits.

It's how tech roll-outs always happen.


----------



## emanymton (Jul 16, 2019)

cupid_stunt said:


> The extra cost will only apply in the early days, to people daft enough to sign-up, once the networks are rolled-out, you'll see prices drop to what 4G packages are now, but with benefits.
> 
> It's how tech roll-outs always happen.


Yeah of course. Like i never choose to upgrade to 4g it just because standard.  But I wonder how many people will get sold it and end up paying for something they don't really need.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Jul 16, 2019)

emanymton said:


> Yeah of course. Like i never choose to upgrade to 4g it just because standard.  But I wonder how many people will get sold it and end up paying for something they don't really need.



Look toward the Apple fans, sleeping out over night to grab their latest over priced iPhone.

Idiots will be idiots.


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 16, 2019)

Meanwhile a campaign group led by a "nutritional therapist" were apparently going to "storm" a Bristol council meeting today in protest at the erection of an antenna in Bristol 5.
A paucity of live coverage as presumably none of 'em have mobile phones with 'em.

Protesters to storm City Hall to end 5G roll-out


----------



## Jon-of-arc (Jul 17, 2019)

emanymton said:


> Is there even any point yo 5g for the average user? With my 4g i can stream Netflix and YouTube with no buffering, why would most people need anything faster than that?



I plan to use 5g to do this video game streaming thing that's coming in from google in back end of this year. The required speeds aren't that high, but I'm gonna guess that it will actually need to be a fair bit higher to be reliable and all that.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jul 17, 2019)

Jon-of-arc said:


> I plan to use 5g to do this video game streaming thing that's coming in from google in back end of this year. The required speeds aren't that high, but I'm gonna guess that it will actually need to be a fair bit higher to be reliable and all that.



Id guess it will be as much about consistency then actual speed. Also imagine chewing through data doing that...


----------



## Jon-of-arc (Jul 17, 2019)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Id guess it will be as much about consistency then actual speed. Also imagine chewing through data doing that...



I get the impression that 5g is gonna be a bit more consistent than 4g (or at least, it will be offering speeds at waaayyy above what is required for this stream gaming, and when it slows down a bit it is still fast enough to manage the not-that-high speeds required...) as well as reduced latency which is apparently important. 

Hopefully the "unlimited" tariffs will be truly unlimited - or at least have a "fair use" cap closer to what people will actually end up using.  As has been pointed out, people will have the ability to eat up current allowances in a matter of minutes, so what's the point in having all this data available if we have contracts that restrict our ability to use it without paying through the nose? Probably how it will be at first (paying through the nose), but let's wait and see.  I have a recollection of seeing Three's price plan and it looking more than serviceable. I will try and find it after clocking Post.


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Jul 17, 2019)

Let's hope so. That said I see far less unlimited contracts on 4g then there was with 3g. Otherwise for many it would be quite easy to replace your home broadband.

I phoned up Virgin a few days ago renegotiate my home contract, don't think I use that much compared to what I use to. Apparently thats 400gb last month which they consider pretty average as well. I get 30gb on mobile and that's fairly generous.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 17, 2019)

Some testing around London I picked up on twitter yesterday...


----------



## Fez909 (Jul 17, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> Some testing around London I picked up on twitter yesterday...



Not surprised he couldn't get 5G at KX. I can't even get 4G there. Ridiculous that such a popular station has such shit coverage.


----------



## BristolEcho (Jul 17, 2019)

Saw some graffiti today "5g was trialed at Bristol University and suicides rose to record levels."


----------



## gentlegreen (Jul 18, 2019)

It's so embarassing having those kinds of idiots in Bristol of all places.
Just what do they think low power RF does when it hits a proverbial "bag of mainly water" ?
Did the council meeting get "stormed" in the end ?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 25, 2019)

O2 to launch 5G network in UK in October


----------



## 2hats (Jul 26, 2019)

Three launch their 5G service next month. Apparently they will offer it at no extra cost to all existing users (obviously you have to have a suitable handset).


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 26, 2019)

2hats said:


> Three launch their 5G service next month. Apparently they will offer it at no extra cost to all existing users (obviously you have to have a suitable handset).



That's encouraging though let's hope their 5G service will compare better than their 4G service against their competitors because it royally sucked in some pretty vital areas I needed it to work when I was with them, in central London too. Vodafone by comparison has been largely black spot free.


----------



## Badgers (Jul 26, 2019)

2hats said:


> Three launch their 5G service next month. Apparently they will offer it at no extra cost to all existing users (obviously you have to have a suitable handset).


Are many handsets going to be 5G capable?


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 26, 2019)

There are some out there


----------



## Badgers (Jul 26, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> There are some out there


Probably not a cheaper model Xiaomi


----------



## fishfinger (Jul 26, 2019)

Badgers said:


> Probably not a cheaper model Xiaomi


I think the only Xiaomi phone with 5G is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Jul 29, 2019)

Kuo: All Three iPhones Coming in 2020 Will Support 5G


----------



## skyscraper101 (Aug 19, 2019)

Virgin Media and BT challenged as fast new broadband service launches today


> "Unlike EE and Vodafone, who have both pushed out 5G for smartphones, Three is starting its launch by attacking home broadband."
> 
> "This 5G broadband is launching in London with more areas expected to get these speeds in the coming months."
> 
> "£35 per month with customers needing to sign up for a year."


