Three offers 5G home broadband with an average download speed of 150Mbps. Get 3 months free on the 5G Hub router.
Three currently offers unlimited 5G home broadband in selected postcodes across 580 UK towns and cities. You can get an average download speed of 150Mbps – more than double the speed of the most widely-available fibre broadband plans. You’ll also get a 5G Hub router included on the plans which are available from £20 per month.
Three’s 5G home broadband can be ordered online with free delivery on the next working day. It only requires ‘plug and play’ setup: just plug in the 5G Hub at the wall and your broadband service will then be ready to use (there’s no need for a phone line or for an engineer visit).
As a special offer for October 2023, you can get 3 months of free 5G home broadband when you order through this link. You’ll pay £20 per month from month 4 onwards on a 24-month plan. Alternatively, if you’re looking for flexible short-term broadband, you can choose a 1-month rolling plan for £24 per month.
Get 5G Broadband with 3 months free →
In this article, we’ll review Three’s 5G home broadband. We’ll look at how their 5G home broadband service works, along with the 5G Hub router that’s included. We’ll also compare it to traditional fibre broadband services before looking at the availability of 5G broadband.
| Prices From: | Free for three months, then £20 per month |
|---|---|
| Contract Length: | 1 month or 24 month contract |
| Download Speed: | 150Mbps+ average Will vary based on the signal strength & coverage in your area |
| Router: | Three 5G Hub |
| Coverage: | Selected UK postcodes with 5G coverage (check your postcode) |
Contents
What is Three 5G Home Broadband?
In the UK, Three’s 5G home broadband service is a new way of getting high-speed broadband internet in your home. It offers an average download speed of 150Mbps, without the need for a phone line or cable connection. This makes it about twice as fast as the most widely-available fibre broadband plans, though not as fast as full fibre broadband which is now available in some areas.
It’s easy to set up 5G home broadband as it’s a straightforward plug-and-play solution with no engineer visits. You simply need to plug in the 5G Hub at the wall and you’re ready to get online.
The following table shows a side-by-side comparison of Three’s 5G home broadband and traditional fibre broadband providers:
| Three 5G Home Broadband | Traditional Fibre Broadband |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Plug-and-play broadband with no need for a phone line. Available in selected locations. |
Fibre broadband is delivered through a phone line or cable. Available in 90% of UK homes. |
| Starts from £20/month (150Mbps+ download speed). No set-up fee, just plug and play. | Starts from £22/month (63Mbps download speed) or £29.95/month (150Mbps speed). Set-up fees may apply. |
| Next working day delivery with no engineer visits. Simply plug in your 5G Hub and start using it straight away. | It normally takes about 2 weeks to install and activate your fibre broadband service. An engineer visit may sometimes be required. |
| 5G broadband can be taken with you to a different location (coverage permitting). | Fibre broadband is tied to one physical address and needs to be set-up again when you move home. |
| Can be susceptible to interference (e.g. from weather) or congestion. 5G coverage is dependent on location. | Less likely to be affected by interference or congestion. Fibre broadband is less susceptible to slowdowns. |
| More about Three 5G Broadband → | More about traditional fibre broadband → |
Three’s 5G home broadband service has been available in the UK since August 2019. At launch, it was only available to customers in London. However, the service has now rolled out across more than 580 UK towns and cities. You can check the availability at your address on Three’s website.
Three 5G Home Broadband Plans
5G Broadband Plans
Three currently offers a choice of the following plans on their 5G home broadband service:
- Pay £20/month on a 24-month plan. You’ll get three months free when you order through this link. You’ll also benefit from a 30-day money back guarantee on this plan.
- For more flexibility, you can pay £24/month to get 5G broadband on a one-month rolling plan when you order through this link.
Both plans will give you unlimited downloads and average speeds of around 150Mbps. There’s no upfront fee on either plan and you’ll receive the same 5G Hub router from Three.
| 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 |
See all Three 5G Home Broadband deals →
According to Three, the average download speed on their 5G home broadband service is 150Mbps. This is based on the speed that at least half of all customers are able to get during the evening peak hour (between 8pm and 10pm). Anecdotally, we’ve seen people getting much higher speeds at certain times, as well as slower speeds at other times. You should, therefore, be comfortable with a bit of variability in the speeds.
