5G home broadband: fibre speed without a fibre line
By Tom HartleyFigures checked 20 July 2026
Where 5G reaches, it removes the argument. You get 100 to 500 Mbps for roughly what a slow fixed line costs, with no engineer and no installation date. The catch is the word where.
The coverage problem, stated plainly
5G was built out from cities first and follows population density. The addresses that lost out on fibre lost out for the same reason: too few homes per mile of infrastructure. So the places that most need 5G home broadband are the least likely to have it.
That is not a reason to skip the check. Coverage has spread along major roads and into market towns faster than most people assume, and a single well-placed mast can cover a village that fibre skipped. Check before you settle for 4G. It takes a minute and the upside is ten times the speed.
5G against 4G, and against fibre
| 4G | 5G | Full fibre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical download | 10–60 Mbps | 100–500 Mbps | 100–1000 Mbps |
| Typical upload | 5–15 Mbps | 15–50 Mbps | 30–1000 Mbps |
| Latency | 30–60 ms | 15–30 ms | 5–15 ms |
| Entry price | £17–25 | £20–30 | £22–30 |
| Install | Plug in | Plug in | Engineer visit |
| Available where you are? | Usually | Sometimes | Often not |
Speeds are observed ranges in normal household conditions, not advertised maximums. Prices are entry tariffs at the time of writing and move often.
Who sells 5G home broadband
Three
from £17 a month
Cheapest unlimited 4G and 5G home broadband of the three networks, and the only one that routinely bundles the router at no extra cost.
Worth knowing. Coverage is the thinnest of the big networks once you leave towns. Check the signal at your address before anything else.
Check Three at your postcodeVodafone
from £20 a month
Strong 5G coverage in and around larger towns, with a 30-day money-back guarantee that makes it low-risk to test.
Worth knowing. Rural 4G is weaker than EE. Worth trying only if the coverage map is convincing at your postcode.
Check Vodafone at your postcodeEE
from £25 a month
The widest 4G footprint in the UK, which matters more than headline speed once you are outside a town.
Worth knowing. Costs more than Three for comparable data. You are paying for the coverage, which in a notspot is usually the right trade.
Check EE at your postcodeLeaning towards Vodafone? We tested the GigaCube in full.
Read the Vodafone GigaCube reviewThe short version
Check 5G first, take it if you can get it, and drop to 4G without regret if you cannot. The monthly difference is a few pounds. The performance difference is a factor of ten, and it is the difference between tolerating your connection and forgetting about it.
No 5G at your postcode? Go to 4G home broadband. No mobile signal at all? See the full guide.