You can get a 5G SIM Only Deal from £15/month in the UK. We compare 5G SIM cards from BT, EE, O2, Vodafone, VOXI and more.

In the UK, it’s possible to get a SIM-only deal with 5G coverage from as little as £15/month. Compared to older 3G and 4G SIM cards, this gives you access to faster 5G download speeds. You’ll also benefit from greater network capacity and reduced latency when using 5G.

At the moment, 5G SIM-only deals are available to buy from EE, O2, Vodafone and VOXI. It’s also possible to get 5G on BT Mobile but this is currently limited to new handset contracts and is exclusive to BT Halo customers. New 5G price plans are also expected early next year from Three and Sky Mobile.

In this article, we’ll compare the 5G SIM Only Deals currently available in the UK. We’ll look at the 5G price plans available on each mobile network before summarising the benefits of 5G and the handsets you can use. We’ll also look at the 5G coverage that’s currently available on different networks.

Compare 5G SIM Only Deals

At the moment, you can get a 5G SIM-only deal from four UK mobile networks: EE, O2, Vodafone and VOXI.

The following table shows a list of these 5G SIM card deals:

How much data do you want on your plan each month?

How long are you willing to commit for on a contract?

Which networks would you be happy to take a plan from?

Showing 22 of 22 price plans that match your criteria

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£15.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£15.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£17.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimited30GB£20.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£21.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£22.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£23.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£23.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£25.00
1 month
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£28.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
12 months
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
18 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£30.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£32.00
1 month
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£44.00
12 months

To benefit from the fastest 5G download speeds, you’ll need a 5G-ready handset and will need to be in a 5G coverage area. If you aren’t able to access 5G, you can still access older types of coverage like 3G and 4G on any of these SIM cards.

5G SIM Cards: By Network

BT Mobile

BT Mobile offers 5G coverage from EE, but as an exclusive to customers who have a Halo plan. You’ll need to take BT’s Superfast or Ultrafast fibre broadband to gain access to 5G, and 5G coverage is only available when buying a 5G handset from BT.

Unfortunately, BT Mobile does not currently offer 5G SIM-only deals. This means you’ll need to choose another mobile network if you’d like a 5G SIM card for a mobile phone that you already own.

EE

EE was the UK’s first mobile network to offer a 5G service, having launched it to consumers in May 2019.

EE’s 5G network currently offers 5G coverage in 41 UK towns and cities. You can get EE’s 5G Smart SIM for £44/month on a 12-month contract with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data included.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
EEUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£44.00
12 months

EE’s 5G Smart SIM comes on a 12-month contract, with three Swappable Benefits included in the price. Benefits include a free subscription to Amazon Prime Video and BT Sport in HDR on your phone. You’ll also get the Roam Further Pass which allows you to use your mobile phone at no extra charge in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.

You’ll get uncapped download speeds on EE’s 5G network. In theory, speeds can go up to 1,000Mbit/s, but realistically you’ll get closer to 150-200Mbit/s when connected to 5G. A fair usage policy applies to unlimited data on EE: see our full review of EE’s unlimited data plan for more information.

For more information, see EE’s website for a list of their 5G SIM cards and their 5G network coverage. You can also see a list of 5G devices they sell, including the HTC 5G Hub router.

O2

O2 currently offers 5G SIM-only plans from £20/month on a 12-month contract.

Unfortunately, the largest data allowance with 5G on O2 is currently 100GB per month. This is because O2 only offers unlimited data with their 4G SIM-only plans at present.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
O2UnlimitedUnlimited30GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
12 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£25.00
18 months
O2UnlimitedUnlimited100GB£30.00
12 months

At the time of writing, O2 offers 5G coverage in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Slough. They’re due to roll it out to another 36 towns and cities in 2020. See O2’s webpage on 5G for more information.

Three

So far, Three has launched a 5G home broadband service for customers in London. At present, however, the 5G service isn’t available to users with a smartphone.

Three’s 5G service for mobile phones is currently expected to launch in Q1 2020. They’ve announced that 5G will be available at no extra cost and have already been selling a range of 5G-ready smartphones on their website.

Three’s 5G service should cover the following 25 towns and cities by the end of the Q1 2020:

Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, Rotherham, Sheffield, Slough, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.

In recent months, Three have been heavily pushing their unlimited data plans so we expect this to continue being a big part of their 5G offering.

You can register your interest on Three’s 5G website. Alternatively, see our full review of the coverage on Three.

Sky Mobile

Sky Mobile are still yet to announce the exact launch date for their 5G service. However, they’ve confirmed that they’ll be offering 5G coverage from O2, so we know it’ll be available in the same places as on O2. We’re currently expecting a launch of the Sky’s 5G service in the next few months.

