Your guide to 5G broadband deals
Dan Howdle
5G is the next-generation technology to follow 4G. Like 4G for your mobile, it delivers internet connectivity through high-frequency data signals sent over the airwaves to your device. 5G does this faster than 4G. On paper, in fact, it can achieve such high speeds it will in future be able to easily outperform your home broadband connection.
That's why 5G mobile SIMs (compatible with 5G phones) aren't the only way the industry is pushing the technology. Some providers are also offering 5G broadband as an alternative to your fixed home broadband connection, although obviously this is dependent on you living somewhere with a good 5G service. Here, we'll take a look at both kinds of 5G connectivity.
What is 5G broadband?
The term 5G broadband can describe either a mobile phone data connection using a 5G-compatible phone containing a SIM subscribed to a 5G plan on a 5G network, or it can describe a home 5G broadband router that, also using a 5G SIM, delivers 5G broadband speeds via that same 5G mobile data network.
5G simply stands for 'fifth generation' and is the technology set to supercede 4G, which for the vast majority of us currently delivers our mobile data. 5G uses higher frequencies to deliver much faster data speeds than 4G, but at the cost of range. Delivery of 5G networks is likely to be considerably slower than the rollout of 4G as there are substantial technological challenges as well as a harder task convincing us we need it.
- 5G home broadband – Inside your home, this works the same as your regular broadband connection. You have a router, which supplies both wired (LAN) and wireless (wifi) connectivity to your entire household. The key difference is how the 5G home router accesses the internet, doing so over the airwaves instead of via a phone line or cable TV connection. Worryingly, perhaps, suppliers of 5G home broadband currently advise you to place your 5G broadband router next to a window. Presumably, this is to avoid signal interference problems, but it hardly speaks volumes of the robustness of the technology at this stage
- 5G mobile SIM – 5G technology itself will not require a new SIM. The new technology is built into the handset and the network. What you are upgrading to, then, will be a new 5G-capable phone and an upgraded 5G plan from your provider
Do I need 5G broadband?
You are unlikely to need 5G – it’s more likely to be a case of wanting it. The biggest potential upset to 5G becoming the dominant mobile broadband technology is that right now the very high data speeds it offers don't have much use.
Mobile providers will tell you that you can download an ultra-high definition movie in under a minute or whatever, but who downloads movies to their phones in an age where streaming dominates? And even if you did, why would you want to download a film at a resolution so high that you cannot possibly perceive the benefit? The truth is, there are currently no good reasons to own a 5G phone beyond being able to tell others that you do.
As for 5G home broadband that's another matter. There will be more and more cases as the technology rolls out across the country where you're maybe unable to get a superfast or even ultrafast home broadband connection, but you can get 5G. In future, 5G home broadband is going to fill a lot of gaps. For now though, here are a few reasons you might want it.
- You can get it – When 5G roll out first started, availability was limited to just a handful of cities. Now it is increasingly available across the country, and so you may find that you’re in luck
- Your home broadband is terrible – As we said above, if your home broadband is terrible there is a small chance 5G will get to you before better fixed-line broadband does
- You have a special application in mind – Perhaps you need fast back-up broadband connection for your home or home business, or a second broadband connection for a dedicated server or some such
- You have to have the latest thing – Let's be honest, this is the real reason why most who would want 5G would choose to do so
- Money is no object – 5G is still quite expensive right now, as you might expect with anything that's the latest, greatest thing. And with no useful applications for that extra speed, cost will not be a consideration for you
5G broadband coverage and data speeds
There are actually only four mobile network providers in the UK. 'Four?' we hear you say, 'but I can think of at least a dozen'. And indeed there are literally dozens of providers in the UK, but only four of them operate their own networks. The rest (called MVNOs or Mobile Virtual Network Operators in the biz) use one of these four established networks by renting capacity – sometimes called 'piggybacking'.
These four networks are: Three, Vodafone, EE and O2, and at the time of writing all four of them offer a 5G service in some form. In addition, most MVNOs mentioned above also offer it – including BT Mobile and Sky Mobile. But as with most new technologies, availability is still limited and speeds are a long way from the 10Gbps often touted by 5G evangelists. Let's take a look at how each of the networks is doing.
