Published in Mobiles

5G equipment installed in EE's first test site

by on05 October 2018


Canary Wharf

EE is putting 5G equipment into Canary Wharf to act as a high capacity zone test.

The site was selected because it has a large amount of people in a relatively small area. They will be targeting hotspots across the UK where lots of people use mobile data.

The test is also the first in the UK to use a consumer premises equipment (CPE) device, which allows users to make and receive voice and video calls, but it is in the engineering tests in which EE expects to find the most useful performance data.

The site is connected to a lab core network, which is a replica of EE’s commercial core network, and will link to other test sites that will go live later in the year in other parts of the capital, including London’s Tech City in Shoreditch. Using the lab network means it is separate from the rest of EE’s infrastructure and doesn’t impact its existing 4G service.

The new 3.4GHz spectrum, which EE acquired in an Ofcom auction, will be used, and the network will be testing performance, speeds and coverage across Canary Wharf. The location is also home to Level39, a tech community of 1,250 start-ups who will no doubt be keen to test out the system if they can.

Mark Nallen, Head of Technology and Innovation, Canary Wharf Group said that staying at the forefront of connectivity and new technologies is critical to our community.

"That’s why we’re partnering with BT Group to support delivery of 5G. The consumers who live and work here will benefit from being better connected, and the enterprises based here will have the chance to partner with BT Group to understand the full capabilities of 5G", he said.

Of course no one has a 5G handset so we are not sure how anyone is going to test its "high capacity".

Last modified on 05 October 2018
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