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5G handsets and networks: Everything you need to know about roll-outs and roadmaps for the UK

Published

4 years ago

June 11, 2019

If you’ve been waiting impatiently for 5G, your wait is nearly over: networks are beginning to be switched on and handsets are becoming available. However, it’s very early days, and the utility of 5G services will depend for some time on where you live, what you want to do with the new mobile technology, and how much you’re prepared to pay as an early adopter.

Every new mobile generation generates plenty of media coverage, but 5G is different thanks in no small measure to the controversy surrounding Huawei, which is a leading supplier of networking equipment and smartphones. At the time of writing, Huawei remains on the US Commerce Department’s Entity List, which prohibits US companies from exporting technology products and software to the Chinese company without specific authorisation.

Although alleviated somewhat by a 90-day special licence, this move — driven by the suspicion that Huawei poses a cybersecurity threat to US interests — severely hampers Huawei’s long-term ability to do business in the 5G market. Two of the key suppliers of the smartphone ecosystem — Google (the Android operating system) and Arm (processor designs) — have put their ongoing relationships with Huawei on hold, for example.

SEE: IT pro’s guide to the evolution and impact of 5G technology (free PDF)

All UK operators use multiple vendors for their network infrastructure, but Huawei’s equipment is both reliable and competitively priced, and therefore widely used. In April, the UK government signalled that it would allow Huawei to supply ‘non-core’ components of its 5G infrastructure such as masts and antennas. In response, the Trump administration indicated that Huawei’s involvement in UK 5G networks could disrupt intelligence co-operation between the two countries (which has historically been very close). However, President Trump’s latest statement seems more positive: “We are going to have absolutely an agreement on Huawei and everything else,” he said at a press conference in London during his recent state visit. “We have an incredible intelligence relationship and we will be able to work out any differences,” Trump added.

This is the background to the 5G roll-out in the UK, which is covered here. The key point to note is that 5G coverage will remain patchy and dependent on existing 4G infrastructure for some time. Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will be supported from the start, but new use cases based on Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), Massive Machine Type Communication (MMTC) and network slicing will require updated standards and standalone 5G infrastructure to come on-stream. Additional geopolitical complications can only delay these developments.

UK 5G networks

Launch

Use cases

Where

Huawei equipment

5G roadmap

Other

30 May 2019

eMBB, FWA

London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester (see coverage maps)

Radio Access Network (RAN), 4G core

later in 2019 Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield

2020 Aberdeen, Cambridge, Derby, Gloucester, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Worcester, Wolverhampton

2022/3 full 5G core network

Post-2023 URLLC, network slicing, multi-Gbps speeds

Launch	Use cases	Where	Huawei equipment	5G roadmap	Other
3 July 2019	eMBB, FWA	Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Manchester (check network status)	RAN	later in 2019 Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington, Wolverhampton	Roaming in UK, Germany, Italy, Spain (summer 2019)

Launch

Use cases

Where

Huawei equipment

5G roadmap

Other

August 2019

eMBB, FWA

London (FWA only at first)

RAN, Access transport services

later in 2019 Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, Rotherham, Sheffield, Slough, Sunderland, Wolverhampton on 700MHz and 3.5GHz 5G spectrum

early 2020s mmWave (>24GHz)

Launch	Use cases	Where	Huawei equipment	5G roadmap	Other
H2 2019	eMBB, FWA	Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London (plus Millbrook Proving Ground in June 2019)	RAN	includes ‘5G innovation spaces across the country, offering next generation 5G test environments to business of all sizes’

UK 5G smartphones

Smartphone manufacturers are beginning to release 5G handsets in the UK — although as you can see from the information above, network coverage is only just getting underway. The ‘standard’ platform is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and X50 5G Modem, although Huawei’s handsets use the company’s Kirin 980 processor and Balong 5000 5G modem. So far, both EE and Vodafone have put their plans to launch with Huawei 5G phones on hold.

With the exception of new folding designs, most early 5G handsets are based on existing 4G devices. But to accommodate the 5G modem and antennas, trade-offs need to be made. So as well as being more expensive, you’ll usually find that 5G models either have a smaller battery for the same weight and dimensions, or use a bigger battery in a slightly bulkier, heavier chassis.

Huawei Mate 20 X 5G

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
June 2019	£999	£799	£200	smaller battery (4,200/5,000mAh) than Mate 20 X, but supports faster charging (40W/22.5W) More specs	on hold	on hold

Huawei Mate X

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
Q3 2019	£2000	n/a	n/a	Specs	on hold	on hold

LG V50 ThinQ

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
TBA	~£850	£750	~£100	thicker (8.3/7.6mm) and heavier (183/169g) than V40 ThinQ, but has bigger battery (4000/3300mAh); 40% better heat dissipation; optional folding second screen (£147) More specs	pre-order

OnePlus 7 Pro 5G

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
30 May 2019	TBA	£649	n/a	Specs	order

OPPO Reno 5G

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
TBA	~£790	£699	~£100	heavier (215/210g) than Reno 10X Zoom More specs	pre-order

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
7 June 2019	£1099	£899	£200	bigger screen (6.7/6.4-inch) and heavier (198/175g) than Galaxy S10+, but battery is bigger (4500/4100mAh) and charges faster (25/15W); 3D depth cameras front & rear; no MicroSD slot More specs	pre-order	pre-order	announced

