5G Broadband deals

What is 5G home broadband?

5G home broadband is home broadband powered by 5G. So rather than your internet being piped to your router through a fixed line, such as a fibre optic cable or a phone line, it’s beamed wirelessly from a nearby mast.

It’s the same process as how your phone gets a 5G or 4G signal, and then once the signal reaches your router it’s beamed from there to all the internet-connected gadgets in your home.

This is the same system as you’ll find with 4G home broadband, except being 5G it’s a whole lot faster.

How fast is 5G home broadband?

Speeds for 5G home broadband will vary, depending on your network, location, and any obstacles impacting speeds and coverage, but in general – taking in claims from networks and independent tests - the average tends to range between around 100Mbps and 250Mbps, with peak speeds potentially exceeding 1Gbps.

For reference, 4G home broadband only tends to average around 25Mbps, so 5G home broadband is significantly faster.

Is 5G home broadband better than fibre broadband?

That somewhat depends on which fibre packages are available to you, as these vary by area. If you have the very fastest fibre options available then you’ll potentially get average speeds of over 1Gbps, which in most cases will beat 5G home broadband. However, these plans tend to be expensive and aren’t available in most places.

The majority of the UK is limited to much lower speeds, often under 100Mbps – and in rural locations sometimes much under. In these cases, 5G home broadband can prove a far faster alternative.

Of course, that’s only if you have 5G coverage in your area, as right now not all places have 5G.

Which networks offer 5G home broadband?

At the time of writing, EE, Three and Vodafone all offer 5G home broadband plans. National Broadband does too, though this will piggyback off one of the aforementioned networks.

Each of these will supply its own router with different specs. In the case of EE you’re getting a EE Smart 5G Hub, Three offers the Three 5G Broadband Hub, Vodafone provides the Vodafone GigaCube 5G, and National Broadband will send its 5G WiFi Router.

However, while the specs do vary, they’re largely comparable, so the main factor will be which networks have 5G coverage in your home, and which plans are most appealing – factoring in the likes of data limits and price.

What’s the difference between 5G home broadband and 5G mobile broadband?

The difference between 5G home broadband and 5G mobile broadband is that while home broadband is designed to provide a persistent internet connection to all the devices in your home, mobile broadband is designed to be portable, so you can get gadgets online when you’re away from home.

The basic technology is the same, but 5G mobile broadband routers will have a battery, so they don’t need to be plugged in to use them, making them ideal for car or train journeys, for example.

Technically, there’s nothing to stop you leaving them plugged in and switched on all the time, so they could double as a 5G home broadband device, but the plans they’re sold on are sometimes less favourable for home broadband, and the devices themselves often don’t let you get as many gadgets online at once, as they’re not designed to connect a whole house to the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get 5G home broadband if I have bad 5G signal?

Yes, even if the 5G connection on your phone is poor or non-existent, you might still be able to get 5G home broadband. That’s because a 5G home broadband router will typically be designed to pick up weaker signals than a smartphone will, and its capabilities can usually be further enhanced by attaching an external antenna.

That said, there are still limits. If there’s no 5G signal anywhere in your area, then you will have to wait for 5G to be switched on there before you can get 5G home broadband – but 4G home broadband could still be an option.

Is 5G home broadband good for online gaming?

5G home broadband is much better for online gaming than 4G home broadband, because as well as offering much higher speeds it also typically offers lower latency, which is vital to smooth online game performance.

Can I get unlimited data with 5G home broadband?

Yes, a number of 5G home broadband plans include unlimited data, including some from Three, EE, and Vodafone. Use the unlimited data filter on this page to see just these deals.