Record speeds already being reached in Sure’s 5G trial

Sure has been trialling 5G mobile technology in Jersey since 15 November and it is already achieving never-before-seen mobile internet speeds on its network of 1.3Gbps in test conditions.

The local telecoms operator has launched an innovative trial for this new technology and has invited hundreds of customers to take part and assess 5G for free to evaluate how it can benefit the lives of islanders and local businesses.

Sure’s engineers have been testing the technology and it is achieving a consistent speed of 850Mbps. This is 25 times the average speed currently available on Sure’s 4G network and is comparable to, and in most cases exceeding, those seen on the fixed fibre network. Sure believes that 5G’s potential is best described as ‘fibre in the air’ as it will exceed the speeds and reliability of fibre broadband without the need for cables.

“To be achieving these record-breaking speeds so early in the trial demonstrates the exciting potential of 5G,” said Graham Hughes, Sure’s chief executive in Jersey.

“Now we’ve established that the 5G network is working so well we’re moving to the next phase of the trial with customers using the technology for the very first time in Jersey, which will commence from December.”

CICRA recently announced its timetable for the award of 5G commercial licences and Sure believes its free 5G customer trial will provide valuable real-user experience and customer feedback to this process.

Operators will be invited to bid for spectrum with recommendations made to Ofcom for the awards during 2020.

“We’ll be gathering a lot of great insight and this will help Sure shape the way we plan to deploy and develop our 5G service and establish a clear vision to Cicra for a full commercial launch,” said Graham.

“Bringing gigabit speeds to everyone across the island will enable our customers to do so much more. Initially this will involve downloading and uploading content in seconds, supporting more devices on the network without buffering and connecting everything constantly. The lower latency will allow devices to communicate seamlessly, providing an enhanced experience.”

Sure is trialling 5G in St Helier for the next three months to assess how customers will use the transformational technology.