EE has switched on 5G in 21 more towns and cities, for 71 in total

EE was the first UK network to launch a 5G service, so it’s no surprise it has been in the lead for most of that time, and it has just rolled out 5G to another 21 large towns and cities, with 71 towns and cities in total now having at least partial EE 5G coverage.

As of today, EE 5G is now available in parts of Bath, Birkenhead, Bransholme, Bury, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Clevedon, Clydebank, Dartford, Dinnington, Loughborough, Loughton, Motherwell, North Shields, Rochester, Rotherham, Rugeley, Swadlincote, South Shields, Staines and Waltham Cross.

While coverage won’t initially be comprehensive in most of these places, EE is also expanding its 5G presence in places that already have partial coverage, with a particular focus on high footfall areas, such as Bath’s Royal Crescent and Pulteney Bridge, London Bridge, and London’s Thornton Heath railway station.

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That’s a decent list of locations, and it’s sure to keep growing rapidly throughout 2020 and beyond, though we’d always recommend checking your coverage before splashing out on a 5G plan and handset, as it’s going to be patchy for a long time yet.

And while EE is in the lead, it’s not without competition. Three recently rolled out its 5G network in 66 UK towns and cities, and Vodafone and O2 both offer a 5G service in select locations too – as do a number of smaller networks such as Tesco Mobile and BT.

So if you’re not already enjoying 5G, you potentially have lots of options (though more so if you live in a city than a village). But equally, as there’s still only a relatively small selection of mostly very expensive 5G phones, there should be no hurry to upgrade.

• Read our full Samsung Galaxy A90 5G review