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5G wireless has the potential to act as a broadband replacement for over 20m in UK

Paul Lipscombe
December 4, 2018

Ovum predicts the service could replace traditional connections for 85pc of fixed-line users

5G will provide consumers with a quicker and cheaper alternative to fibre broadband, according to a study carried out by research company Ovum.

Commissioned by Three, the report anticipates that 5G will deliver speeds of between 80 and 100Mbps, doubling the current average of 46Mbps through fixed-line services.

It is estimated that 5G wireless services could replace traditional connections for 85 per cent of the UK’s 26 million fixed-line customers.

Ovum expects customers to save as much as £240 per year in costs, as 5G is almost 50 per cent cheaper to deploy according to its research.

The end-to-end customer experience is set to improve as a ‘plug and play’ set-up eliminates the need for installation, with more flexible contracts for customers also expected.

Ovum principle analyst and practice leader Dario Talmesio said: “Advantages of 5G wireless broadband technology are not just in speed: wireless is more flexible, does not require long-term contracts, is faster and cheaper to deploy and less of a burden for customers.”

“With a low availability of fibre and high cost of deployment, 5G wireless becomes a viable alternative to fixed-line broadband.

“While the UK continues its fibre rollout, this is a quicker and more economical way to satisfy customers’ fast-growing demand for data.”

Three test

Three tested wireless broadband at Huawei’s Global Mobile Broadband (MBB) Forum and aims to launch a 5G wireless home broadband service in the second half of 2019.

Three CEO Dave Dyson summarised Ovum’s report on 5G, saying it gives consumers an alternative to fixed-line broadband and offers quicker speeds at cheaper costs.

“We’re making significant investments to make the technology viable as we ready our network for 5G. Government and Ofcom have the right ambition to improve UK connectivity and we will work with them to show that there are other alternatives to fibre.”

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