MARCH 2020 T3 75The carriers
THE CARRIERS
How far down the 5G road each of the major players has travelled
EE SKY MOBILE BT MOBILE
VODAFONE THREE O 2
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.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.5G has been pushed out to 50 towns and
cities in the UK on BT Mobile so far, with more
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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 super-
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£57.99 a month), and have signed up for a 5G
phone plan (you’ve got two Samsung phones
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of the SIM-only plans on BT Mobile will work
ZLWKbD*bSKRQHDVZHOOFor 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
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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
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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.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). O 2
currently has six different 5G phones that it’ll
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for 5G rather than buying a standard package –
costs start at £25 a month over 18 months, and
that’s with 100GB of data.IMAGE^SOURCE:^ GETTY:^ WAIT^FOR^LIGHT