on 25-07-2019 08:59
O2 announces October 5G launch, prioritising areas where customers will benefit most
For customers who want to get 5G ready ahead of launch, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be available to purchase from Thursday 8 August with the Xiaomi Mix 3 5G coming later in August. Further devices will be rolled out ready for launch. Following the launch of 5G in October, both consumer and business customers will be able to select a 5G tariff that suits them.
O2’s industry-leading custom plans ensure that customers have the flexibility to take advantage of 5G on their terms. Customers on O2 custom plans can move to 5G at any time they chose. For customers who want to stick with their current handset, custom plans gives them the flexibility to trade in their existing non-5G handset and take out a new 5G handset and tariff any time after launch. Full detail of O2’s tariffs, handsets and devices will be revealed later this year.
Mark Evans, CEO, Telefónica UK, said:
“5G is going to be a game changer for our country. Whether it’s for people or businesses, the power of this next-generation network is going to unlock a world of possibilities for our economy and society.
“As we switch on our network across the country, our intelligence-led roll-out prioritises the key areas in towns and cities first – the places where our customers need, and will use, 5G the most. We’re also giving our customers maximum flexibility with our industry-leading custom plans, letting people adopt 5G at a time that’s right for them.”
Building a 5G economy
Today’s 5G announcement comes as O2 confirms its new business division, O2 Business, due to launch on 1 August. O2 Business will consolidate the operator’s B2B activity across Enterprise and Wholesale partners. O2 Business will bring together all product development (including IOT, data and 5G) alongside its Enterprise and Wholesale sales and commercial teams. The division will focus on supporting business customers to use technology to solve their business problems.
O2 Business will build on existing plans, working with major UK businesses across Industrial & Manufacturing, Energy & Utilities, Retail and Transport sectors to build a 5G economy and help shape the use cases to drive benefits from 5G.
Examples of O2’s work here includes:
Coinciding with its 5G launch, O2 will also be opening its 5G innovation spaces within its Wayra accelerator hubs. The spaces will provide next generation 5G test environments to start-ups and scale-ups to help fuel future innovation.
Continuing to invest in 4G
O2 will implement a balanced 5G rollout with a commitment to continue upgrading its 4G network across the country and ensuring flexible and transparent tariffs are available for all. According to YouGov, while only 11% of consumers think network operators should prioritise the rollout of 5G, 31% would prefer improved 4G connectivity and fair tariffs to be more of a priority.
4G remains the backbone of the O2 network and, earlier this year, O2 announced it was upgrading its infrastructure at sports venues across the country such as Liverpool’s 54,000 capacity Anfield Stadium, Lord’s cricket ground and a range of major UK shopping centres, including Bluewater in Kent.
O2 currently offers 4G in almost 19,000 cities, towns and villages across the UK and spends the equivalent of £2 million a day on strengthening its network and increasing its reach and was recently awarded uSwitch’s 2019 award for Best Network Coverage, as voted by the public.
For more information please visit www.o2.co.uk/connectivity
*Best Network for Coverage – uSwitch 2019
on 25-07-2019 09:26
on 25-07-2019 09:38
on 25-07-2019 09:38
on 25-07-2019 10:39
on 25-07-2019 10:39
on 25-07-2019 16:12
on 25-07-2019 16:12
on 26-07-2019 09:42
on 26-07-2019 09:42
Good news, although I'll be waiting until all the fuss over it has died down and the over-priced phones and tariffs come down too
I remember all the fuss over 4G , stating it was going to change the world etc LOL
on 17-10-2019 23:08