Flexible Home Broadband: 4G & 5G Broadband With Flexibility From Three

Three’s 4G & 5G broadband is a more flexible alternative to regular broadband. It’s available on a shorter contract, is easy to set up and bring to another address.

In the UK, flexibility isn’t something home broadband providers are known for. Not only are you normally tied in to a lengthy contract, it’s also tied to one address and can take two weeks to set up. When circumstances change, there can be hefty termination fees (e.g. if you’re moving to a different address or to another provider).

Three’s 4G and 5G broadband is a more flexible alternative to traditional home broadband providers. It gives you flexibility with a choice of shorter contracts, including a one-month rolling plan. You can get it set up in an instant without the two week wait and it allows you to move home more easily. You can even bring the broadband service with you on a weekend away or staycation.

In this article, we’ll look at the benefits of Three’s 4G and 5G home broadband service, along with the flexibility it gives you.

Flexible Home Broadband

If you’re looking for a more flexible alternative to traditional fixed-line home broadband, Three’s 4G & 5G home broadband can be a good choice. The following table shows how it compares to traditional broadband providers in terms of flexibility they offer:

	Three 4G & 5G Broadband	Traditional Broadband Providers
Broadband Contract & Setup
Contract Length:	1 month to 24 months	Typically 18 to 24 months
Setup Time:	Instant set-up (plug and play)	Usually 2 weeks to set up
Engineer Visit:	No engineer visit	Sometimes required
Flexibility
Easily move to another address?	Yes. Simply bring the 4G Hub or 5G Hub with you.	No, requires broadband to be set up again at your new address.
Use on trips away & staycations?	Yes. Simply bring the 4G Hub or 5G Hub with you.	No, your broadband service is fixed to one address, but public wi-fi might be available.
Ideal for rental properties?	Yes. Your broadband service can easily be moved to another address.	No, due to the contract length & exit fees. Landlord permission required for install.
Use as a second broadband service?	Yes, can be used alongside another broadband service.	Not usually possible, but available with some providers.
Available on one-month plan?	Yes.	Not usually available, except with a few providers.

In the following section, we’ll look at each of these points in more detail.

Moving Home

If you’re moving home, you’ll normally need to ask your broadband provider to set up your service again at the new address. This usually involves speaking to them on the phone to get the installation scheduled for your new home. You’ll need to give at least two weeks notice for this and extra charges may sometimes apply for the installation at your new address. An engineer visit might also be required and you might be asked to sign a new contract when you move.

In contrast, Three’s 4G and 5G home broadband service allows you to move home without the hassle. As it uses a wireless 4G or 5G signal rather than a phone line into your home, you can simply pack up the hub to bring to your new address, as long as there’s coverage available. Furthermore, you can be back online in just a couple of minutes as you simply need to plug in the hub when you arrive at your new address.

Trips Away & Staycations

If you’re going on a weekend away or on a staycation in the UK, it’s also possible to bring your 4G or 5G broadband hub with you. This is because it isn’t linked to your phone line – you can also use it elsewhere in the UK providing you’re in a 4G or 5G broadband coverage area.

If you bring your 4G or 5G broadband hub on a trip away from home, you can get all of your devices online including your laptop, tablet, smartphone, games console and more. Furthermore, your hub keeps the same Wi-Fi password so there’s a secure connection without setting up all of your devices again from scratch.

With traditional home broadband providers, the broadband service is linked to your phone line. For this reason, it’s only possible to use it at home. In some cases, you might be given inclusive access to public Wi-Fi hotspots (e.g. in some train stations, hotels, etc) but this may require you to sign in again. Speeds and security are also likely to be limited.

Rental Properties

If you’re renting your home, you’ll often find the length of your broadband contract exceeds the length of your rental agreement. This means you might be taking an 18 month or 24 month contract, even though your rental agreement is only for 12 months. That means you could be stung with a hefty cancellation fee if you need to move elsewhere before your contract is up.

With 4G and 5G broadband, a major benefit is you can easily bring it with you to a different address. Alternatively, shorter 1-month and 12-month contracts are also available if you want more flexibility.

Another benefit of 4G and 5G broadband is it doesn’t require any changes to be made to your property. With certain fibre broadband and cable broadband services, changes may need to be made to your property (e.g. the installation of a new cable to your home). If so, you’ll need to get permission from your landlord for this.

Second Line Broadband

If you want a second home broadband service to run alongside your current one, it’s easy to do this with 4G or 5G broadband. This can give you a second dedicated connection for working from home, streaming TV shows and movies, downloading files or playing games online. There’s also the flexibility to have your broadband hub in a different location from your current broadband service (e.g. in a garden office or outbuilding).

With traditional fixed-line providers, it may also be possible to get a second connection put in. This will involve the installation of a new phone line or cable to your home. Only some providers will allow you to do this so you’ll need to enquire with them directly for more information.

One Month Rolling Plans

If you want even more flexibility, getting your broadband service on a one-month rolling plan gives you ultimate flexibility. As there’s very little commitment on a one-month contract, you can change your service at any time.

Three’s 4G home broadband is one of the few services available in the UK allowing you to get home broadband on a one-month rolling plan. You’ll pay a £28 upfront fee for your hub and then it's just £30 per month for the service.

Service	Data Allowance	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	1 month contract	£28	£30/month

Of course, you may not actually need a one-month rolling plan. This is because the longer plans still give you flexibility to bring your broadband service to another location.

With traditional fixed-line broadband providers, only a few will allow you to get broadband on a one-month rolling contract. They normally come with fairly hefty upfront installation fees (around £65 to £80). You may also need to pay a higher monthly fee for it.

Instant Setup

Three’s 4G and 5G home broadband service can easily be set up yourself with a simple plug-and-play installation. You’ll normally get your 4G hub or 5G hub delivered on the next working day. When it arrives, you just need to plug in your hub at the wall and the service will normally be ready to use in under one minute. There’s also no need to cancel your old broadband service at the same time, giving you more flexibility in this area.

With traditional home broadband providers, you’ll normally need to wait around two weeks to get your broadband service set up. You’ll normally need to cancel your old service when you take a new one. In addition, an engineer visit might be required depending on the service you choose.

4G & 5G Broadband Deals

Three currently offers home broadband in the UK, starting from £20/month without the need for a phone line.

If you’re living in a 4G coverage area, you can get Three’s 4G home broadband from £20/month (reduced from the normal price of £22/month when you buy through this link).

It’s available on a choice of either a 24-month contract, a 12-month contract or a 1-month rolling contract, depending on how much flexibility you want in this area.

Service	Data Allowance	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	24 month contract	£0	£20/month with 3 months free
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	12 month contract	£0	£25/month
Three 4G Hub	Unlimited Data	1 month contract	£28	£30/month

You can add a smart device like the Amazon Echo Show 5 or the Google Nest Audio for a few pounds extra each month.

Meanwhile, if you’re living in a 5G coverage area, you can access Three’s 5G home broadband from £20/month. This should offer average download speeds of at least 100Mbps, on a choice of either a 24-month contract or a 12-month contract:

Service	Data Allowance	Contract Length	Upfront Price	Monthly Price
Three 5G Hub	Unlimited Data	24 month contract	£0	£20/month with 3 months free
Three 5G Hub	Unlimited Data	1 month contract	£0	£24/month

To see whether 4G and 5G broadband are available at your address, and for the best deals available where you live, enter your postcode on the Three Broadband website:

Check Three Broadband Availability →

More Information

For more information, you can read our in-depth reviews of Three’s 4G broadband and 5G broadband services in the UK.

There’s also more information about the Three Broadband service on Three’s official website.