Three to launch 5G in August

Operator claims its contiguous block of 5G-ready mobile spectrum will put it streets ahead of its rivals.

Three will become the third UK mobile network operator (MNO) to launch a 5G Mobile Network when it activates its next-generation service in London in August 2019. It follows EE, which launched at the end of May, and Vodafone, which is targeting a launch date in July, likely to be ahead of O2.

Three hopes to have live 5G sites in 25 towns and cities up and down the UK by the end of 2019 through an overall network investment of £2bn, which besides 5G infrastructure includes a new, behind-the-scenes cloud core network built by Nokia, and refarming of redundant 3G spectrum to support more capacity on its 4G network. It has set itself the target of having 80% of its network traffic running over 5G by 2022.