You’ll be given a personalised estimate of the download speeds available where you live when checking the availability of 5G broadband at your address.
You can benefit from a 30-day money back guarantee on Three’s 5G home broadband when you choose a 24-month plan. This allows you to cancel your contract without penalty in the first 30 days if you’re not satisfied with the service.
An acceptable usage policy (AUP) applies to the Three Broadband service. While there aren’t any limits on how much you can download, Three says they reserve the right to suspend your usage of the service or to apply traffic management to it, if your usage “either exceeds that reasonably expected of someone using the Service or materially affects other users’ enjoyment of the Service, or has an adverse impact on our network”.
Special Offers
As a special offer for October 2023, Three is offering three months free on their 5G home broadband service when you order through this link. It isn’t necessary to use any voucher codes during checkout but you’ll need to make sure you complete the entire order online.
See Three 5G Broadband offers →
If you’re looking for a more flexible broadband service (e.g. for student broadband), Three also offers 5G home broadband on a one-month rolling plan. You’ll pay £24/month to get 5G home broadband on a one-month rolling contract.
Three 5G Hub Router
When you sign up for Three’s 5G home broadband, you’ll receive a 5G Hub router. This is a small device that you’ll need to plug in to a power socket inside your home. It will pick up a 5G signal from Three’s network and will convert it into a regular wi-fi network that your other devices are able to use.
Three’s latest 5G Hub router supports a maximum download speed of 4.7Gbps (4,700Mbps). In practice, however, the average speeds will be more like 100-200Mbps on today’s 5G networks.
The 5G Hub supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), allowing you to share your home broadband connection with up to 64 devices. In addition, there are two 2.5G Multi-Gig Ethernet sockets, allowing you to connect wired devices to your home network (including any mesh wi-fi systems).
In terms of how your other devices interact with the 5G Hub, it’s no different to using a traditional fibre broadband service. Your 5G Hub router plays the same role as a traditional fibre broadband router and produces a normal wi-fi network that your other devices can connect to. This includes your laptop, tablet, smartphone, smart TV, games console and other smart home devices. You can also use all of the normal apps and services that you’re used to on it.
The following table shows the technical specifications of Three’s 5G Hub router:
| Three 5G Hub (Zyxel NR5103E) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Home Broadband Plans | |
| Price: | From £20/month |
| Data: | Unlimited |
| Unlimited Data: | £20/month |
| Contract Length: | 1-24 months |
| Mobile Connectivity | |
| 5G Connectivity: | Up to 4700 Mbps download |
| 5G Bands: | 5G NR bands TBC |
| 4G Download Speed: | Up to 1600 Mbps download |
| 4G Bands: | LTE bands TBC |
| External Antenna: | Yes, 4x TS-9 connectors |
| Home Network Connectivity | |
| Dual-Band Wi-Fi: | Yes |
| Wi-Fi Connectivity: | 802.11a/b/ |
| Wi-Fi Devices: | Up to 64 devices |
| Ethernet: | 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports |
| Other | |
| Dimensions: | 13.1 x 22.7 x 13.3 cm |
| Weight: | 650g |
| Model: | Zyxel NR5103E |
| Colour: | White |
| More Information: | See three.co.uk |
Three’s latest 5G Hub router (the Zyxel NR5103E) launched in September 2022. It replaces the older ZTE 5G Hub (ZTE MC801A) that was previously offered between February 2022 and September 2022. Prior to February 2022, customers were offered the Huawei 5G CPE Pro (H112-370).
When you cancel your Three Broadband service, you’ll need to return the 5G Hub router to Three.
5G Broadband VS Fibre Broadband
Three’s 5G home broadband is an alternative to traditional fixed-line fibre broadband from providers such as BT, EE, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Vodafone.
Download Speed
There’s no simple answer to whether you’ll get faster download speeds on 5G home broadband or fibre broadband.
