Eir has announced that it is giving all customers free access to their 5G network.
5G is the next generation of mobile connectivity, succeeding the current 4G system, and offers speeds up to 10 times faster than 4G; along with increased security, reliability and lower lag time on data.
In a first for the Irish market, eir has said it will provide free upgrades to all current holders of in-market mobile plans which will allow them to access its 5G network.
That means any customers with a 5G compatible handset; such as the Samsung Galaxy S21, the iPhone 12 and 13 and the Oppo Reno 4Z 5G, in a 5G area can now get superfast mobile downloads at no extra cost.
However, the free upgrade does not apply to anyone availing of eir's budget GoMo service.
Eir also announced that customers can avail of 5G roaming in 22 countries across Europe, Asia, Canada and the Middle East, with plans to include the UK and US in 2022.
Among the countries included are: Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
“Independent mobile network testing companies have analysed eir’s 5G network and found that it leads for speed, availability and experience. To celebrate, and with the festive season just around the corner, we want to give our customers the chance to experience 5G for themselves, at no extra cost," said eir CEO Carolan Lennon.
"The benefits of 5G are numerous, 5G can enable real-time remote team working, with a faster, more reliable connection. This is particularly vital as hybrid working becomes a more permanent feature of our working lives.
"5G isn’t just about faster connectivity, this is next-generation technology that brings with it the power to unlock innovation and benefits for people, businesses, education, communities and governments."
Eir began building its 5G network in October 2019 and last month, the telecoms company announced that its 5G network is now available to more than 70 per cent of the population of Ireland, in 352 towns and cities across the country.
Eir's 5G network is complemented by its 4G network which is available to more than 99 per cent of the geography of Ireland.
Eir is one of three networks in Ireland to offer 5G, along with Vodafone and Three. According to the Irish Independent, the two other networks are expected to follow eir’s move by cutting 5G as a paid add-on to mobile plans.
5G is the fifth generation of mobile internet connection and is engineered to greatly increase the speed and responsiveness of wireless networks.
It is faster and able to handle more connected devices than the existing 4G LTE network, with predicted speeds of up to 10 Gbps representing up to a 100x increase compared to 4G.
Experts believe that faster networks could help spread the use of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies. The connectivity benefits of 5G are expected to make businesses more efficient and give consumers access to more information faster than ever before.
On top of faster speeds, 5G also boasts greater bandwidth, meaning it can handle many more connected devices than previous networks.
5G also reduces latency — the time it takes for a phone (or other connected device) to make a request from a server and get a response — to virtually zero. Gamers may be familiar with high network latency that results in lag, which looks like an obvious delay between the action of the players and the actual responses within the game, which is why experts believe that the growth of 5G will have a huge impact on the gaming industry.
Source: https://www.buzz.ie/tech/eir-5g-network-customers-cost-25350784