This past week, the Oxford City Council approved Cornerstone’s plan to build a 5G mast on the corner of Old Road and Windmill Road, near the Nuffield Orthopedic Centre in Headington.
Other 5G masts have been built, mostly across east Oxford, in recent months. The planning development reflects the drive among telecommunication companies such as O2, EE, and Cornerstone to establish a presence in the county as providers of the next generation of mobile internet connection.
According to data from EE, the main usage of its 5G network has been video streaming and social networking. EE’s increasing expansion of its 5G coverage comes in anticipation of Apple’s rollout of the iPhone 12 with 5G compatibility.
5G networks are capable of transferring data at speeds approximately ten to twenty times faster than the fastest current offered by 4G mobile networks. This would allow someone with a 5G compatible device to download a high definition film in about a minute. The large amounts of data transfer that 5G enables could one day help to power technologies such as fully autonomous cars or remote surgery via robots.
More data is consumed every year and so the spectrum bands currently in place are becoming congested, which leads to breakdowns in service.
Brendan O’Reilly, O2’s chief technology officer, told the BBC: “It’s vital we continue to invest in new innovations and technologies to keep Britain mobile and connected.”
Oxford is one of 12 towns and cities where EE have recently rolled out 5G, alongside Blackpool and Aberdeen.
“Delivering the best movable experience for our customers has never been more important,” said Marc Allera, chief executive of BT’s consumer business which owns EE. “Our 5G rollout continues apace, with our engineers building and upgrading new sites every day to bring the latest mobile technology to even more people in the places they need it.
“We have 5G coverage in more places than anyone in the UK, and we remain focused on connecting many more areas this year and beyond.”
Image credit to Diermaier / 61 bilder / Pixabay