In some areas, 5G home broadband will be faster than fibre broadband. This is because the most widely available fibre broadband services will only give you an average download speed of up to 67Mbps. In contrast, Three’s 5G home broadband will give you an average download speed of about 150Mbps.
The caveat is that Three’s 5G home broadband can have variable speeds, depending on factors like the quality of your 5G coverage and the amount of capacity available on your local mast. It’s also more susceptible to slowdowns (e.g. due to poor weather or lots of other people using the service in your area).
If you’re able to get full fibre (FTTP) broadband in your home, this is likely to give you faster and more consistent download speeds than Three’s 5G home broadband. With full fibre, you’ll get average download speeds of up to 900Mbps – albeit, at a much higher price than you’d pay for Three’s 5G home broadband.
Set-Up & Installation
In most cases, 5G home broadband is a lot easier and faster to set-up. There are no engineer visits required, and there’s no need to wait for two weeks before you’re able to get online. You’ll get free delivery on the next working day after you order, with simple plug-and-play setup.
5G broadband is also perfect if you’re renting your home as there’s digging required and no need to drill through any walls. You can also bring the service with you to another location (5G coverage permitting).
On the contrary, you’ll sometimes need to spend a little bit of time testing out different locations for your 5G Hub to get the fastest possible speeds. In addition, customers living in a rural area with poor coverage may benefit from getting an external antenna installed to improve their speeds.
Price
At present, you’ll pay just £20/month for Three’s 5G home broadband. This will give you an average download speed of 150Mbps:
| Network | 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 |
For comparison, you’ll pay at least £22/month for a fibre broadband service with average download speeds between 50Mbps and 67Mbps:
| Service | Average Speed | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Super Fibre | 63Mbps download | 12 month contract | £10 | £22/month |
 M50 Fibre Broadband | 54Mbps download | 18 month contract | £0 | £24/month with £75 bill credit |
 Superfast Fibre Plus | 67Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £24.99/month |
 Sky Superfast | 61Mbps download | 18 month contract | £0 | £25/month |
 Fibre 2 | 67Mbps download | 24 month contract | £0 | £25/month |
 Fibre 65 | 67Mbps download | 18 month contract | £15 | £29.95/month |
 EE Fibre Plus | 67Mbps download | 24 month contract | £0 | £32/month |
 Fibre 2 | 67Mbps download | 24 month contract | £29.99 | £35.99/month with £50 reward card |
If you’d like a fibre broadband service with comparable download speeds to Three’s 5G home broadband, you’ll need to get Virgin Media or full fibre (FTTP) broadband. The following table shows comparable fibre broadband plans with an average download speed of at least 100Mbps:
| Service | Average Speed | Contract Length | Upfront Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
M125 Fibre Broadband Only | 132Mbps download | 18 month contract | £0 | £26.50/month with £70 bill credit |
Full Fibre 100 | 109Mbps download | 18 month contract | £9.95 | £26.99/month |
Full Fibre 100 | 100Mbps download | 24 month contract | £0 | £28/month |
Sky Ultrafast | 145Mbps download | 18 month contract | £0 | £29/month |
Full Fibre 150 | 152Mbps download | 18 month contract | £15 | £29.95/month |
EE Fibre Max 100 | 145Mbps download | 24 month contract | £0 | £34/month |
Full Fibre 100 | 150Mbps download | 24 month contract | £29.99 | £37.99/month with £50 reward card |
For more information, see our full guide to home broadband in the UK.
Coverage & Availability
Three’s 5G home broadband service is currently available in selected postcodes across 580 UK towns and cities.
To see whether 5G broadband is available where you live, enter your postcode on Three’s broadband availability checker.
Check Three 5G Broadband Availability (three.co.uk) →
Once you’ve entered your postcode and selected your address, you’ll be told about the plans available where you live.
If 5G broadband isn’t yet available where you live, you might be offered a 4G home broadband plan instead. This will come with the 4G Hub or 4G Plus Hub router. Alternatively, you might be able to get 4G mobile broadband on the 4G Plus MiFi.
For more information, see our full guide to the coverage on Three.
