Commercial 5G is being launched in Ireland for the first time.

Vodafone has become the first mobile operator to introduce the network, which is going live in Waterford, Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway today.

The company says it’ll provide faster internet speeds and will have a huge impact on technology use in nearly every industry, including artificial intelligence and self-driving cars.

Vodafone is also launching a strategic partnership with University College Cork to create the world’s first 5G connected telemedicine and medical robotics training centre.

Anne O’Leary, CEO of Vodafone Ireland, said: “5G is set to revolutionise how we use and adopt technology and will have a huge impact on businesses and society in Ireland.

“It will bring high speed, ultra-low latency and highly secure connectivity to a massive amount of devices; and is a technology that will unlock a vast array of new use cases through Vodafone’s next-generation network.”

There are growing health concerns about 5G, but Anne O’Leary claims there’s no evidence to support those fears:

“We work with the World Health Organisation and all the international health organisations.

“There is no evidence of any adverse effects on health because of electromagnetic technology, which is mobile technology.

“We keep close to that and we abide by all the standards and all the rules.

“It’s really an evolution from 2G to 3G to 4G to 5G.”