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Mobiles

5G – Who’s Leading The Race?

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5G continues to be a major talking point in the technology world and with the public launch of 5G getting ever closer in the UK, it’s a race between providers to be the first widespread 5G network, whilst it’s also a race across the globe to have the first 5G capable phone.

Both Huawei and OnePlus are ahead of the pack in terms of creating a 5G capable phone – especially now that Huawei have announced that they will be releasing a phone in the first half of 2019!

This hasn’t come as shocking news to the mobile industry as Huawei have tended to be the first company to release innovative features as of recently; most notably, the in-screen fingerprint sensors.

However, many may be thinking ‘What about Apple?’

It’s almost guaranteed that we won’t see a 5G capable iPhone until at least the second half of 2020. But this is something that we’ve come to expect from Apple. The first iPhone launched without the capability of using 3G and 4G didn’t arrive until the iPhone 5.

The ‘wait and see’ strategy has worked for them in the past but that was because prices we’re lower, people more frequently upgraded their phones and there were less alternatives to the iPhone compared to now.

Apple’s silence on the topic have left some worried and now that the mobile industry has grown so much, Apple need to come up with something game-changing. If they don’t, what’s stopping people from moving on?

When it comes to providers, EE are the leading name in the UK. They’ve already released multiple 5G sites across London and are planning to have 16 5G cities in the UK by the end of 2019.

5G - EE 16 Cities

This will be a great achievement for EE, but they need to make sure that the roll-out of 5G is an evolution, not a revolution.

There are still many areas of the UK that have inconsistent or no 4G, plus we still don’t have the technology to utilise 5G yet.

Over half of EE’s customers have iPhones, so it will leave customers with a choice of 5G or loyalty to their handset choice and, whilst there are many alternative mobiles, 5G is unlikely to sway people’s vote unless they live in one of the 16 cities.

What is certain, is that 5G is a very exciting development and could open new doors in technology. If you want to learn more about how technology advancements could help your business, get in touch!

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5G testing has begun!

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5G testing has begun!5G is a highly popular topic at the moment, with many industry experts beginning to test and showcase what is possible with 5G.

Companies and individuals alike are preparing themselves for a 5G launch that was previously expected in 2020, however EE are now getting ready for a full 5G launch in the UK next year!

This is much sooner than some expected, including us, which puts us at the front of the pack for 5G release across Europe.

EE is currently testing it’s 5G network and part of this project involves them testing 5G in high capacity areas and hotspots within the UK.

As a result, the first 5G trial site has been switched on at Montgomery Square, Canary Wharf. Montgomery Square is estimated by EE to have 150’000 visitors and commuters every day.

This site is the first of 11 sites that will be launched across East London as the first phase of EE’s 5G launch program. But EE isn’t the only provider that is working on releasing 5G trial sites in the UK…

O2 is beginning it’s 5G testing by using their O2 Arena as a trial site, allowing visitors to experience 5G first hand before O2 plans to release it to the rest of the UK in 2020.

Vodafone has also stated that in the coming weeks they will be launching their own test sites across the UK after the testing that took place at their laboratory in Newbury. Vodafone is trailing 5G in a few different locations. Firstly, they’re opening trial sites in seven cities across the UK including Birmingham and Manchester. They will also be launching hotspots in holiday destinations such as the Lake District in 2019.

They will be the first UK provider to launch 5G outside of any UK city, barring any surprise launches from fellow service providers.

So, what exactly does 5G data mean for us when we’re using our phones?

5G speeds can equal anything up to 1Gbps, which is around 600 times faster than the UK’s average speeds! This means a full HD film that you could usually download in a couple of hours takes just a few seconds! The much larger bandwidth that 5G offers also means that many more people can access these speeds at once.

The O2 CEO Mark Evans explains the importance of 5G to the UK very well. He stated:

Mark Evans quote

For more information on what 5G can offer us – have a read of our ‘5G – The Fifth Generation’ blog.

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Horizon and a Mobile Working Lifestyle!

