Vodafone first to launch 5G network in Netherlands

Vodafone is activating its 5G network in over half of the Netherlands on Tuesday evening. Customers who have a Red subscription and a phone that supports 5G should be able to use the faster mobile network within a week. Vodafone is the first Dutch provider to launch 5G. The network should be available to all Vodafone customers by the end of July, NU.nl reports.

The Randstad, southern Netherlands, and large cities in other parts of the Netherlands will be the first to get 5G. Vodafone is using existing antennas and 4G frequency band to offer 5G.

According to the provider, customers will first notice a small acceleration in download speeds. They will be 10 percent higher on average than the 4G maximum of 350 Mbps. Eventually, 5G will offer download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. 

According to Vodafone, the 5G network will also offer reaction speeds that are 30 percent lower, decreasing from around 30 milliseconds on 4G to around 20 milliseconds on 5G. This will be particularly noticeable when playing games or streaming videos.

Both download- and reaction speeds will improve as coverage improves, the provider promised.

While most people have been eagerly waiting for 5G to arrive, the faster mobile network also has its opponents in the Netherlands. Since April 3rd, 22 transmission masts in the country were set on fire. The counterterrorism coordinator  NCTV believes the fires are set by extremists protesting the 5G network, which online conspiracy theories linked to the coronavirus. .