Home broadband vs 5g

[Saul1]

Surely it is not beyond the expertise of BT/EE and Openreach to take 5g into the home? I have BT broadband and get 46Mb to my router however if I switch WiFi off on my phone and connect to to the 5g network I get 641Mb ! Why can't BT provide a receiver like the one in my mobile to replace my router? I've tried contacting BT EE and Openreach  but only get the usual excuses can anyone give me a sensible answer? Thanks in advance

[licquorice]

A bit like this you mean?  https://shop.ee.co.uk/broadband/5g-and-4g-routers

[iniltous]

Why do you need BT to do this for you ? , if  5G can deliver those sorts of speeds , presumably all you need to do is use your 5G phone as a hotspot , or some sort of Mi Fi with a 5G sim in it and you are done….obviously ‘landline’ broadband is usually unlimited downloads , using 5G you would need make sure it has  no download limits,

BT does provide a product if the landline broadband fails it switches to mobile data , as 5G isn’t everywhere yet, the current hybrid will no doubt be 4G , but no doubt when 5G is more widespread, then it will be 5G

[Saul1]

Thanks but you've missed the point. Of course I can use my phone as a hotspot. It is about time that BT started to put 5g in homes as standard rather than slower broadband. The technology already exists so what's the problem?

[Saul1]

Yup that's the one but it's still not offered as standard only as an option and according to the their website EE are out of stock of the routers!

[licquorice]

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@Saul1 wrote:

Thanks but you've missed the point. Of course I can use my phone as a hotspot. It is about time that BT started to put 5g in homes as standard rather than slower broadband. The technology already exists so what's the problem?

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The problem is vast swathes of the country don't have 5G and you perhaps haven't noticed but more reliable and faster full fibre is being rolled out across the country.

[Starwire]

Openreach aren’t in the 3, 4 or 5G Business.

They solely provide Fixed Line Phone and DSL Services using either a Metallic Path, aka Copper and Fibre Optic.

They do provide Fibre Links to Mobile Transmitters but these are essentially Private Ethernet Circuits that the Mobile Provider buy Directly from Openreach.

[Saul1]

Thanks for your reply. I would be interested to know the differing costs for installing 5g masts and associated cabling versus fibre cabling with the associated disruption due to the construction for each method. As there has been a lot of discussion in the press recently about the poor to non existent signal in rural areas,  without knowing the amount of cabling necessary for a mast I would have thought it was the cheaper option. Disguising the masts is another concern but having lived in a village where the signal was intermittent at best I know what I would prefer!

[-Richie-]

Fixed line broadband either FTTC or FTTP is paid for by Openreach, available to sell to over 600 communication providers, so a return on investment is likely.

5G rollout would be paid for by BT/EE, sold to a handful of MVNO's, a return on investment would take a longer which increases risks, each mast would need more bandwidth if suddenly all users were using hundreds of GB's, on top of that you would need more equipment to support the users with home equipment, then add support etc.

Rural coverage is being looked at with a shared mast approach between the 4 networks.

[licquorice]

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@Saul1 wrote:

Thanks for your reply. I would be interested to know the differing costs for installing 5g masts and associated cabling versus fibre cabling with the associated disruption due to the construction for each method. As there has been a lot of discussion in the press recently about the poor to non existent signal in rural areas,  without knowing the amount of cabling necessary for a mast I would have thought it was the cheaper option. Disguising the masts is another concern but having lived in a village where the signal was intermittent at best I know what I would prefer!

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I rather think that the bean counters have done their homework and have opted for the most cost effective method.