Vodafone Ireland has launched Ireland’s first live 5G network site open for trials in Dublin’s Docklands.

To showcase the site’s capabilities, the first Irish international holographic call was carried out between Ireland and Vodafone’s Innovation Centre in Germany using fully standardised 5G technology.

The network consists of fully standardised Ericsson 5G being deployed over Vodafone Ireland’s recently acquired 5G spectrum.

Vodafone will use this site to trial the latest 5G hardware, software and services as they become available in advance of 5G products hitting the market, and will continue to expand coverage in the area over the coming months. Vodafone says Ireland’s first live 5G network site will enable businesses looking to explore or validate new products or services.

Vodafone and Ericsson have also partnered with NovaUCD to create a new 5G accelerator programme. Candidates who successfully complete the programme will be eligible for early stage investment to bring their plans to fruition, the company said.

In Association with

Vodafone Ireland’s CEO Anne O’Leary commented: “Making Ireland’s first ever live holographic call over 5G was a demonstration of how this new technology could eventually transform how we interact with each other across borders and time zones.  Using our testbed in the Docklands, companies can now experiment and work to improve life changing technology, such as medical devices.”

John Griffin, Managing Director of Ericsson Ireland, said: “The benefits of 5G will impact the whole economy, especially the thriving Irish technology sector.  Ericsson is committed to R&D and a collaborative approach to 5G roll-out in Ireland.”

Photo: Anne O'Leary's 5G holographic call with her colleague Max Gasparroni in Germany. (Pix: Naoise Culhane)