3 UK pitched itself into the country’s 5G fight, outlining plans to launch a home broadband service in August, followed by a mobile service it said will top data rates offered by rivals EE and Vodafone UK.

In a statement, CK Hutchison-owned 3 said the 5G home broadband service will launch in London, with customers able to plug a hub into the wall to immediately connect to 5G. The service will offer comparable speeds to fibre.

3 plans to expand home broadband across the UK and launch a mobile offering in 25 towns and cities before the end of the year.

The company will join rivals EE, which launched its mobile 5G offering at the end of May, and Vodafone UK, which is set to launch the technology on 3 July.

Spectrum claim
However, 3 believes it will hold the edge over its rivals, with what it said will be the country’s fastest next-generation network. The company said it has “twice as much 5G spectrum as its closest competitor”, meaning it can deliver faster speeds to customers.

It highlighted access to 100MHz of 5G spectrum, which makes it “the only operator who can offer a true 5G experience”, as per requirements set out by standards body ITU.

At launch, the company said peak mobile speeds will be at least two-times faster than other operators and provide a more reliable connection to customers. It has committed to invest £2 billion in related infrastructure, including the development of a 5G-ready cloud core network in partnership with Nokia.

The operator said it aimed to ramp 5G coverage to 80 per cent of its network traffic, while also improving its 4G network.

Dave Dyson, CEO of the operator, said it was clear consumers and businesses want more data.

“We have worked hard over a long period of time to be able to offer the best end-to-end 5G experience. 5G is a game changer for 3, and of course I am excited that we will be the only operator in the UK who can offer true 5G.”