----------



## skyscraper101 (Aug 20, 2019)

Pupils kept at home over 5G mobile health fears


----------



## cupid_stunt (Aug 21, 2019)

skyscraper101 said:


> Virgin Media and BT challenged as fast new broadband service launches today



A BBC reported tested it out in London, it didn't go well.

BBC News tries out Three's 5G for the home



> All in all, the set-up took only a few minutes and service was up and running straight away. I chose a film from a film-streaming service to put the 5G through its paces.
> 
> The film played almost immediately - impressive. But half an hour in, the film started buffering. The 5G light on the router had gone out and it had switched back to the slower 4G network.
> 
> The 5G did come back but the router soon dropped down to 4G again. This back and forth continued for a while and, frustrated, I ended up switching back to my old fixed-line broadband to finish the film.


----------



## cupid_stunt (Aug 21, 2019)

We are all fucked! 





/Dr Jazzz over & out.


----------



## skyscraper101 (Nov 28, 2019)

Bloomberg video says it’ll be 2 years at least until it’s mature enough to be the new normal.

This is why, despite my initial reservations about the iPhone 11 not having 5G, on reflection I’m not really missing out on much, and won’t for some time.


----------



## DJWrongspeed (Feb 16, 2020)

I saw the the vodaphone 5g advert the other day. Alot of it revolved around being able to live stream you and your mates hugging at gig or something.

Progress ? What is the end result here? There will just a big stadium with lights and music playing and everyone videoing themselves. Great night out.


----------



## steveseagull (Feb 27, 2020)

Three launched their 5G today and it is woefully sparse. Very little city centre/town centres are covered. A few out of town places have got it


----------



## skyscraper101 (Feb 27, 2020)

Yep it's going to be very hit and miss for quite a while.

Much like the "launch" of 3G. Oh, how excited I was when I signed up with Three back in 2003 and got one of those NEC phones that could do "video calls". Haha. Then I realized just how rubbish it was and cancelled within the cooling off period. Didn't go proper smartphone for a long time after. Even the first iPhone wasn't 3G, I think it wasn't til 2008 that it finally got it.


----------



## steveseagull (Mar 9, 2020)

Yeah I had in if those ha ha


----------



## mx wcfc (Mar 9, 2020)

As people have said, 3G and 4g are largely crap. At Reading station tonight, with trains running late, bugger all reception on work or personal phone. Why would anyone fork out for 5g that doesn’t work?


----------



## cybershot (Feb 10, 2021)

I feel some speed tests coming on. When I’m actually in an area that supports it (maybe at the weekend) and not out in the sticks.


----------



## cybershot (Feb 20, 2021)




----------



## sim667 (Mar 30, 2021)

Tested my iPhone on 5G a while back but forgot to post result.

iPhone 12 on 3 mobile outside St Helier Hospital (IIRC)


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 5, 2022)

First time I've seen Vodaphone 5g faster then EE 4g at it's best.


----------



## nick (Apr 6, 2022)

Full disclosure.
Everything went down after a lightning strike this afternoon, and this was immediately after I rebooted by phone, so it could be I was first to hook back onto the tower (technical terminology) . Now I'm running at a more modest 763 down and 39 up


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Apr 7, 2022)

These speeds are amazing. I've never seen the use of having fast speeds on a phone / mobile device though unless I'm using it as a router for my PC because broadband is down. And then the data cap renders it sort of useless because you want fast speeds for big files.


----------



## nick (Apr 7, 2022)

Don't have a data cap - and don't use that much. It just happens 

The 5G speed here (and within a radius of a couple hundred metres) is great. 
To the extent that when my sky copper connection went down a while ago and I realised how much faster was 5G, I binned the landline and got a 5G home router as well.
(£13pm for 6 months, savings fans) 
Downside being that when lightning trips the tower, I have no back up access


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 7, 2022)

Magnus McGinty said:


> These speeds are amazing. I've never seen the use of having fast speeds on a phone / mobile device though unless I'm using it as a router for my PC because broadband is down. And then the data cap renders it sort of useless because you want fast speeds for big files.



That's awesome. I've long been a fan of old stereo kit, but adding an amp can be a bit add to the price, but they are also bulky! I'm planning on upgrading my downstairs speakers (with better ones from eBay) and that looks just the thing to improve the setup in my office.

Did you do lots of research on this specific model or did you just pick one and it worked well?


----------



## Magnus McGinty (Apr 7, 2022)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> That's awesome. I've long been a fan of old stereo kit, but adding an amp can be a bit add to the price, but they are also bulky! I'm planning on upgrading my downstairs speakers (with better ones from eBay) and that looks just the thing to improve the setup in my office.
> 
> Did you do lots of research on this specific model or did you just pick one and it worked well?



Wrong thread?


----------



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 7, 2022)

Magnus McGinty said:


> Wrong thread?



Yes. 

This was the response I meant to paste.

Your right, but it's pretty cool. I don't get it at home sadly, it's only about 30mbs where as on EE I used to get 100mbs on their 4g. 

I get 150Gb for a stupidly cheap price, so I think data caps are becoming less of a thing.


----------

