Budget 2017 – £16million investment into 5G – but what is it? And when will it launch?
THE Chancellor today announced a £16 million boost for the UK's 5G mobile network in the form of a new "innovation" hub.
As part of the package of announcements in today's budget Philip Hammond said that the new centre will enable the UK to become a world leader in the next wave of mobile technology.
He also announced £200 million to support local "full-fibre" broadband network and £270 million to put the UK "at the forefront" of technology, including robotics, biotech and driverless cars.
What is 5G?
Similarly to 4G and 3G before, 5G is a wireless connection built specifically to give devices - like your mobile phone or tablet - a faster and more reliable internet connection.
The "G" in 5G stands for "generation" - that's why it is known as "next-generation technology". Wireless phone technology started with 1G in the early 1990s when it enabled people to send text messages between two phone devices.
MOST READ IN NEWS
You may now be familiar with 3G and 4G, allowing you to browse the web, send text messages, and make phone calls.
5G will allow you to do all of this as well as dramatically increasing the speed at which data is transferred across the network. It will also be easier for people to download and upload Ultra HD and 3D video.
Will it be a lot faster than 4G?
The exact speeds are yet to be finalised. The Next Generation Mobile Networks alliance states that for something to be considered 5G it must offer data rates of several tens of megabits per seconds to tens of thousands of users simultaneously, while a minimum of 1 gigabit per second should be offered to tens of workers on the same office floor.
That sounds very technical - but experts say that it will be noticeably faster.
When will 5G launch?
In today's announcement from the Chancellor he gave nothing away about when 5G is expected to launch in the UK. As it stands, 5G is expected to start rolling out globally in 2020. Estimates from tech firm Ovum say that there will be 24 million 5G subscribers by 2021.
So we've still some time to wait until we can use it on our own mobile phones.
Key points from the Spring Budget
Here are the Chancellor's proposed changes
- SOCIAL CARE
An extra 2bn funding for social care and the NHS has been pledged over the next three years
- NATIONAL INSURANCE
Millions of self-employed workers will see their National Insurance bill rise from 9% to 11% over the next two years
- CHILDCARE
Tax free childcare to save families up to £2,000 a year as entitlement for three and four-year-olds is doubled
- BOOZE AND FAGS
Duties on alcohol to rise with inflation and tobacco to increase at 2% above inflation
- WAGES
Living Wage to increase by 30p an hour from £7.20 to £7.50
- BUSINESS RATES
Tax break of £1,000 for pubs and a £300million discretionary fund for councils to help struggling businesses
- SUGAR TAX
Chancellor announces levy of 8p to a can of Coca-Cola and 24p for a litre of sugary drinks
- For all the latest see out Spring Budget live blog
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4094