4g and 5g downlink speeds question?

[Sfarrer]

Hi all, I currently have a 4g Huawei Mate 20 pro. I am on a 5g sim only plan but still with a 4g sim. What is the network max I could get over 4g? If I put I 5g sim in my 4g phone, would I get higher speeds?

I have been unhelpfully informed by EE Twitter that 4g highest downlink speed is 30mbps, yet I have been recieving 75mbps for years. So thought I would ask here as whoever runs to social media channels has no idea. 

Thanks in advance.

[Chris_B]

@Sfarrer  You’ll not get faster speeds because of a change of SIM card.     A 4G sim will support 5G because it’s an account change that allows you to get 5G.  you have this already if you are on a 5G contract.    It’s your device that’s stopping you from having 5G as it’s only a 4G device,  put your sim in a 5G device and you’ll get 5G. 
 

  As you’re using a 5G tariff you are getting the fastest speed possible for your area.    It’s an unlimited speed because your on a 5G tariff even though you are only using 4G .   

[bristolian]

Just to add, there's no such thing as a 4G SIM or a 5G SIM - all EE SIMs support all radio technologies from 2G > 5G.

What matters is the plan that is active on the mobile number in question, and whether that enables access to 5G services.

If you have a 5G-plan and a 5G-device, then you should have access to 5G service in areas where it's available.

[Northerner]

Hi @Sfarrer 

EE don't advertise their speeds anymore because of the number of different variables which will impact speed in any one area. 

If you don't have a 5G phone then unless you don't mind paying more for a service you cannot receive then upgrading to 5G is pointless and won't benefit you. 

Thanks

[Sfarrer]

Thanks @Northerner I get that there are variables which determine actually speeds achieved, but surely there is an actual maximum speed on 4g provided by the network

To not provide that info is like a car manufacturer not listing a cars top speed just because the road you're driving on has its own limit. 

[James_B]

Hi @Sfarrer,

Welcome to the EE Community. 🙂

The theoretical max speeds available on 4G will vary from area to area, depending on the types of network technology deployed and the device you are using.

James

[Chris_B]

@Sfarrer  You’ll be very lucky to get over 100Mbits on 4G. 
I would say the average is around 60mbits. There are many factors to the speeds you can receive this will be from the device you are using the location that you are at.  The weather conditions at that time.  What frequency you are connected too. How far from the mast, how many users are connected to that mast, what are these users doing at that time.   It’s not a simple answer as you can see but more of a rough guide on what you might get at any one location. 

[mikeliuk]

Hi @Sfarrer ,

If you are interested in theoretical speeds, you may find the below link useful.

As an example, my Netgear MR1100 now predominantly connects via B1 after a recent update so can theoretically achieve 150 Mbps down and I've seen 130 Mbps down at 0400 before (carrier aggregation may be relevant depending on device).

Networks are limited by whatever is the bottleneck so home networks can achieve ~950 Mbps (gigabit Ethernet) but might be limited by the service provider as to what is measured by fast.com

https://www.cellmapper.net/4G-speed

For actual bandwidth estimates for a particular area I would recommend the OpenSignal app to see what people actually achieve, and if your measurement is a lot lower, it might be possible to improve it.

[Chris_B]

@mikeliuk  Are you going to tell @Sfarrer what options need to be selected if they use your link ?  Obviously not everyone knows what they should choose and what bandwidths EE uses.     

[bristolian]

Hi @Sfarrer 

By means of some additional background, EE operate 4G service across 4 different "bands" or areas of radio spectrum.

All have different qualities in terms of radio coverage & capacity, but which 4G bands are available on your serving site is a major factor in the theoretical speeds available.

Real world speeds then depend on many of the factors already mentioned.