EE Launches First 5G UK Network

5G: EE launches the next-generation mobile network in the UK.

EE launched the UK's first 5G mobile phone network with a future generation with a concert of Stormzy live-stream rapper on a boat on the Thames River.

5G mobile networks offer faster downloads, but customers will need a new phone to take advantage of.

In the beginning, the service will only be available in limited areas in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester.

Rival Vodafone plans to activate the 5G service in the coming weeks.

EE Launches First 5G UK Network

5G is finally here. So what?

The lowest-priced EE is 54 pounds per month plus a single £ 170 fee for a compatible phone. But this includes only 10 GB of data per month, which can be quickly consumed if you download a lot of movies or games.

Going live

Thursday morning, BBC Breakfast had the first broadcast of live news in the UK over 5G.

Many news channels now bind multiple 4G connections to stream video over mobile networks.

But using the 5G network, BBC technical correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones was able to transmit high-definition using just one Sim card.

5G does not just mean faster internet speeds. It also offers less latency than 4G connections: it means less a delay between sending a request and getting a response.

For Rory, this meant a shorter delay between hearing a question in the headset and responding to television.

A technical obstacle delayed Rory's broadcasting. The test transmissions were shown by permission from Sim card data, so a reload was needed before Rory could enter the BBC's breakfast.

That makes the 10GB EE data card on the cheapest price plan seem a bit limiting - although EE says the data limit was reached after a few days of test transmissions.
Is it safe 5G?

Analysis by BBC Reality Check

Some people have questioned whether there are 5G health risks, but experts and regulators say there is no evidence of danger.

Similar fears have been expressed around the previous mobile internet and wi-fi.

More than 200 scientists have called on the EU to stop launching 5G by saying that electromagnetic fields can be harmful to humans and the environment and could increase the risk of cancer.

But the EU says the exposure to 5G will be well below the limits set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

There was no evidence to suggest that electromagnetic waves from mobile phones and networks are bad for your health, says Prof Malcolm Sperrin, director of the Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

He says a causal link between mobile phone use and human cancer is not proven.

5G technology is new, but experts believe it does not pose a higher risk than previous mobile systems.