Frequently Asked Questions
| How much does Three’s 5G home broadband cost? | Three’s 5G home broadband service is currently available on a choice of two plans:
Both plans come with unlimited data and average download speeds of 100-200Mbps (dependent on your location). |
|---|---|
| What is Three’s 5G Hub router? | You’ll be supplied with Three’s 5G Hub router when you sign up for 5G home broadband. This is a plug-and-play device that connects to Three’s 5G network, broadcasting a wi-fi signal from it that your other devices can connect to.
The 5G Hub support download speeds of up to 4,700Mbps on 5G. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 connectivity (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax) on up to 64 devices at the same time. It has two 2.5G Multi-Gig Ethernet sockets, allowing you to connect wired devices to your home network. You can see more information about the 5G Hub on Three’s website. |
| How does 5G home broadband compare to fibre broadband? | Three’s 5G home broadband service offers average download speeds of 150Mbps. This is faster than the most widely available fibre broadband plans from other providers (with average download speeds of 50-67Mbps). However, it isn’t as fast as full fibre broadband.
One advantage of 5G home broadband is the fact you can get set up the next day without an engineer visit. You also have a lot more flexibility (e.g. with a short one-month rolling contract). The disadvantage of 5G home broadband is that it’s normally more expensive than fibre broadband. It can also be more susceptible to network congestion and interference, compared to a fibre connection. |
| Are there any download limits on Three’s 5G home broadband? | No. There are no download limits on Three’s 5G home broadband. However, they say they reserve the right to suspend your service or to apply traffic management to it if your usage “either exceeds that reasonably expected of someone using the Service or materially affects other users’ enjoyment of the Service, or has an adverse impact on our network”. |
| Can I get Three’s 5G home broadband where I live? | Three’s 5G home broadband service is now available in selected postcodes across 580 UK towns and cities. You can enter your address on Three’s website to see whether 5G broadband is available where you live. |
More Information
For more information about Three’s 5G home broadband, please see their official website.
You can also read our Three Broadband review and our guide to 5G home broadband in the UK.
Steve said:
I took the plunge and ditched Virgin when they ramped up their prices. I saw on the Three website that I was in a marginal area for 5G so tried a Smarty Sim. First time I used Speedtest I got 700Mbps d/l and 70mbps u/l. I bought the device over the counter here in Edinburgh. The speeds never less than about 550Mbps an often up to 850Mbps. At my dad’s place I was getting 1100Mbps on my Oneplus phone. If you can get a decent signal it’s a no-brainer, I’m just dreading if the proposed merger with Vodafone get given the green light as I’ve had nothing but hassle with them 😦
Peter Smithson said:
I’m toying with going this route when my EE broadband (ADSL) deal ends in a year (can’t wait!).
I have a mobile on SMARTY which uses the Three network and it get’s 500Mpbs+ download an about 30 upload so I presume I’ll get something similar with Three.
If that works out, I’ll be getting a download speed about 15 times faster than I have now for about 2/3 of the price.
William Elliott said:
I don’t know where you get your information from as I have been stuck with 3 broadband for 18 months now. It is a total let down especially at peak times. unless you use it throughout the night. If I was interested in this broadband of connection it certainly would not be 3 network of any kind. Customer services is no help either they talk funny in broken English in a way you do not understand and they are constantly fiddling with the mast where I live say geeks at work. They might well say idiots at work. Another thing is they are charging me for 5G when 5 g is not in my area. Do Not trust 3 network I would not be recommending 3 Network as it will only make you miserable angry and without any network to use. It won’t even run a Sky glass tv without making it a completely useless paperweight.
Jo replied:
Having been using this connection since 2019 in more than 5 very different cities I can say I found three to be fair, fast and although customer service may not be English they certainly never stop trying to make you happy!
Not only have I stuck with these speaker devices that can take 64 connections at one time. I got contracts for each of my own kids as they moved to their own place.
It was a way I could help each of the kids without breaking my bank and it made them all very happy.
I’d recommend three to Aberdeen, Angus, Dundee and across England.
If you don’t find them perfect fit for you, three will cancel and not charge you a penny.
Whaddya have to lose??