A 5G Christmas Carol: Vodafone UK shows the power of technology in moving Christmas campaign

In 2020, Tanja Bage’s world changed. Diagnosed with throat cancer, the professional singer and actress, had her voice box removed. Now Tanja speaks through a speech valve.

Devastated at the loss of her singing voice, we used the power of 5G, to help her perform and say a very special thank you to her sister.

The perfect duo

Incredibly close with her sister, Mia, the UK’s COVID-19 lockdowns prevented them from being together during her treatment and early recovery.

For Christmas, Tanja wanted to give Mia a surprise she would never forget. With the help of Martine McCutcheon, a singer and actress known for a variety of stage and screen roles, including popular Christmas movie Love Actually, she was able to perform a first-of-its-kind 5G Christmas duet.

Martine’s vocal sounds provided the tune to Silent Night and were transmitted from a recording studio to an Electrospit, which Tanja was wearing around her neck. As the vocal samples travelled through Tanja’s throat, Tanja was able to shape the sounds into the words of Silent Night.

Our 5G network meant that there was no delay in Martine’s vocals reaching Tanja, so they stayed perfectly in sync despite being in different locations.