For more information, see the Sky Mobile website.

Vodafone

Vodafone launched their 5G service in July 2019, with a line-up of unlimited data plans and Red gigabyte data plans.

You can choose from the following 5G SIM-only deals on Vodafone from just £15/month:

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£15.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£15.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited5GB£17.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£20.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited10GB£21.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimited20GB£22.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£23.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£23.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
2Mbps max		£25.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£26.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
10Mbps max		£28.00
1 month
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
12 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
18 months
VodafoneUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£32.00
1 month
To show you the most relevant plans, 10 similar but more expensive plans have been hidden. .

All of the SIM cards shown will give you access to 5G coverage on a 12-month contract. If you’d like extra flexibility, you can pay an extra £2/month to have the plan on a 30-day rolling basis.

On the Red 20GB, Unlimited and Unlimited Max price plans, you can optionally add a £6/month Entertainment package. This will give you inclusive access to Amazon Prime Video, NOW TV, Sky Sports Mobile TV or Spotify Premium. You’ll also get 100 UK-to-EU minutes every month.

On Vodafone’s Unlimited Lite and Unlimited price plans, there’s a restriction on the maximum download speeds you’re able to obtain (2Mbit/s on Unlimited Lite and 10Mbit/s on Unlimited). You’ll need to choose the Unlimited Max price plan for unlimited data without speed restrictions on 5G. Customers on the Unlimited Max plan will also get access to Vodafone Global Roaming Plus (inclusive roaming in 77 destinations).

Vodafone’s 5G SIM cards can optionally be taken together with fibre broadband as part of a Vodafone Together bundle. If you choose Vodafone Together, you’ll get a discounted price for fibre broadband with your 5G SIM card.

VOXI

VOXI is a low-cost sub-brand of Vodafone, offering unlimited data (what they call “endless data”) with 5G coverage. You’ll get 5G coverage in all of the same places where 5G is available on Vodafone.

Until February 2020, endless 5G data is available on VOXI for £30/month. From February 2020 onwards, the price is due to increase to £35/month.

NetworkMinutesTextsDataMonthly
Cost
VOXIUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited£30.00
1 month

For more information, read our full review of VOXI or see VOXI’s official website.

Other Networks

At the time of writing, other mobile networks are still yet to confirm the exact launch date for their 5G services.

For a mobile network to launch 5G, their underlying coverage provider will first need to switch on 5G coverage themselves. To give an example, giffgaff uses O2 as their network coverage provider. This means the earliest date they can switch on 5G is when O2 launches their own 5G service.

In reality, individual mobile networks will normally get 5G a little bit later than the underlying coverage provider. This is because the four major networks (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone) like to keep the latest technology as an exclusive for their own customers. This pattern was seen when 4G launched in the UK, with smaller mobile networks often getting it one or two years after the underlying coverage provider.

The following table keeps track of the 5G coverage provider for each mobile network and any announcements that have already been made around the launch date:

Mobile Network 5G Coverage Provider 5G Launch Date
1pMobile EE TBC – “as soon as we have access” (see announcement)
ASDA Mobile EE TBC – “not currently available” (see FAQ)
giffgaff O2 TBC – 5G trial currently in progress (see announcement)
iD Mobile Three TBC
Lebara Mobile Vodafone TBC
Lycamobile O2 TBC
Plusnet Mobile EE TBC – “no information regarding 5G” (see discussion)
SMARTY Three TBC – “coming soon” but no confirmed date (see website)
Tesco Mobile O2 “Early 2020” (see announcement)
Virgin Mobile EE 2020-2021 using Vodafone coverage (see announcement)

For more information, see our full guide to mobile phone coverage in the UK.

Benefits of 5G

There are three main benefits to using a 5G mobile network:

  1. 5G has greater network capacity. 5G mobile networks have much more capacity for carrying data than older 3G and 4G networks. This means a lot more people can be using their phones before the mobile network gets congested in an area. This can be important in places like a sports stadium, a train station or other city centre locations where many people are using their phone at the same time.
  2. 5G has lower latency. Latency refers to the amount of time it takes for data to travel from your phone to the internet and back. On present-day 4G mobile networks, average latency is around 50ms (0.05 seconds). On 5G networks, this should drop to less than 10ms (0.01 seconds). This lower latency is important for online gaming, as well as new technologies like augmented reality.
  3. 5G offers faster download speeds. On 5G, it’s possible to get average download speeds of around 150-200Mbit/s. This compares to around 30Mbit/s for present-day 4G mobile networks. Maximum download speeds on 5G can be even faster than this (sometimes up to 1,000Mbit/s or 1Gbit/s) but it’s unlikely you’ll be able to access these download speeds at the start.

