The UK’s largest operator, EE, will be the first network in the world to sell the OnePlus 5G smartphone next year.
This was confirmed today by OnePlus (Dec 5) at the Qualcomm Summit event in Hawaii. EE and OnePlus are working on an R&D partnership to ensure the best possible 5G connected experience for customers.
No details on the smartphone was revealed by OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau. The Chinese manufacturer usually launches two smartphones per year. This year it launched the OnePlus 6 in May and the 6T in November.
Other manufacturers to confirm launch of a 5G smartphone next year includes Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi. Apple is rumoured to be launching in 2020.
EE will launch 5G next year in the UK’s most populated cities. London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham and Manchester are part of the first phase of launch.
Ten more cities will follow: Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry and Bristol.
EE is currently trialling live 5G in Canary Wharf, and parts of East London. The operator built 350 new network sites in 2018.
OnePlus CEO and founder Pete Lau said at the event: “OnePlus has poured efforts into 5G research since 2016. Today, we stand poised to embrace the dawn of 5G.”
BT consumer division CEO Marc Allera added: “EE and OnePlus have a shared vision: to give our customers the best connected experience possible.
“We have an ambition to connect our customers to 4G, 5G or WiFi 100pc of the time.”
