Gibtelecom has today announced that it will be carrying out 5G mobile technology trials before the end of the year.

A statement from Gibtelecom follows below:

The trials were announced by the Chief Minister and Gibtelecom Chairman, Fabian Picardo, along with the Company’s CEO, Noel Burrows, and José Antonio López, CEO of Ericsson Iberia. Mr Picardo commented that “Once again, Gibtelecom shows its commitment to providing the latest technologies. As I mentioned in my budget speech earlier this month, the trials would be in-line with other 5G trials taking place across Europe and other countries. I believe making 5G services available would be very important not only for Gibtelecom, but also for Gibraltar as a whole. Having top-end communication services is one of the fundamental pillars of our economy and is key to retaining and attracting investment locally.” Mr Burrows added that “We are extremely excited to embark on this 5G journey. This would be a quantum leap not only in the speeds that 5G would be capable of delivering, but also on its almost endless applications. At this stage, we are focusing on carrying out 5G trials which we are planning to start before the year is out.” 

During the event, members of the press and general public were treated to live demos of the new technology showcasing 5G’s capabilities and applications. These were provided by Ericsson, with whom Gibtelecom have a long-standing relationship stretching all the way back 25 years to 1994 when mobile services were first introduced in Gibraltar. Gibtelecom and Ericsson have since worked in partnership to ensure that Gibraltar’s mobile communications market has availed itself of the latest technology, from GPRS (2.5G) being first introduced in 2004; 3G in 2009, and 4G+ LTE in 2015. Ericsson Iberia CEO, José Antonio López, who was present at the event, commented that “Gibtelecom and Ericsson have had a very fruitful relationship now spanning a quarter of a century. Ericsson is proud to be associated with Gibraltar’s premier communications services provider and look forward to our next steps in our long standing partnership.” 

Jansen Reyes, Gibtelecom Director of Technology, who was also present at the well-attended event said that “5G technology will revolutionise the way we communicate and carry out our business. It will be able to offer speeds that are multitudes faster than current 4G+ technology. We are talking about speeds of multiple Gbps – the equivalent of a fibre optic connection accessed wirelessly. Other than enhanced speeds, perhaps the biggest advantage of 5G is its extremely high responsiveness, reliability, and consequent ability to allow for devices to talk to each other. In this day and age the “Internet of Things” has become a buzz word for everything that has an internet connection. This includes objects, appliances, sensors, devices and applications. With 5G, this can become a reality. The possibilities are endless. Smart homes and smart cities will become the norm.”