See our guide to mobile network download speeds for more in-depth information.

5G Handsets

To get the benefits of 5G technology, you’ll need a handset that supports the latest 5G mobile networks. At the time of writing, the following 5G handsets are available to buy in the UK:

  • Huawei Mate 20 X 5G: Available on EE, Three and Vodafone.
  • LG V50 ThinQ: Available on EE.
  • OnePlus 7 Pro 5G: Available on EE.
  • OPPO Reno 5G: Available on EE and O2.
  • Samsung Galaxy A90 5G: Available on EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
  • Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G: Available on EE.
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G: Available on EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
  • Samsung Galaxy S10 5G: Available on EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.
  • Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G: Available on O2, Three and Vodafone.

You can also buy a 5G smartphone from various retailers on an unlocked basis.

All of the 5G-ready smartphones currently available on the market are powered by Google’s Android operating system. If you’re looking for an Apple iPhone that supports 5G coverage, this is likely to only be available around September 2020 according to the latest industry rumours.

If your handset doesn’t support 5G technology, you’ll still be able to access 3G and 4G coverage on a 5G-ready SIM card.

5G Coverage

To benefit from 5G technology, you’ll need to be in a 5G coverage area. At the moment, there’s a phased rollout of 5G coverage across the UK, mainly starting from the largest towns and cities.

The following table shows a list of towns and cities where 5G coverage is available at present on different networks. It also shows other towns and cities that already have a confirmed launch date for 5G:

5G NetworkCurrently LivePlanned & Announced
EE
(check coverage)		47 towns and cities live
Ashton-under-Lyne, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Castlereagh, Chatham, Clifton, Coventry, Dudley, Edinburgh, Gillingham, Glasgow, Grays, Guildford, Hamilton, Harlow, Hoddesdon, Huddersfield, Hull, Kimberley, Kingston-upon-Thames, Leeds, Leicester, Lichfield, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Maidstone, Manchester, Milnrow, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oldham, Potters Bar, Rochdale, Romford, Salford, Sheffield, Solihull, Sunderland, Sutton Coldfield, Sydenham, Walsall, Watford, West Bromwich, Wolverhampton		9 towns and cities planned
Aberdeen, Cambridge, Derby, Gloucester, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Worcester
O2
(check coverage)		21 towns and cities live
Belfast, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, Lisburn, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, Slough, Stoke-on-Trent		21 towns and cities planned
Aberdeen, Birkenhead, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Cambridge, Eton, Guildford, Hove, Luton, Milton Keynes, Newbury, Northampton, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Sunderland, Warrington, Windsor, Wolverhampton
Three
(check coverage)		1 towns and cities live
London		24 towns and cities planned
Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Derby, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Reading, Rotherham, Sheffield, Slough, Sunderland, Wolverhampton
Vodafone
(check coverage)		38 towns and cities live
Bebington, Belfast, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bolton, Bootle, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheadle, Droylsden, Eccles, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Horwich, Huyton-with-Roby, Isle of Scilly, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Llandudno, London, Manchester, Mangotsfield, Newbury, Paisley, Penarth, Plymouth, Prestwich, Rochdale, Salford, Solihull, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Stretford, Wallasey, Warrington, Wolverhampton		6 towns and cities planned
Blackpool, Bournemouth, Guildford, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton

If 5G coverage hasn’t yet launched in your area, you’ll still be able to receive coverage from older 3G and 4G mobile networks. See our full guide to 5G mobile coverage in the UK for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which mobile networks offer 5G SIM only deals?
You can currently get a 5G SIM only deal from the following mobile networks:

In addition, Three offer SIM-only deals where 5G coverage will be available at no extra cost when it launches in Q1 2020. BT Mobile offers 5G phones as an exclusive for BT Halo customers.
What’s the cheapest 5G SIM only deal in the UK?
The UK’s cheapest 5G SIM only deal is Vodafone’s £15 plan with unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 5GB of data (Red 5GB). On other mobile networks, the cheapest 5G price plans are as follows:
Can I get unlimited data on a 5G SIM card?
Yes, it’s possible to get unlimited data with 5G coverage on EE, Vodafone and VOXI. Prices start from £23/month for unlimited data on 5G.
What are the benefits of 5G coverage?
5G coverage offers greater network capacity so download speeds are much less likely to slow down in busy or congested areas. It also offers lower latency (~10ms) and faster download speeds (around 150-200Mbit/s on today’s 5G networks).
Where is 5G coverage currently available?
5G coverage is currently available in more than 50 UK towns and cities. However, the towns and cities that are covered by 5G differ depending on the mobile network you’re using. See our guide to 5G mobile coverage in the UK.

More Information

For more information about 5G, please see the BT Mobile, EE, O2, Three or Vodafone websites.

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