Biggest UK MNO Prepares to Flip the 5G Switch

The UK’s largest Mobile Network Operator is about the launch the country’s first commercial 5G network.

A joint venture of Deutsche Telekom and Orange (formerly France Télécom), EE is the largest operator of 4G services in Europe. Now, it’s poised to become a pioneer in the realm of 5G, announcing that it plans to initiate its 5G network on May 30th in six British cities – Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, and Manchester.

The telecom is working in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, leveraging its Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform with Snapdragon X50 5G Modem, as well as its RF Front-End (RFFE) solutions. In so doing, EE joins a number of other prominent telecoms around the world, including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, China Mobile, and NTT DOCOMO, among others, in embracing Qualcomm’s X50 modem solution.

Meanwhile, major smartphone brands including OnePlus, LG, and OPPO have already launched 5G smartphones featuring Qualcomm technology.

“After driving an industry-wide collaborative effort to accelerate the arrival of 5G by one year, it’s rewarding to see commercial networks and devices now rolling out across the globe,” commented Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon in a statement announcing the network launch. “We welcome UK consumers to the 5G era and are excited to see them experience 5G’s cutting-edge, transformational potential firsthand.”

EE says that in addition to its initial network support in the aforementioned cities, it’s aiming to bring 5G connectivity to 10 additional cities by the end of the year, including Glasgow, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Bristol.