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LONDON, Feb 14 (Reuters) - British network Three is rolling
out 5G mobile to major cities including London, Glasgow and
Birmingham from the end of the month, joining its larger rivals
in offering next-generation services on new 5G-enabled handsets.
Three, owned by Hong Kong's Hutchison, launched a
5G home broadband product in central London last year, but Chief
Executive Dave Dyson said he wanted all elements of the network,
including its cutting edge "cloud core", fully functioning
before moving onto mobile.
He said Three's entry into the market coincided with the
launch of a bigger range of compatible handsets, including the
new Samsung Galaxy S20 range unveiled on Tuesday, which would
spark wider interest in ultrafast services.
Apple is set to launch its first 5G iPhones later this year,
industry analysts have predicted. "We are prepped and ready for
that critical inflection point," Dyson said.
The company, unlike rivals like BT's EE, said it
would give customers access to 5G with no speed caps and at no
extra cost on all contract, SIM-only and pay-as-you-go mobile
plans.
The service will initially be available in 25 cities and
towns, building to 80% coverage by the end of 2021, it has said.
Three's spectrum holdings - the airwaves mobile operators
license for their services - historically lagged rivals, but
when it comes to 5G the position is reversed.
Three said it currently holds more 5G spectrum than the rest
of the industry combined and its was the only UK operator with
the 100MHz of 5G spectrum required to meet the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard for a 5G network.
Three has partnered with leading London fashion design
college Central Saint Martins to create what it said would be a
fully immersive 5G catwalk experience later on Friday as part of
London Fashion Week.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle
Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
