Vodafone UK Confirms Isles of Scilly to Get 5G Mobile in July

Mobile operator Vodafone has confirmed that the Isles of Scilly, which sits 45km off the south coast of Cornwall, will join Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and London as being one of the first UK places to benefit from their commercial rollout of 5G mobile broadband technology on 3rd July 2019.

The operator already has a close association with the Isles of Scilly after having launched 4G on St Mary’s in 2016 as part of its rural rollout of the technology. Earlier this year, Vodafone also tested 5G working at “high speeds” in Hugh Town, the island’s administrative centre, and across the football pitch 2km away from the only mast on the island.

As part of their 5G rollout on the isles Vodafone has signed a two-year 5G sponsorship agreement with St Mary’s Association Football Club. The league comprises just two teams, Garrison Gunners and Woolpack Wanderers, who play each around 20 times over a season as well as a number of cup competitions 🙂 .

The deal will also see the launch of the first ever crowdsourced fan-assisted referee (FAR) system later this year. In addition to live streaming key league games over 5G for the forthcoming season starting in October 2019, Vodafone will also connect supporters elsewhere on the island so they can instantly have a say on key decisions during a game via their mobile phones.

Scott Petty, Vodafone UK CTO, said:

“5G is a game-changer for the Isles of Scilly as it will provide the local community with much improved access to important online services. I’m also delighted that Vodafone is teaming up with the local football club, which brings people together, and by combining it with our technology, we can promote this wonderful archipelago on the world stage.”

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