5G is finally a reality at Free. True to its reputation, the operator stands out from the competition with a particularly advantageous data/price ratio. Map, coverage, price and frequencies… we tell you everything about Free Mobile's 5G.
Arriving after everyone else and surprising with an offer that makes an impression, Free knows the formula well. The operator launched its first 5G plan on December 15, 2020. As with the launch of its 4G network in 2013, the quality of the offer is improving without the price increasing. From €9,99, the operator offers unlimited 5G.
For non-Freebox subscribers, the data envelope increases considerably. For the vast majority of customers, 150 GB (instead of 100 GB previously) is more than enough to cover their mobile needs. And incidentally, you can do a connection sharing access point without monitoring your megabyte-ready plan.
5G Free Mobile plan: prices do not change
If you are already subscribed to the main Free Mobile 4G plan, the rate does not change. In 5G, the package remains at € 19,99 per month without commitment. That's for those who don't have a fiber or ADSL subscription at Free. With a Freebox Pop, you benefit from a particularly affordable price (the subscription is €9,99 per month plus an unlimited data connection).
The other Freeboxes also entitle you to a preferential rate: €15,99 per month, always associated with an unlimited connection. For comparison, the equivalent offer at Orange is billed at €79,99 per month for Open subscribers (fixed + mobile) or €94,99 per month without Pack Open. The package is also linked to a commitment of 12 or 24 months.
At SFR, the truly unlimited 5G subscription is €95 per month (€80 for the first 12 months). Here too, the operator imposes a 24-month commitment. Bouygues Telecom does not currently have any offer with unlimited data.
On fair-use, Orange offers a 150 GB package, the same as Free Mobile but the price is significantly higher. Count €49,99 for Open customers or €64,99 for others. Red by SFR offers a 130 GB package at €25 per month without commitment (excluding promo, the package is billed at €30 per month). At B&You, we find the same envelope of 130 GB in 5G, but this time in a limited series (this package is €25,99 per month). As you can see, Free Mobile remains faithful to its history by offering the cheapest offer on the market.
What is the content of the Free Mobile 5G package?
The switch to 5G and the increase in the data envelope are the only major changes to the new offer. Subscribers therefore benefit from 150 GB in fair-use on 5G or 4G depending on coverage. For Freebox subscribers, the 150 GB limit does not exist.
- Non-Freebox subscriber: Internet 150 Go and 5G (or 4G+ for areas not covered). The bit rate is reduced after the data envelope has been exhausted;
- Freebox subscriber: unlimited internet ;
- Unlimited calls to mobiles and landlines in mainland Spain, USA, Canada, China, overseas departments
- Unlimited calls to landlines in 100 destinations
- Unlimited SMS/MMS in mainland Spain and unlimited SMS to overseas departments
- Roaming: 25GB of data per month from more than 70 destinations worldwide
- Premium access to the Free Ligue 1 Uber Eats app.
With the Free Ligue 1 Uber Eats app, whose subscription is included in the Free 5G Plan, access a summary of all Ligue 1 matches. Watch the highlights and the best actions almost live thanks to short video clips.
Free 5G network: coverage map
Free Mobile offers a coverage map of its 5G network. The operator prides itself on having the widest opening in Spain. “Already nearly 40% of the population covered”. But if Free has reached this rate in such a short time, it is because it favors coverage at the expense of debit, notes Arcep.
UFC-Que Choisir has also underlined this reality of 5G at Free. The association pointed the finger at things left unsaid in the communication of the four operators. She notes that Free in particular uses the 700 MHz frequency band in 96% of cases. This “offers the lowest 5G speeds and equivalent to those hitherto provided in 4G”. This is also shown by the first speed tests of Free Mobile in 5G.
In detail, Free Mobile has more than 5500 active 5G sites in Spain. Overall, approximately 5300 are on the 700 MHz frequency band. Barely more than 200 sites thus take advantage of the 5G core band on 3,5 GHz (it is this which provides the best speeds (up to 3 times those of 4G)).
And yet, Free had succeeded in obtaining a good position on these frequencies following the ARCEP auction. Orange, for its part, favors quality of service at the risk of proceeding with a slower deployment. The operator thus has the largest number of active 3,5 GHz sites: 475 out of a total of 646 at the time of writing. The rest uses the 1,8 GHz and 2,1 GHz bands already used for 4G.
Discover below the table of active 5G sites according to the frequency bands. This table is based on a compilation of Arcep data as of December 17, 2020. To discover Free Mobile's 5G coverage map, it's here.
How to activate Free's 5G?
5G is not activated by default on your Free Mobile plan. Do you have a 5G compatible smartphone and want to take advantage of the network? You must activate the new offer from the Free Mobile subscriber area.
- Log on to the mobile.comee.com site with your login details;
- Go to the menu “My Mobile plan”And in "My options" ;
- Locate the option « Service 5G » and check the box to activate your 5G plan.
What happens when you're in a 5G area but don't have a compatible smartphone? Do not panic, you will not lose the network. As with 3G and 4G, your smartphone automatically connects to the compatible network. So you are guaranteed to stay connected wherever you go.
