Is my mobile lying to me? When 5G doesn't mean 5G

If you have a contract that includes 5G, but you don't think you're getting a regular and reliable 5G signal you should:

PolicyTracker conducted 11,000 tests across central London, the outskirts of Birmingham and a village in North Lincolnshire, using four different phones connected to four different network providers.

It found that while phones often display the 5G logo, the data being transmitted is still carried by older 4G infrastructure.

The difference isn't always obvious to users, but it can mean slower downloads and buffering in places where they expect the ultra-fast network.

The issue comes down to how mobile networks currently define 5G.

Martin Sims from PolicyTracker explains that the symbol on your phone shows the "presence" of a 5G signal in the area, but doesn't guarantee that your phone is connected to it.

He says that even with the "standalone 5G" service, your phone can still drop down to 4G if a faster connection is not available.

He says that for most people, "standalone 5G isn't worth it as it's not very good value for money because the contracts are expensive".

He adds that the coverage is still patchy, even in big cities like London although he does say this new service means "you're more likely to get better service in busy areas like train stations".