While we often talk about U.S. carriers developing their 5G networks here at AC, there are exciting things happening in these regards in other parts of the world, too. Earlier this month, O2 announced that it will soon be adding 5G coverage to certain parts of The O2 so customers can get an early test of what's to come from the carrier over the next few years.
O2 will begin installation of its 5G network this March, and it expects visitors of The O2 will be able to use the network beginning at some point in the second half of 2018. The O2 Blueroom and O2 Store will be the first to parts of the venue to initially support these enhanced speeds, and visitors will be able to test them out thanks to VR, AR, and live streaming demos that will be available.
This project will be used as a testbed for O2's 5G network, and along with gathering customer feedback, it'll be able to test out new technologies and potential use cases to see where it wants to focus its 5G plans going forward.
Commenting on this announcement, O2 CEO Mark Evans said:
The arrival of 5G technology, and the range of unprecedented benefits it will bring, will play a key role in keeping our society and the British economy moving for years to come. That's why we are delighted to announce our plans to launch a 5G test bed at The O2 later this year.
O2 plans on expanding its 5G coverage to the entire footprint of The O2 by the end of 2020, and as expected, access to the increased speeds will be exclusive to O2 subscribers as it rolls out.
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