Best 5G network?

[Kemik]

Hi all,

My ancient Three contract is being removed at the end of the month so I have two options; stick with Three on a new two year contract or switch to a competitor.

Three says they have the most 5G spectrum, but my experience with their 4G network in any busy areas is shocking. I can be at Westfields in London and not be able to even load Google. EE seem to be the alternative.

Any ideas? I'm going to get a 5G phone in the next few weeks so I need to pick a network that will be decent for the next two years.

Thanks

 

[Orcvader]

It depends on the area you're usually in. For London at least I found EE to be the better network, but that's in terms of 4G. I don't have a 5G phone so I have no idea what network offers the best 5G experience around here.

 

[benparker]

Apparently three will have the best 5G coverage overall. Try EE and cancel within 14 days if it's not satisfactory.

 

[smokedog]

I'm on Vodafone 5G and I get some interesting results. I'm in London in an weak/ok 5G coverage area.

I just ran 3 speed tests and these are the results:

4G+
Down: 134/137/147 Mbps
Up: 18/16/16 Mbps

5G
Down: 67/38/48 Mbps
Up: 28/28/19 Mbps


Update:
I ran some more speed tests and previous results were more due to patchy service. I get the same speed with 4G+ or 5G.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

Why dont you just wait? Why do you need 5G now? were not going to be able to live our lives for at least another year...

 

[sdduk]

Just to let people know that O2 have the most 5g spectrum they bought the most when it went up for auction.
OP Maybe has said you should wait till the 5g is running better if you are not sure.

 

[alexakasloth]

At the time of the auction they did have the most, pretty sure EE have the most ove now followed by Three who have the largest proportion of mid level band:

https://awtg.co.uk/5g-spectrum-uk

Scroll down to the graphic showing the current share.

Edit: Three bought a company called UK broadband who had a large amount of the 3.6 - 4GHz band (164 Mhz), more reading:

https://5g.co.uk/guides/5g-uk-auction/

 

[4K8KW10]

The best 5G network is no 5G network

 

[sdduk]

At the time of the auction they did have the most, pretty sure EE have the most ove now followed by Three who have the largest proportion of mid level band:

https://awtg.co.uk/5g-spectrum-uk

Scroll down to the graphic showing the current share.

Edit: Three bought a company called UK broadband who had a large amount of the 3.6 - 4GHz band (164 Mhz), more reading:

https://5g.co.uk/guides/5g-uk-auction/

Every time i read about the 5g i get different answers one min its O2 then Vodafone and then EE and to cap it all Three said they had the most...I new three bought UK Broadband thats who i am with now...Its just very confusing.
Also agree with you comment No 5g is the best.

 

[Frijj]

I’m on Vodafone 5g with a samsung s20 ultra (swapping to iPhone 12 pro tomorrow)
I live in Leeds and work in Leeds city centre where there is 5g,

Without a doubt.. 4g brings me faster speed test results than 5g.. by far, not sure why

Upload sometimes slightly faster but that’s about it

 

[smokedog]

I’m on Vodafone 5g with a samsung s20 ultra (swapping to iPhone 12 pro tomorrow)
I live in Leeds and work in Leeds city centre where there is 5g,

Without a doubt.. 4g brings me faster speed test results than 5g.. by far, not sure why

Upload sometimes slightly faster but that’s about it

Apparently its just 5G in name and not performance
https://www.lightreading.com/mobile/5g/your-5g-icon-is-virtually-meaningless/a/d-id/751238

I've locked it to 4G only now to save battery.

 

[chrismscotland]

I'm with Vodafone and there's limited 5G in Edinburgh but when I do have it its very very fast.
I didn't pay extra for the 5G; to be honest given the lack of coverage I probably wouldn't pay extra; Three are one of the networks just "adding" 5G on rather than making it a "Premium" product like EE seem to be doing.

 

[AndyCr15]

rather than making it a "Premium" product like EE seem to be doing.

I changed my EE to include 5G and it didn't cost any more, if that's what you mean? I get exactly the same amount of data (unlimited) and the same price and in fact they sent me some headphones for 'upgrading'...

 

[alexakasloth]

I would be interested in seeing what speed connectivity I would get at home when it is rolled out in my area. We do not have FTTP so if it's faster than 70mb at a good price then I would swap over.

 

[chrismscotland]

I changed my EE to include 5G and it didn't cost any more, if that's what you mean? I get exactly the same amount of data (unlimited) and the same price and in fact they sent me some headphones for 'upgrading'...

Thats pretty good; I had a look as a new customer and it seems to be that 5G is a "Premium" - which is a shame as there coverage seems best; seems way more expensive that what I'm paying Vodafone though.

 

[Kemik]

The reason for moving is because Three have told me I can't have my monthly SIMO contract any more. If I want to stay I have to pay more. I can argue with retentions but I'm a bit bored of the awful service in high footfall areas to be honest. I get decent signal but can't even load Google. Hence me looking at competitors.

I got an EE SIM and while it seems to be great everywhere, signal is poor at my house. Vodafone on my work phone seems decent. Haven't tried O2 yet.

 

[Rannoch]

I'm with Vodafone and there's limited 5G in Edinburgh but when I do have it its very very fast.
I didn't pay extra for the 5G; to be honest given the lack of coverage I probably wouldn't pay extra; Three are one of the networks just "adding" 5G on rather than making it a "Premium" product like EE seem to be doing.

What area did you test in? I ran a few tests in Stockbridge and it wasn’t a good experience, reception was decent.

 

[Ixon]

This is on EE currently don't have 5G in my area yet but surrounding area's do, so took a 10 minute drive to test it out & the sim only deal only cost me £17.50 for 40GB 5G on EE.
Great thing is I'm paying just a quid more for this sim only deal, my last sim only deal with EE was just 10GB 4G for £16.50 had that for nearly 2 years.

 

[AndyCr15]

For reference, I'm paying £25 for unlimted. I think this is available to anyone, not just upgrade. Having said that, I think it might have been an offer.

(Having a quick look while logged out, maybe I did get a deal as it's £37 now!)

I don't think I've ever used more than about 20GB, so unlimited might be overkill, but I like the safety net and perhaps future proofing. Maybe I start tethering more or something and a laptop can use much more data in a hurry

 

[uvarvu]

https://rootmetrics.com/en-GB/rootscore/map

If you live in one of the large cities you can check the score in your area. EE is typically on top everywhere but barely wins in some locations.