Huawei, Vodafone complete 1st 5G call with speeds up to 8 times faster than 4G

MADRID - Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and British multinational network provider Vodafone announced Tuesday they had completed the first 5G call in the world.

In a press communique, Huawei confirmed the call was made using a dual "4G to 5G connection" at speeds which are eight times faster than the current 4G standard.

Huawei also said a second test "using a 5G data connection" for a video call was also successfully carried out.

The call was made from the town of Castelldefels, close to Barcelona, to Madrid using the 3.7 GHz bandwidth which will be incorporated in the future rollout of 5G technology.

"Huawei is totally committed to the development of the technology of the 5G network and today's test shows the maturity of 5G development on the standards approved by the 3GPP," said Yang Chaobin, the president of Huawei's 5G product line.

He added that Huawei was now prepared to "advance" in its collaboration with Vodafone to "start commercial trials."

Meanwhile the CEO of Vodafone Spain Antonio Coimbra said the first 5G connection in Spain was of "great relevance for the digital transformation" of the country.