5G contract for smartphones: the right time is getting closer

Anyone who buys a new smartphone will find a wide range of 5G-enabled devices, whether iPhones or Android smartphones. Telekom, Vodafone and o2 also have contracts for 5G ready for a long time. In the meantime, there are increasing signs that switching to the new network will soon actually be worthwhile.

Update from November 3, 2021: With the announcement by Vodafone, 5G has received another decisive boost. In standalone operation, the provider from Düsseldorf wants to migrate all 5G antennas to the new standard by the end of next year - with advantages for all potential mobile phone customers. Telekom and CO2 should follow suit shortly. If high data rates are particularly important on the move, they have an event horizon. In the coming year it should be really interesting for 5G customers in this country.

Original article :

The dream of the 5G network: waiting can still be worthwhile

With high available data rates, the 5G mobile communications standard is the dream of many users, whether for private streaming on the go or for commercial applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT). Some mobile phone customers do not want to wait any longer in the face of such temptations - and neither do they have to, smartphones and contracts have long been available. But that is exactly where the problem lies: the availability is actually not really good .

This is shown by a study carried out by the Ericsson group, manufacturer of communications technology. The Ericsson Mobility Report (EMR) examines the status quo of mobile communications in Western Europe, among other things. This shows: 4G is still the standard in Western European countries and therefore in Germany. 76 percent of the contracts in 2020 used the LTE network. In contrast, 5G contracts only reached 1 percent . Compared to other regions - Northeast Asia: 9 percent and North America: 4 percent - Western Europeans are lagging behind.

With 5G, it depends on where you spend a lot of time

The fact that customers have so far been more likely to expect frustration than pleasure in the new 5G contract can be seen in concrete terms at the level of network coverage in Germany . This is where the old game comes into play: Those who live in the big city and rarely have to leave there already have a chance at 5G, all others practically do not. According to the user tests of the nperf app, Telekom achieved the best coverage. It can be seen that in addition to some large cities, important motorways are already covered. With Vodafone or o2 it looks even thinner. But the same applies everywhere: Outside the cities, 5G is still a future area, while the successor 6G is already being worked towards.

According to EMR, this is mainly due to the delay in the additional frequency auctions last year. That would have a negative effect on the expansion of network coverage. For 2026, however, Ericsson expects the current trend to reverse: 69 percent of mobile phone contracts in Western Europe will then run in the 5G network. Coverage and interest will then only be greater in North America and around the Arabian Gulf.

You don't have a 5G smartphone and don't want to pay the prices of the top models? You can find an alternative in the video :

Until the expansion of the 5G network has progressed further, it may be advisable not to switch to new tariffs . They usually already include 5G connectivity, provided the network is available and your own smartphone is able to receive 5G. However, there customers can also face higher costs.

Anyone who lives in a (large) city that is already well supplied with 5G - Berlin and several cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, for example - and can get hold of a good offer does not necessarily have to wait for the expansion. Because one thing is for sure: 5G is coming, albeit slowly.