Yes, that little 5G symbol is a sign of things to come. Vodafone have just completed 5G trials in Madrid and Barcelona ahead of Mobile World Congress. Their European network is ready to be upgraded to 5G and you’ll soon see 1.5 Gigabits per second download speeds on your phone.
This screenshot, taken from an unknown smartphone connected to a 5G cell, marks the world’s first 5G connection from a live operator mast to a smartphone. A seamless 4K video call was tested and 5G download speeds
were up to 10 times faster than 4G.
During Mobile World Congress next week, Vodafone will be driving around the centre of Barcelona, where they have 5G masts up, to show off the 1.5Gbps speeds to reporters.
Vodafone has already invested in single Radio Access Network technology across 98% of their European 4G footprint, which means it’s much easier to layer 5G on top. More than two-thirds of major their masts in European cities already have sufficient backhaul to support 5G.
Vodafone UK has already performed a live news broadcast with Sky News over 5G and has 5G trials in secent cities here. Meanwhile, in Spain, there’s 5G sites in six cities.