Standalone 5G, to the average customer, is a whole bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo and pretty difficult to explain. This means many companies avoid offering it due to the loss of money and resources. Due to this, Vodafone have opted to rollout 5G SA under a different name, 5G Ultra.
Max Taylor, Vodafone consumer director, stated. ”Today our reliable, award-winning network gets even better with the launch of Vodafone 5G Ultra. Our customers in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff will be the first to experience the fast speeds, longer lasting battery life and even more reliable connectivity 5G Ultra brings.”
Vodafone have created a website with all the information customers may want to know. It’s somewhat expected, as such a huge move in telecoms.
The only 5G Ultra-enabled devices right now are the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S22 phones, as well as the Iphone 14 and 14 Max Pro. This is likely due to most other smartphone developers simply not deeming it worth whatever minor costs it may be to add this functionality.
For those with a 5G Ultra-enabled device, Vodafone have released just some of the perks available to these customers. This includes an up to 25% longer battery life, speeds 10 times faster than 4G. This makes a big difference for consumers in busy places, allowing them to connect from anywhere.
In the world of business, Vodafone make some incredibly bold claims about the effects and upsides of 5G Ultra, such as claiming that it could save the NHS £1.25 billion annually by 2025. This will come about through applications like remote, assisted surgery and drone delivery of medicine and medical assets.
Another claim Vodafone make regarding 5G Ultra is its use within manufacturing and agriculture reducing overall emissions by 4% yearly. As a controversial topic in the news, a network lowering emissions is a huge selling point for 5G Ultra.
We’ve already seen 5G SA used on a huge scale in the Coronation earlier this year. This allowed ITN to transfer live content to production studios across the UK without impacting quality due to the crowds.