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Horizon and a Mobile Working Lifestyle!In 2015, a survey involving 1000 IT decision makers from Europe & the US found that 13% of employees work from home most, if not all the time, with many other employees being workers on-the-go or office workers who occasionally work from home.

Work has now become an activity that we do, not a place that we go!

Hosted VoIP (Voice over IP) is a telephony solution that is taking over the workplace (whether in the office or based at home) to support the growing trend for home and flexible working. Our Horizon solution is a complete communications service that provides an extensive range of fixed and mobile telephony capabilities.

One of the major features of Horizon, the hosted VoIP solution, is its ability to make your work far more mobile.

How it works;

Hosted telephony is delivered over the internet and provides a range of fixed and mobile telephony capabilities via an easy to use web portal.

What it offers;

Greater Flexibility – Horizon’s mobile app improves interoperability between mobile and fixed phones to ensure you never miss a call, wherever you happen to be, and no-one will even know if you’re working away from the office. In fact, you don’t even need to have a physical handset. A headset connected to your laptop may be all the hardware you need, without compromising on functionality.

Explanation of the pull call feature

Work Smarter – From in-depth call reporting and wallboard integration to a whole host of inbound call management features such as ‘call forwarding’ and ‘do not disturb’, Horizon’s desktop portal will improve your organisation’s productivity.

explanation of availability status

Scalability – Horizon is suitable for any sized business and is particularly effective if you have multiple sites working together. It works on a licence basis, which can easily be increased as your business grows or decreased if required.

Improve Customer Service – Enhance the service you can provide to your customers with dynamic call handling, pre-recorded messages and seamless transfers at the touch of a button.

Save Money – With minimal capital outlay, no hardware maintenance costs and competitive call rates, you can reduce your telecommunication costs with Horizon.

What next;

In summary, it’s not difficult to adjust to a mobile working lifestyle and Horizon could be crucial in helping that happen as well as improving the efficiency of your business.

Want to learn more about VoIP and how Horizon works? Get in contact with us: 01908 350795.

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Did you hear the rumours about the new iPhone…?

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Did you hear the rumours about the new iPhone...?It’s reached that time of year when many people in the tech world start to wonder, ‘what will Apple announce as their next handsets?’

There are many different features and designs being rumoured for these handsets, but we haven’t had any official details from Apple themselves. So, we thought we’d look at the rumours and see what is possible and what is wishful thinking.

The most talked about rumour is the possibility of 3 handsets being released this year, all of which will have the edge-to-edge screen design of the iPhone X. Due to the popularity of the design when it was introduced last year, we can definitely see this happening!

You may be wondering ‘how are they going to release three phones with the same design?’

The answer is, we could possibly be getting a cheaper handset! Along with an update on the X and most likely a plus-sized version, we could be getting a cheaper handset with multiple colour options much like the 5C from 2013.

To make the phone cheaper, this phone would lack on some features like a newer processor or wireless charging, but that means a glass back wouldn’t be necessary, meaning more colours may be available as a substitute.

But how cheap is cheap in Apple’s eyes? The cost of the iPhone X last year wasn’t very popular with many and Apple should’ve seen this, as X sales dropped off dramatically at the start of 2018.

The iPhone X replacement is rumoured to be £899 for a 64Gb size, which is an improvement on last year. The plus-sized phone would be priced at £999 instead, with the cheaper model probably being around £699. We wouldn’t class that as a ‘cheaper alternative’ as many higher quality Samsung Galaxy phones are priced very similarly to this. But, an iPhone less than £800? We’ll take it!

Another important element that is being rumoured is the name. Some of the rumours have been the Xs, X Plus and the iPhone 9 for the cheaper model. Other less popular rumours include the XI, the Y or just the iPhone/ the iPhone Plus.

Those were some of the rumours that are believed to be true amongst the mobile industry. Now, let’s look at those that are up for debate.

We’ll start with something obvious, what happens to Touch ID with the edge-to-edge screens? One idea that has been making the rounds is a sensor under the screen!

