Original article ISPreview UK:Read More
Broadband ISP and mobile operator EE (BT) has recently begun to inform existing customers on their Pay As You Go (PAYG) mobile plans that both they and new subscribers can finally access their 5G (mobile broadband) network, which wasn’t previously available to the plans (i.e. the best you could get was 4G, until earlier this month).
Some of EE’s customers (credits to John and Mark) reported to ISPreview that they received a cryptic text message yesterday, which said: “Great news! We’ve updated some of your network settings, please restart your phone to make sure it’s up to date.”
The message was followed-up today by another one, which clarified exactly what had changed: “Hi from EE. Great news, 5G is now included with your Pay As You Go plan at no extra cost. If your device supports 5G, just restart it and enjoy!”
A quick search also revealed that EE had very recently added a new page about the change to their PAYG section, which provided the following details and confirmed that existing customers would be fully upgraded by 31st January 2026 (i.e. they seem to be rolling out support for it in phases).
5G on EE pay as you go mobiles
No complicated steps, no extra cost—just fast 5G when you need it. New pay as you go customers get instant 5G with a ready-to-go SIM, and if you’re already with us, you don’t need to change a thing.
Simple setup and no extra charges
Instant 5G access: If you join us after 10 December 2025, your SIM will come prepped and ready for 5G.
Existing customers: No need to switch SIMs or upgrade your plan. Once we’ve let you know that 5G is available for you, switch your mobile off and then on again, and you’ll be connected to 5G. You will have access to 5G by 31 January 2026.
No extra charges: 5G is included in your existing PAYG plan.
Same SIM, 5G as standard: Your current SIM is 5G-ready.
Nationwide coverage: Access 5G in all our supported areas across the UK.
Naturally, you’ll need a 5G supporting Smartphone to benefit, which these days are extremely common, even at the low-end of the handset market. At present, there’s no mention of 5G+ (Standalone) support, so this probably only extends to their vanilla 5G (NSA) network. Indeed, the current PAYG page for new customers mentions a “Max speed of 25Mbps“, which seems to remove a lot of the performance benefits that 5G could otherwise bring.