Vodafone said that the 5G SA environment will offer extremely fast download speeds, near-real time latency capabilities and network slicing
U.K. carrier Vodafone and Coventry University have collaborated to open what they say is the U.K.’s first 5G Standalone (SA) media innovation lab in Coventry, according to a release.
Vodafone said that broadcasters and other media companies, as well as the software development community, will be invited to the lab to develop 5G use cases for the media industry, working alongside Vodafone engineers and Coventry University academics.
The new facility will be powered by a 5G SA network. Originally deployed in 2020 to enable healthcare students to take immersive, real-time AR and VR tours of the human body, Vodafone and Coventry University said they will now expand the purview of the 5G SA network to support digital transformation and 5G adoption within the media industry.
Vodafone also highlighted that the 5G SA environment will offer fast download speeds, near-real time latency capabilities and network slicing. The lab will support proof of concepts, as well as allow development and testing of end-to-end solutions in a safe and configurable environment.
Network slicing is a capability enabled by 5G SA architecture that allows telecoms operators to create separate and isolated networks for different use cases. Also, each slice can be configured differently, Vodafone said.
Danny Kelly, head of innovation at Vodafone Business U.K., said: “Finding 5G SA uses for the media makes perfect sense as the technology is well suited to this sector. It enables faster speeds, less latency and is more reliable and secure. This makes it ideal for media – who create digitally dense content at high volume. Especially in isolated locations or at large scale events where the public network is crowded.”
“This new project will expand our work with Vodafone into the media arena and we are excited to see how our experts can work with the broadcasting industry on how this technology can be put to use,” said professor John Latham, Coventry University vice chancellor.
Vodafone initially launched 5G services in the U.K. in July of 2019. The telco’s initial offering covered parts of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Glasgow. In January, Vodafone claimed to be the first mobile operator in the U.K. to switch on its 5G Standalone network.