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
TBA	£1800	n/a	n/a	5G version of the Galaxy Fold has a 4235mAh battery, compared to 4380mAh for the 4G LTE model More specs	announced

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G

Launch	RRP	RRP for 4G model	5G price delta	5G trade-offs	EE	Voda	O2	Three
23 May 2019	~£530	£299	~£230	heavier (225/218g) than Mi Mix 3, but has a bigger battery (3800/3200mAh) and newer GPU (Adreno 640/630) More specs		pre-order

Other 5G devices in the UK

HTC 5G Hub

HTC’s 5G Hub is a small (129x100x43mm) Android 9.0 device with a 5-inch HD touch-screen and a Nano-SIM slot for 5G or 4G LTE connectivity. It runs on the Snapdragon 855/X50 platform with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable up to 512GB via MicroSD, and can support up to 20 devices over wi-fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad). The 5G Hub can function as a home media hub or serve small offices with secure (encrypted, VPN) connections. It’s also battery powered (7,660mAh, ‘all day’ life) and lightweight enough (340g) to serve as a mobile hotspot.

Availability
EE
Price
~$600/£472

Huawei CPE Pro

Powered by Huawei’s multi-mode Balong 5000 5G chipset, the 5G CPE Pro is a dual-band (2.4/5GHz) wi-fi router with Huawei HiLink support. The 5G CPE Pro supports both 4G and 5G wireless connections; on a 5G network, Huawei says, a 1GB HD video clip can be downloaded in three seconds, and 8K video can be streamed smoothly without lag.

Availability
EE, Vodafone
Price
$1099 in US (~£866)

Lenovo 5G laptop (Project Limitless)

Although they won’t ship until early 2020 and pricing has yet to be announced, Lenovo has unveiled a new class of 5G-connected PCs in a collaboration with Qualcomm called Project Limitless. The new Arm-powered devices will use Qualcomm’s 8cx 5G chipset featuring the multi-mode Snapdragon X55 5G Modem.

READ MORE ON 5G

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The Science Behind The Deadly Lake

Published

35 mins ago

September 23, 2023

Francisco Peguero

A buildup of carbon dioxide gas is not uncommon for crater lakes, with many of them occasionally releasing bubbles of it over time. Volcanic activity taking place below the Earth’s surface (and below the lake itself) will cause gasses to seep up through the lakebed and into the water. Something that generally isn’t a concern as deeper, colder water is able to absorb substantial amounts of carbon dioxide, but if the concentration gets too dense it can create bubbles that float up to and burst on the surface of the water.

This in itself is common, and the volume of carbon dioxide usually released in this manner will dissipate into the air quickly. However, it’s theorized that Lake Nyos had been amassing an uncharacteristically large amount of gas due to a combination of factors like location, local climate, overall depth, and water pressure. Once that buildup had been disturbed, it all came rocketing out.

Whether it was due to a rock slide, strong winds, or an unexpected temperature change throwing off the delicate balance is still unknown. But whatever the catalyst was, it caused the lower layer of deep, carbon-infused water to start to rise. Which then began to warm up, reducing its ability to contain the gas. The resulting perpetual cycle of rising waters and gasses creates the type of explosion you might see after opening a carbonated beverage after it’s been shaken vigorously.

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The Super Nintendo’s Secret Weapon

Published

2 hours ago

September 23, 2023

Francisco Peguero

The Super Nintendo featured seven different video rendering modes, each offering a different level of display detail, shown in one to four background layers. Most of the Super Nintendo’s games utilized Mode 1, which could display 16-color sprites and backgrounds on two layers plus a 4-color sprite on a third layer. This little trick was the key to the parallax scrolling effect you’d see in games like “Super Mario World,” where background elements would scroll at different rates from foreground elements.

Mode 7, however, was the only one of these display modes that permitted advanced visual effects. In a nutshell, Mode 7 allows the Super Nintendo to take a 2D image and apply 3D rendering effects to it, such as scrolling, curving, stretching, and more. By switching to Mode 7, games could transform one of their background layers into an independently moving image, which could be used for gameplay modifications and simple spectacle. Plus, with a bit of creative warping, a 2D image could be changed into a pseudo-3D view, having 2D sprites move around in a flat 3D space. It’s kind of like rolling a ball on a treadmill.

Cars

Does Wrapping Your Key Fob In Foil Actually Make It Harder To Steal Your Car?

Published

3 hours ago

September 23, 2023

Francisco Peguero

Car key fobs operate using two pieces of radio-based technology: radio waves and a radio frequency identification system, or RFID. A wireless key fob has its own unique RFID signal paired to your car. This is how your fob is able to send remote commands with button presses, like locking doors and sounding the alarm. However, with the right kind of technology (or, rather, the wrong kind of technology), a bad actor could co-opt your fob’s RFID signal and send an unlock command to your car. Afterward, they can waltz right over, pop the doors open, and go on their merry way.

The tin foil theory banks on a metallic material’s natural ability to block and redirect electromagnetic waves, including radio waves. If you were to wrap your key fob in a few sheets of foil, especially very thick foil, then its RFID signal wouldn’t be able to get out. While that does mean you’d need to take the fob out of the foil every time you want to use it, it also means that a bad actor wouldn’t be able to intercept and co-opt its signal.