Vodafone launched Ireland's first commercial 5G service, covering the capital Dublin, as well as Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
The Newbury-based operator has been one of the leading operators in the deployment of 5G in Europe, having activated networks in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The Irish network is powered by Vodafone 3.6 GHz spectrum won at auction in 2017 and is powered by the Ericsson Radio System (ERS) platform. Vodafone confirmed that more sites would be added to the network before the end of the year.
Vodafone Ireland 5G
"This is truly a historic opportunity for everyone at Vodafone," said Anne O'Leary, CEO of Vodafone Ireland. "As a company we have spent the last 18 months laying the groundwork for the launch of Ireland's first 5G sales network and we are starting today.
"5G is set to revolutionize our use and adoption of technology and will have a major impact on Irish business and society. It will provide high speed, very low latency and highly secure connectivity to a considerable number of devices; and it is a technology that will unlock a wide range of new use cases across Vodafone's next-generation network. "
Eir and Three, Vodafone's rivals, confirmed their intention to launch 5G in the near future.
According to Vodafone, 5G will have benefits for almost all sectors and has designated the healthcare sector as a transformable area. It has partnered with the Affirmation Center at the University of Colelge Cork (UCC) to create the world's first training center for 5G telemedicine and medical robots.
The facility will help industry and academics develop innovative healthcare products in a simulated environment. Potential applications include real-time monitoring, robotic surgery, and telemedicine.
"5G is going to revolutionize medicine with fast Internet connectivity for medical devices (IoMT)," said Professor Barry O'Reilly, Director of ASSERT.
"Sophisticated portable technologies that will facilitate the home care of patients, with immediate connectivity to new diagnostic technologies, such as ultrasound connected to a smartphone connected between points of medical care and hospital specialists, for example, when a traffic accident and an emergency department, to remote robotic surgery. "