Wired UK – September 2019

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ers from the English rugby team Wasp RFC,

Juan de Jongh and Will Rowlands, managed

to train together although they were over

100 miles apart (de Jong was in London,

Rowlands at the Ricoh stadium in Coventry).

How? Thanks to 5G’s high speed and ultra-

low latency, when Rowlands tackled a

special haptic mannequin in the stadium,

his impetus was instantly transmitted to

London, and felt by de Jongh – wearing a

special haptic suit – in near real-time.

The feat – a UK first – showcased effec-

tively how 5G will be a gamechanger for

businesses, innovators and startups,

besides everyday internet users. Even-

tually, 5G will revolutionise the way users

connect to the internet – making heavy

downloads of films, games or large apps

essentially instantaneous. But its poten-

tial applications go far beyond even this.

Doing away with latency, for instance,

would finally bring Virtual Reality (for which

latency, or images lagging behind physical

movement, is a big problem, as it can trigger

feelings of seasickness in users) into the

mainstream. This could have a monumen-

tal impact not only on VR gaming and enter-

tainment experiences, but also on education

and training: for instance, healthcare pro-

fessionals and trainee surgeons could be

trained remotely by top doctors and teach-

ers, thanks to immersive VR technology.

5G is also going to usher in an explosion

in the Internet of Things industry, ena-

bling smart machines to communicate

with each other quickly and effectively.

Think about a smart home in which a cof-

fee machine can instantly detect whether

it is running low on espresso cartridges

and notify the owner, or even order more

from an online store. Or take Vodafone’s

partnership with winemaker Bodegas

Emilio Moro, in which a 5G network orches-

trates satellite data and climatic sensors

to create a “connected vineyard” to deliver

traditional wine more efficiently.

Entrepreneurs can experiment with 5G,

Internet of Things and high-speed fibre

internet connections in Vodafone’s DIH,

where network experts will also provide

guidance. Starting from July 10, the provider

is launching Business Unlimited – a three-

tiered series of packages offering unlim-

ited data and 5G at the same price as 4G

• meaning businesses of all sizes can take
  full advantage of everything 5G has to offer.
  As part of the 5G launch, Vodafone will
  also extend its prized “Add Ons” – including
  a virtual landline proposition, a four-hour
  device replacement policy, PayPal Here,
  Device Support, Prime Contact and Busi-
  ness Support – for small office and home
  office businesses (SOHO businesses), and
  small and medium enterprise customers.
  Plus, an all-new digital marketplace ena-
  bling small businesses to pay for security
  and productivity apps via their monthly
  mobile bill, is now also in the pipeline.
  Vodafone’s 5G future will not only be
  faster, but gamechanging. To find out more
  about Vodafone’s unlimited 5G-ready plans,
  visit vodafone.co.uk/business/unlimited

MediaCityUK – home to Vodafone’s new Digital Innovation Hub

Left: Vodafone is helping businesses embrace

the 5G future and explore new tech, such as VR

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