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Countrywide Telecoms are a partner of the University of Surrey, the UK’s largest academic research centre dedicated to the development of mobile and wireless communications, in the search for next generation 5G coverage.

Explanation of 5G and what it means for a future facing economy

It’s the biggest advancement facing our mobile and wireless connectivity systems today. The ‘G’ stands for ‘generation’, and as 1G was the first generation of wireless phone technology in the early 1990s, 5G is the next generation of connectivity facing today’s world. It aims to offer a step-up in capacity and responsiveness to the needs of its users. As well as this, it aims to be the most efficient system as of yet, both in terms of cost and energy usage.

5G technology will build on the foundation created by 4G LTE, dramatically increasing the speed at which data is transferred across the network. This will make it easier for people to download and upload, and make room for the thousands of internet-connected devices entering our everyday world. Currently, 4G LTE transfer speeds top out at about one gigabit per second- 5G will increase download speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. To put this in perspective, 4G would take about an hour to download a HD movie in perfect condition, whereas 5G can download the full HD movie in a matter of seconds. ‘It’s not science fiction, it’s happening today,’ spoke Professor Lisa Roberts, the Executive Dean at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University, ‘All we need to think about is the realm of possibility’.

The 5G innovation centre at Surrey University

Being part of the global race to achieve the newest and most advanced connectivity is something we prize as wholly aligned to our key beliefs; the innovation needed to create, the courage to bring new ideas to the table, and the passion that we have for modernity and technology. The 5GIC, the 5G innovation centre in Guildford, Surrey, brings together leading expertise in academic technology and key industry partners such as EE, Telefonica, Vodafone, BT, Samsung and the BBC, to unite in a shared vision of the UK being the leading innovator in telecommunication services. The 5GIC, funded by £12 million from HEFCE and over £68 million co-investment from industry and regional partners, was set up to drive connectivity and the advancement of digital technology in the direction needed to shape tomorrow’s society. Keith Robson, COO of 5GIC, says, ‘Potentially competitive companies can work together, in a trusted environment, to develop these new systems…in terms of technical capabilities, this is the only institution that can offer full end-to-end tests across the whole range of 5G technologies’. The 5GIC programme is all about getting some of the leading companies and specialists in the industry and academically to work together and achieve something great for the entirety of modern society.

5GIC’s vision is to provide for an evolving world. They see a world in which 5G infrastructure should be user-centric, with the agility to deliver consistently sufficient data rates and low latency, to give infinite capacity. Opening new channels and ways of enabling higher performing network capabilities, by giving the ability to the user to access the best quality of experience, is a stepping stone to a better connected, and therefore, a greater society. You can monitor all the latest updates from the 5GIC here. You can also download a white paper concerning the vision of 5G, and what the advancement in the latest wireless network innovation may mean here (written by Huawei).

The recent news concerning the budget and investment in 5G programmes will no doubt be a huge advantage to UK technological advancements.

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