5G in the United Kingdom: Here’s everything you need to know

This year will see the first cities around the world get 5G mobile connectivity, and carriers are all starting to announce plans, phones, and prices hoping to entice you into buying not only a new smartphone, but also sign up to a 5G plan. The United States launch is already underway — AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile are all getting prepared — and the United Kingdom isn’t far behind. Here are all the details on how to get 5G in the U.K. in 2019. Sky Mobile has become the second MVNO in the U.K. after BT Sport to announce 5G plans. It will start offering 5G contracts in November using O2’s 5G network, and providing the same coverage. This means six cities at launch, another 14 by the end of 2019, and 50 cities in the U.K. by summer 2020. Later on, Sky Mobile says it will also sell the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and other devices too. Buying the Huawei phone now means you will have a “5G ready” phone, but the tariff is expected to change when 5G is introduced, with Sky Mobile saying prices for 5G connectivity will be announced closer to the launch. Three was the third network in the U.K. to talk 5G dates and services, and has now discussed prices. A SIM-only 5G plan will cost 20 British pounds ($25) each month and that’s with unlimited data, which is a very good deal. Those connected to Three already will be able to get 5G at no extra cost too, making it one of the most competitive deals we’ve seen yet. When Three’s 5G service launches before the end of 2019, it will cover 25 cities across the U.K. — including London, Brighton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, and Reading. No exact date has been given for the mobile launch, but we do known the company’s 5G home broadband will launch in August. Those in London will be the first on the list for the service, which Three says is “plug-and-play,” and only requires you to plug in a router. Three is confident its 5G network will be the fastest in the U.K., with peak speeds twice that of the competition, it says. It intends for 80% of its network traffic to have access to 5G over the next three years, and it will continue to build out its 4G network, too. O2 will switch on its 5G network in October, and says it will be prioritizing coverage in key parts of several cities — London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Slough, Leeds, and Belfast — including transport links, business areas, and large sports and entertainment locations. This will include The O2 stadium in London, and Twickenham Stadium. Following this, another 14 cities in the U.K. will receive O2 5G before the end of the year, and then another 30 before summer 2020. The complete list of 02’s 2019 5G coverage area also includes Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Coventry, Derby, Eton, Guildford, Leicester, Lisburn, Norwich, Nottingham, Reading, Slough, Stoke, and Windsor. For 2020, expect Aberdeen, Bradford, Brighton, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Glasgow, Hove, Kingston, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newbury, Newcastle, Northampton, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Sunderland, Warrington, and Wolverhampton to join the 5G lineup. Tariff prices will be announced later, but O2 says it will offer flexibility for anyone choosing to wait for a 5G plan, if they’re already connected to a custom plan, with ways to upgrade at any time. Only July 3, Vodafone switched on its 5G network in seven U.K. cities, with another 12 to follow before the end of the year. The service is available to both consumers and businesses, and what’s more is that for now, Vodafone is not charging any more to take advantage of the faster data speeds. The seven cities are London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Bristol, and Birmingham. By the end of the year, Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Newbury, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Warrington, and Wolverhampton will all be added to the list. Interestingly, Vodafone will also provide 5G roaming in Germany, Italy, and Spain this summer. Additionally, one other 5G phone is expected to be available before the network switches on its 5G signal, and Huawei will also supply Vodafone’s 5G home router, the 5G Gigacube, which will be released in the summer. Vodafone has also introduced a new Unlimited Data Plan, where you subscribe based around the speed of the data, rather than the amount you use. The 5G plan costs 30 pounds per month, and will be available on July 10. BT Mobile, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) that’s part of the BT Group has announced it will offer 5G in the fall. This is potentially great news for those in the U.K. waiting for more reasonable 5G tariffs, something which MVNO’s traditionally supply. It won’t be at the expense of coverage either, as BT Mobile uses EE’s network (BT Group acquired EE in 2016) and therefore will provide 5G coverage in the same cities. Currently, EE has 5G in six cities, and will expand coverage to 16 cities in total by the end of the year. Subscribers to the BT Plus plan, where mobile and home connections are bundled together, will be first on the list to upgrade, with BT and BT Business customers to follow. Prices, and which 5G phones will be available, will be announced closer to the launch date. However, the promotional image shows what looks like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, so it can be assumed this will be on offer. EE has launched its 5G network in the U.K., throwing the switch on May 30, with London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast first on the list for coverage. Manchester and Birmingham will follow in the near future, and an additional 10 cities will join them before the end of 2019: Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry, and Bristol. If you’re wondering if 5G is available where you live in these cities, EE has a selection of coverage maps to examine here. Updated on July 26, 2019: Added Sky Mobile launch, and Three UK price details.