While that sounds cool, it’s unlikely that they’ll keep Touch ID especially with Face ID performing well as it is. But, don’t rule it out for the future as it is possible. The phone manufacturer Vivo proved that it is possible – check it out!

Another possibility is that the larger handset could have a triple-lens camera on the back, allowing for an improved camera experience, especially with lighting which has been a rough spot in the past with iPhone cameras.

There is also a rumour that we could be seeing a change in the screens from OLED to Micro LED. This will allow for better black light and colour saturation, ultimately producing a better image. However, there are many challenges facing manufacturers as they develop this including trying to get as much light out of them as possible, so we probably won’t be seeing these screens this year at least.

One feature that could be a great idea is a possible eSIM, which means a SIM card will be virtually built into the phone itself. From this we can control who provides the service easily as it doesn’t involve a physical SIM replacement.

Another benefit of this idea is that we could loose the SIM holder from the phone, possibly making the phone more water resistant and allowing for more room in the back of the phone. Can we get a larger battery? Please?

This technology is already in use in the Apple Watch Series 3 and in the Google Pixel 2. The one problem is that this idea isn’t popular with all providers. The technology is ready to be used, it’s whether all service providers are willing to co-operate with Apple.

The new iPhone may also be built to be Gigabit LTE compatible, which is a bridge between 4G and 5G. Gigabit LTE is currently only available in certain test areas of London and Cardiff through EE, but it could be rolled out nationally before the end of the year.

However, if these phones are Gigabit LTE compatible, it doesn’t mean that they will be 5G compatible. That will be painful for owners of these phones if 5G is to be released in 2020 as it’s predicted.

Our final talking point relates to a fourth handset that could be both possible and very popular. The iPhone SE could be getting a revamp! It’s rumoured that the 4-inch phone design from the iPhone 5 could be returning with features of the X included in the phone, like Face ID, the current iPhone X processor and maybe even an edge-to-edge display!

To wrap things up, it is possible that we could be spoiled with four different handsets this year! But, if the most talked about rumours are to be believed and these latter ones are just wishful thinking, then we should only expect a small upgrade to what we have now, nothing revolutionary.

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iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S9 – Which is better?

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iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S9 - Which is better?It’s fair to say that it’s difficult to find someone in the UK who doesn’t own either an iPhone or a Samsung. They dominate the market!

Their grip on the market looks set to stay firm now that both companies have released their latest flagship phones.

But, which of their phones is the better option and are there better options out there?

Apple’s flagship phone, the iPhone X, was released in November of 2017 and it was met with… mixed reception.

Many have praised Apple for it’s big change in design and quality, with the edge-to-edge OLED screen offering Apple’s best quality image to date.

The introduction of Face ID has been very popular too! The camera’s ability to detail the owners face has resulted in greater security and new developments in apps, such as animojis and Apple Pay.

All this teamed with the iPhone’s usual super-fast processors has made this a premium product, but it comes with a hefty price tag!

For the base 64GB model, the asking price is £999 and the 256GB model retails for £1,149, if you wish to buy the phone outright! Is the phone worth this price?

The price jump did not sit well with customers!

Though the initial pre-order numbers for the phone were large, the hype around the phone seems to have died off with the X not meeting Apple’s sale targets.

Samsung also recently released their flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+ phones in March. Their pre-orders and initial sales haven’t wowed the competition either.

iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9

So, what is new in the Galaxy S9?

Just looking at the S9 and S8 side-by-side, it is hard to spot any differences in the design of the phone.

A change to the placement on the fingerprint scanner and a slightly bigger screen are the only real changes to the design.

This was to be expected though as the jump from the S7 to the S8 was big and very popular. Why fix something that isn’t broken?

The biggest change to the phone is in the camera technology!

Advancements in super slow-motion capturing at 960fps and the ability to perform well in high and low light are selling points of the phone.

However, to really benefit from the jump in camera technology, you’ll have to dig out some extra cash for the plus model with the dual-camera setup, much like what the iPhone X has.

