Why does my phone say “5G” but behave like dial-up?

If you see the little “5G” icon at the top of your screen but your phone takes an hour to load a webpage, you’re not imagining things. It happens, it’s annoying, and there are a few reasons why your network pretends to be futuristic asf while acting like your mum’s computer in 1998.

You’re only kind of connected to 5G

Most networks use something called “5G NSA”, which basically means your phone is standing on a 4G foundation. It looks the part, but the speed still depends on that 4G underlayer. If the 4G part is congested, your 5G speed tanks with it.

Your phone grabs the weakest bit of 5G possible

Don’t be mad but you’re shown the little 5G symbol even if the signal strength is hanging on by a thread, so if you’re on the edge of a 5G zone, the phone connects anyway. Great for marketing, terrible for actual browsing.

Everyone else is on it too

If you’re in a packed place, like a concert, shopping centre or a train station, the network gets hammered. 5G is fast, but if too many people jump on the same tower, your speed drops faster than Franz Reichelt off the Eiffel Tower back in 1912.

5G hates walls

5G comes in different flavours. The faster versions don’t travel well through buildings. Thick walls, lifts, basements, your neighbour’s questionable extensions… all of them can slow your connection right down. A phone can say “5G” but the actual data crawling through might as well be smoke signals.

Your phone is switching between signals

Sometimes your phone jumps between 5G, 4G and Wi-Fi without telling you. If it’s bouncing back and forth trying to find the best option, everything feels slower.

Your network’s 5G is sh*t in that area

It happens. Some networks have solid 5G in cities and terrible coverage in smaller towns. Even within the same town, you might get blazing speeds on one street and Imma-rip-it-to-shreds speeds on the next.

What you can do about it

• Toggle airplane mode to refresh your signal.
• Turn off 5G temporarily and stick to 4G if it’s more stable where you are.
• Check for new software updates.
• Try standing somewhere else. Yep, really, a few feet can make a world of difference.

If the issue follows you everywhere, it might be time to change networks or upgrade your phone. And we can help you with that a little. The 5G models we’ve got in stock are all SIM-free, so you don’t have to stick to a network that can’t handle it.