Vodafone was named winner of the first-ever 5G Innovation of the Year award at the Mobile Industry Awards 2021.
This category was introduced to reflect the growing importance of next-generation networks to businesses and consumers. As 5G continues to become a mainstream technology, it will transform the way we live, work and play.
Accordingly, the award seeks to recognise companies in the mobile industry that are doing truly exciting things in the 5G world.
Our 2021 finalists were:
- Altiostar Network Inc
- BT
- Samsung
- Vodafone
Our entrants were asked to submit entries based on the following criteria:
- Showcase your 5G project and demonstrate clear innovation in the field
- Elaborate how 5G technology is essential for your project
- Demonstrate how your project solves a business need either in the telecoms sector or another industry
- How close is your project to a commercial reality?
Why Vodafone won
Vodafone was rewarded for its role in delivering the first Standalone 5G (SA 5G) network in the UK, paving the way for the most revolutionary of 5G use cases.
Nearly all commercial 5G deployments to date have relied on non-standalone 5G (NSA 5G), which uses new radio technologies but still relies on the underlying 4G core.
SA 5G uses a new virtual, cloud-based core that allows data to be processed closer to the point of collection and enables features like network slicing. This allows for guaranteed speeds, enhanced reliability, and ultra-low latency.
Vodafone’s work in this area made it a worthy winner in a high-calibre field - congratulations to all our finalists and we cannot wait to see what this category will deliver at the 2022 MIAs and beyond!
- You can find out all our Mobile Industry Awards 2021 winners here