Apart from these changes and general enhancements to the performance of the phone, not much else has changed from the S8.

Based on general comments from users and reviewers, the S9’s photography performance in low light isn’t all singing, all dancing like it’s hyped up to be.

To make up for the lack of light and colour, areas of an image are brightened or saturated with colour, which can sometimes leave an image looking unrealistic.

The iPhone X seems to perform better when optimising images, offering more detail and realism.

Don’t get us wrong, the Samsung still takes very good images and the issue probably won’t matter that much to the average consumer, but that creates a dilemma.

The S8’s camera is still very good quality, so you could argue what exactly about the S9 makes it appealing to the public?

With a drop in S8 prices now as well, is it worth spending around £250 more for a phone that isn’t that different from it’s predecessor?

It’s difficult to justify the price increases for both phones, especially considering their ‘cheaper’ siblings perform perfectly well in comparison.

So, whilst the latest flagship phones from Apple and Samsung are definite improvements on their current range, they both come with a major question:

Do they offer value for money?

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5G – The Fifth Generation!

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5G - The Fifth Generation!It doesn’t feel like that long ago that 4G was rolled out in the UK and that’s because, it wasn’t!

City testing for 4G began at the end of 2012 before widespread 4G coverage was released around mid-2013.

Now, 5 years down the line, we are already talking about the introduction of 5G networks across the globe.

So what exactly is 5G…?

5G stands for ‘5th Generation’ and is the latest advancement in wireless phone technology, allowing for MUCH greater speeds!

All other networks, like 4G, use radiowaves to transfer information, whereas 5G utilises other areas of the Electromagnetic Spectrum to increase speeds. This is all thanks to new developments in receiver and transmitter technology.

It seems almost every new product can connect to the internet and items such as homes, cars and almost all wearables becoming ‘smart’.

The new 5G network will allow for more and more devices to connect to the internet, with greater amounts of data being able to travel and Gigabit speeds!

It’s fair to say that when it came to the rollout of 3G and 4G, the UK seemed to lag behind a lot of the world, with many areas of the UK still unable to access 3G.

But, the UK government has promised that this won’t happen when it comes to the rollout of 5G and they seem to be making some good steps towards it.

At the beginning of March this year, the government donated £25 million to 5G projects to boost efforts in speeding up the 5G process.

However, the biggest news regarding 5G came recently, with the auction of the 4G and 5G spectrums.

Now be prepared, because the numbers coming up may be confusing, but we’ll explain them the best that we can…

Only 40Mhz of the 4G were up for auction. To put that into context, EE currently holds 255Mhz of that spectrum, so not much was up for sale. In fact, O2 acquired all the spectrum that was up for auction and it cost them just over £200 million.

O2 bought the same amount (40Mhz) in the 5G spectrum. Due to the 5G spectrums ability to hold more data than others, the amount acquired by providers will increase the spectrum amount ready for mobile use compared to when 4G was released.

This sale for O2 was worth around £317 million showing just how invested in the new spectrum mobile providers are!

Vodafone were the company to gain the most of the 5G spectrum, buying 50Mhz.

In total, the sale numbers were worth around £1.3 billion which is double what was predicted at the start of the auction.

4G Vs 5G Speeds

It’s all well and good us shouting numbers at you, but what exactly will we gain from this?

According to O2’s CEO Mark Evans:

• Households will save £450 a year on energy/food bills and council tax

• Councils will save up to £2.8 billion a year with the introduction of smart lighting and other infrastructures.

• There will be savings in staff time, saving the government up to £1.3 billion.

• Smart roads will be introduced, reducing you time stuck in traffic by an average of 10%.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the future, but when exactly will we see 5G be rolled out…?

Many phone manufacturers, 18 at the time of writing this, have announced they’re working with Qualcomm to produce 5G ready phones for next year!

However, 5G will most likely not be available to the masses until 2020 at the earliest.

That isn’t to far in the future though so we’re very excited. 5G can’t come quick enough!

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