5G network ready for speedy start — if you have the right phone
Adrian Weckler MOBILE network provider Eir is to switch on its mobile 5G network next week.
The ultra-fast mobile service will initially be available in cities, with a more general rollout across the country to follow over the next two years.
The main difference between 5G and 4G is speed, with 5G coverage able to download large files almost instantly or stream high-resolution video without any delays or buffering.
5G speeds can generally reach up to 1,000Mbs.
Existing 4G phones, such as the iPhone 11, will not be able to pick up a 5G signal.
In Ireland there are only a couple of handsets capable of receiving a 5G signal. Huawei launched its Mate 20X 5G here, a giant 7.2-inch smartphone. Samsung also has a 5G-compatible model, the S10 5G.
Eir Mobile is the second operator to launch 5G in the Irish market, with Vodafone having switched its 5G service on in limited areas of Irish cities last month.
When asked a spokeswoman for Three declined to say whether the operator has yet picked a network provider for its 5G service in Ireland but insisted that it would still launch by the end of 2019.
Eir is set to unveil pricing details for its 5G service next week. Vodafone has not added any cost for the service, but has restricted it to its higher-end packages.
Other than information and entertainment, 5G is seen as being important for future industry and commercial needs, such as self-driving cars and advanced telemedicine.
Eir’s move comes after the company launched a no-frills mobile operator called GoMo last week.
GoMo will offer 80GB of data as well as all calls and texts for €10 per month, less than half the cost of its nearest rival. It will also allow 10GB of EU roaming data, including all calls and texts.
GoMo will use Eir’s 4G network but will be treated as a separate operator with separate billing systems and customer support.
It will not sell any phones, just sim cards.
It is an aggressive pricing move from Eir, which will undercut all other operators in the market, including its own existing Eir Mobile service.
It comes as the Government has still yet to sign off on plans to deliver broadband to rural homes.
It has promised it will sign off on the National Broadband Plan within weeks.
The €3bn plan promises to deliver fibre broadband to more than 500,000 rural homes and businesses.
The Government is waiting to sign the contract with National Broadband Ireland, the company set up by Granahan McCourt founder David McCourt.
Last week, Communications Minister Richard Bruton said he was “confident” the delay in signing a contract, which Taoiseach Leo Varadkar attributed to a “challenge” by wireless operator Imagine Communications over the rural areas to be covered, will soon be resolved.
“We’re working toward the end of the year,” said Mr Bruton.
Imagine Communications denies challenging the process and said it was merely responding to a government request on where its own broadband services were targeted.
“There are a number of things that have to be completed,” said Mr Bruton. “The mapping has to be approved [by the European Commission]. We have to be satisfied that any operator who looks to take on those rural areas reach a threshold of the broadband being high speed and future-proof. I’m confident that we will complete those things.”
However, he said that the intervention map may be varied, depending on the outcome of a consultation with regional operators.
Mr Bruton said that €119m has been allocated in Budget 2020 to “begin delivery” of the National Broadband Plan.
However, he declined to give an exact date on when the project will begin.