Following in the footsteps of other MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) like Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile, Giffgaff has now launched a 5G service.
The network will give customers full access to 5G speeds on two of its plans. These plans are called ‘Golden Goodybags’ and one of them comes with 9GB of data for £10 per month, while the other comes with unlimited data for £35 per month.
At the time of writing only the 9GB one is available, but the unlimited data one is set to land (along with the upgrade to 5G speeds) on October 20th.
Giffgaff uses O2’s network, so you can expect 5G coverage in the same places as O2 offers it, which at the time of writing includes parts of 75 UK towns and cities, though coverage is improving all the time.
Giffgaff boasts that on its 5G network you’ll be able to download an hour-long TV episode in around 17 seconds, or – if you’re close to a mobile mast – then in potentially as little as 3 seconds. It doesn’t talk in terms of exact speeds because they can be so variable, but its 5G speeds are likely to be in line with O2 and other rivals.
Giffgaff’s Golden Goodybags only last for a month, so you don’t have to commit to a contract to get 5G on the network – though unlike its normal Goodybags you do have to set them to recur (but you can still cancel them whenever you want).
Its new unlimited data Golden Goodybag is especially notable as this is the first real unlimited plan Giffgaff has offered. Previously there was just an ‘always on’ data plan, which technically gives you unlimited data, but with severe speed restrictions once you’ve used 80GB in a month.
The new unlimited data plan though doesn’t cap your speeds, though it is still subject to Giffgaff’s fair usage policy, which says you shouldn’t use more than 650GB of data per month.
Still, that’s not much of a restriction, and with the speed of 5G making big downloads all the more viable and tempting, the unlimited data plan could be the ideal pairing for it, while the 9GB one for £10 per month will be one of the cheaper ways to get 5G in the UK.
Source: https://5g.co.uk/news/5g-giffgaff-golden-goodybags/5428/