Vodafone’s 5G network, which launched at the beginning of the month in seven UK cities, has now reached eight more.
Vodafone subscribers—at least those with 5G-equipped devices—in Birkenhead, Bolton, Gatwick, Lancaster, Newbury, Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton can now jump onto the fifth generation mobile network and enjoy average download speeds of 150 to 200 Mbps.
That’s 10 times faster than Vodafone’s 4G network—and for the same monthly price.
Vodafone was the second UK network to deploy the ultrafast mobile network, following EE’s 5G launch in May. The red network’s 5G service began in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, and Manchester on 3 July and has now reached 15 cities across Britain.
The network is planning to have 1,000 5G sites live in 50 towns and cities by 2020.
Meanwhile, Vodafone customers can also enjoy blistering mobile speeds on holiday too, as Vodafone expands its 5G roaming options in Europe. It’s adding 20 towns and cities in Germany to the initial list of 35 European locations, mostly in Italy and Spain, where Vodafone customers can hop onto 5G networks for no extra charge.
Vodafone’s 5G roaming service will launch later this summer, augmenting 4G roaming service that already lets customers get online, within their data allowances, in 77 destinations around the world.
CEO Nick Jeffrey said: “Vodafone’s global presence means we can provide our consumer and business customers with 5G in more destinations than any other UK provider. Combined with our new unlimited data plans, we are offering customers the best roaming experience ever. They won’t have to hunt for Wi-Fi or rely on often expensive and slow hotel connections; they can use their 5G smartphones to enjoy faster roaming.”
Although Vodafone has launched an unlimited data plan to complements 5G offerings—with speeds that fast you could quickly eat through a capped allowance—travellers should be cautious. Fine print on Vodafone’s site clarifies that inclusive roaming on unlimited data plans is limited to 25GB per month, after which customers will face fees.
