Vodafone Ireland has launched the first live 5G network site for commercial trials in Ireland.
To mark the occasion, it saw the first Irish international holographic call, using 5G technology.
The call was made from the Dublin Docklands to Vodafone's Innovation Centre in Germany.
It involved a Q&A session with Max Gasparroni, Vodafone Ireland’s interim technology director, who was in Germany.
A new 5G accelerator programme is also being launched with University College Dublin (UCD) and Ericsson, to foster the development of 5G use cases.
The roll-out involves fully standardised Ericsson 5G being deployed over Vodafone Ireland's recently acquired 5G spectrum.
The telecoms company says it will use this site to trial the latest 5G hardware, software and services as they become available in advance of 5G products hitting the market.
Ireland CEO Anne O'Leary and Max Gasparroni, interim technology director at Vodafone Ireland | Image: Voadafone Ireland
In a statement, it says: "The first Irish international holographic call was a demonstration of the type of possibilities that can be achieved on 5G, which could become an everyday future reality across business and society in Ireland.
"Benefits include robotic surgery, driverless cars and real time virtual gaming on the move."
It adds that this "significant technological milestone" will allow businesses looking to explore new products or services that require the high-speed, high-efficiency capability of this network to undertake trials for the first time.
With NovaUCD, candidates can successfully complete a 5G accelerator programme and be eligible for early stage investment.
Anne O'Leary, CEO of Vodafone Ireland, says: "As a business, we pride ourselves on being first to market with cutting edge, industry leading innovation. Our event today highlights our ongoing commitment to this.
"Making Ireland's first ever live holographic call over 5G was a demonstration of how this new technology could eventually transform how we interact with each other across borders and time zones.
"It also demonstrates the wider potential that the launch of our 5G network can bring, not just to business, but to communities and citizens in the future."
While John Griffin, managing director of Ericsson Ireland, adds: "We're determined to roll-out 5G to businesses and consumers in Ireland with our partner Vodafone.
"The benefits of 5G will impact the whole economy, especially the thriving Irish technology sector."
Vodafone has some 2.3 million customers and employs over 2,000 people directly and indirectly in Ireland.