EE
EE claims a median average 5G speed of 151.03Mbps as recorded by Speedtest. EE 5G is currently available to around 18% of the population in 168 towns and cities including London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Belfast, Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol, Coventry, Leicester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Lichfield, Lisburn, Newcastle, Salford, Sheffield, Sunderland, Wakefield and Wolverhampton. Just bear in mind that coverage will by no means be universal in those locations.
Vodafone
Vodafone claims a median average 5G speed of 159.49Mbps according to Speedtest. Vodafone 5G is currently available to around 10% of the population, in Ambleside, Bebington, Belfast, Bishopbriggs, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bootle, Bristol, Bristol and Gatwick Airport, Cardiff, Cheadle and Gatley, Droylsden, Eccles, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Horwich, Huyton-with-Roby, Isle of Scilly, Kingswood, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Llandudno, London, Manchester, Mangotsfield, Newbury, Paisley, Penarth, Plymouth, Prestwich, Rochdale, Salford, Solihull, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Stretford, Wallasey, Warrington and Wolverhampton.
Three
Three is, perhaps surprisingly, the fastest of all four networks when it comes to 5G download speed, but only covers around 6.4% of the population so far. The median average speeds recorded by Speedtest was 231.07Mbps. Three 5G is available, or will soon be available, in London, Birmingham, Bradford, Liverpool, Glasgow, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Cardiff, Hull, Leicester, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Bolton, Bristol, Reading, Rotherham, Slough, Edinburgh, Brighton, Coventry, Derby, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes and Sunderland.
O2
According to research by Speedtest, O2 5G download speeds averaged 155.54Mbps. 5G on O2 is currently available to just over 5% of the population, in Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, Slough and Stoke-on-Trent.
Which providers offer 5G?
5G mobile plans and 5G home broadband plans are available from a number of UK network providers as well as a couple of piggybackers using someone else's network capacity. Here's a brief rundown of who offers what.
- EE mobile – Provides 5G both as a mobile SIM and as a home broadband router
- Vodafone mobile – Provides 5G both as a mobile SIM and as a home broadband router
- Three mobile – Provides 5G both as a mobile SIM and as a home broadband router
- BT Mobile – Provides 5G only as a mobile SIM, operating on EE's 5G network
- O2 mobile – Provides 5G only as a mobile SIM
- Sky Mobile – Provides 5G only as a mobile SIM, operating on O2's 5G network
- Asda Mobile – Provides 5G only as a mobile SIM, operating on Vodafone's 5G network
- Tesco Mobile – Provides 5G only as a mobile SIM, operating on O2's 5G network
- giffgaff – Provides 5G only as a mobile SIM, operating on O2's 5G network
5G broadband checklist: What you need
No one really needs 5G right now. Sure, in years to come there will be applications that 5G is suited to, things that simply couldn't be done without the high speeds and low latency 5G provides. But that time is not now.
If, however, you are determined to take the plunge irrespective of whether it can improve your day-to-day experience, there are a few things you'll need to be sure you have before you dive in.
- A compatible mobile phone – This is very important. You cannot access a 5G mobile network with just any mobile phone. It has to specifically be a 5G phone, and they are still quite expensive. If you want 5G, you're going to need a new phone, and you'll need to be absolutely sure it is 5G-ready
- A 5G home router – If you're planning on getting 5G to replace your home broadband, or as a back-up to your existing broadband, you're going to need a 5G router, containing a SIM that lets you access a 5G broadband plan. Happily, you will get all of this if you sign up
- A 5G signal where you live and work – Coverage is still limited compared to that of 4G. See the section on coverage above for where you can currently get it on each network. Suffice to say that if you're not somewhere you can get it, you need not apply
- A healthy bank account – What with the cost of a 5G phone and the somewhat high cost of 5G mobile or 5G home broadband plan, if you're planning on opting for 5G you certainly won't be doing it to save money
