THE CARRIERS
How far down the 5G road each of the major players has travelled
EE
With 50 UK cities and towns at least partly covered by 5G so far, EE is doing a commendable job in getting this super-fast connectivity out to the people. By March 2020, the city number is expected to reach 70, with 5G stretching from Market Street on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, to Manchester’s Albert Square, to Piccadilly Circus in London. EE has a strong selection of 5G phones, with eight handsets currently on offer at varying prices, plus one SIM- only 5G plan that will set you back £44 a month for 12 months.
VODAFONE
For the Vodafone network, the number of 5G locations in the UK is now up to 40, and the carrier is talking about pushing that out further in 2020 – it does have a good track record of testing 5G hotspots in places like airports and train stations. 5G won’t cost you anything extra on your Vodafone plan, as long as you’re paying for at least 5GB of data every month (which you’re going to want if you’re on 5G anyway). Its SIM- only plans are 5G ready too, and Vodafone sells five different 5G phones at the moment.
SKY MOBILE
Sky Mobile 5G has reached 20 different UK towns and cities so far, including London, Manchester, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff. Sky says more places will get 5G “soon”, though it hasn’t gone into too much detail (perhaps because it piggybacks on the O2 network). The carrier sells four 5G phones with a contract – three Samsung ones and a Huawei one – and its SIM- only plans are 5G-ready too (if you add a 5G phone as well, of course). 5G doesn’t cost anything extra on Sky Mobile, but you do need to sign up for its (free) VIP loyalty programme.
THREE
It’s fair to say Three is slightly behind the curve when it comes to its 5G roll out, but it does own more 5G spectrum in the UK than anyone else, so when it does arrive, it should be one of the fastest and biggest in terms of capacity. Three has promised 25 locations will get 5G during the first quarter of 2020, though it hasn’t been any more specific than that, but it will already sell you a 5G phone if you want one (three models are available). Three’s SIM- only plans are already 5G-ready at no extra cost.
BT MOBILE
5G has been pushed out to 50 towns and cities in the UK on BT Mobile so far, with more expansion promised soon, though bear in mind that it operates off the back of the EE network. However, to get access to these 5G speeds, you’ll need to have signed up to BT’s superfast Halo broadband service (starting from £ 57.99 a month), and have signed up for a 5G phone plan (you’ve got two Samsung phones and one OnePlus handset to pick from). All of the SIM- only plans on BT Mobile will work with a 5G phone as well.
O2
For O2, 5G connectivity is live in 21 towns and cities across the UK, and the network operator has committed to pushing that up to 50 by the time summer 2020 rolls around (keep your eye on the O2 website for progress on this). O2 currently has six different 5G phones that it’ll sell you a contract for, and if you’re going SIMonly then you do need to buy a SIM that’s ready for 5G rather than buying a standard package – costs start at £ 25 a month over 18 months, and that’s with 100GB of data.