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, prices and frequencies… we tell you everything about 5G from Free Mobile.
Arrive after everyone and surprise with an offer that marks the spirits, Free knows the formula well. The operator launched its first 5G package 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 will be able to share your connection in an access point without monitoring your package at the ready megabyte.
5G Free Mobile plan: prices do not change
If you are already subscribed to the main package of Free Mobile in 4G, the price does not change. In 5G, the package remains at € 19.99 per month without commitment. This is for those who do not have a fiber or ADSL subscription at Free. With a Freebox Pop, you benefit from a particularly affordable rate (the subscription is € 9.99 per month in addition to an unlimited data connection).
The other Freeboxes also give the right 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 Open Pack. The fixed price is also linked to a 12 or 24 month commitment.
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 Télécom 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 meanwhile offers a package of 130 GB at 25 € per month without commitment (excluding promotions, the package is billed at 30 € per month). At B & You, we find the same 130 GB envelope in 5G, but this time in a limited series (this package is € 25.99 per month). As you can see, Free Mobile stays true 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 in the new offer. Subscribers therefore benefit from 150 GB in fair use on 5G or 4G depending on the coverage. For Freebox subscribers, the limit of 150 GB does not exist.
- Freebox non-subscriber: 150 GB Internet in 5G (or 4G + for areas not covered). The throughput is reduced after the data envelope has been exhausted;
- Freebox subscriber: Unlimited internet ;
- Unlimited calls to mobiles and landlines in mainland France, USA, Canada, China, DOM
- Unlimited calls to landlines from 100 destinations
- Unlimited SMS / MMS in mainland France and unlimited SMS to the DOM
- Roaming: 25GB of data per month from more than 70 destinations around the world
- 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 Package, access a summary of all Ligue 1 matches. Watch the highlights and the most beautiful actions in near-live thanks to short video clips.
Free’s 5G network: coverage map
Free Mobile offers a coverage map of its 5G network. The operator prides itself on having the widest opening in France. ” 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 to the detriment of speed, notes Arcep.
The UFC-Que Choisir has also underlined this reality of 5G at Free. The association pointed to the unspoken in the communication of the four operators. She notes that Free in particular uses the 700 MHz frequency band 96% of the time. This one ” offers the lowest 5G speeds and equivalent to those previously provided in 4G “. This is also shown by the first speed tests of Free Mobile in 5G.
In detail, Free Mobile has more than 5,500 active 5G sites in France. Overall, approximately 5300 are on the 700 MHz frequency band. Barely more than 200 sites thus take advantage of the 5G core band on the 3.5 GHz (it is this which allows to have the best speeds (up to 3 times those of 4G)).
And yet, Free had succeeded in obtaining a good positioning on these frequencies at the end of the ARCEP auctions. As far as it is concerned, Orange favors the 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 this writing. The rest use the 1.8 GHz and 2.1 GHz bands already used for 4G.
Discover the table of active 5G sites according to frequency bands below. This table is based on a compilation of Arcep data as of December 17, 2020. To find Free Mobile’s 5G coverage map, click here.
Distribution of 5G antennas by frequency (Source: ARCEP)
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? The new offer must be activated from the Free Mobile subscriber area.
- Log on to the mobile.free.fr site with your login details;
- Go to the menu “My Mobile plan”, then in “My options” ;
- Locate the option “5G service” and check the box to activate your 5G plan.
What happens when you are in an area covered by 5G, but don’t have a compatible smartphone? Don’t panic, you won’t 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.
