More than six months after its launch, the iPhone is still deprived of 5G SA from Free Mobile. A strange situation, to say the least, given that lower-end devices from many manufacturers have access to it without any problems. That's because Apple is used to doing things its own way.
Apple takes its time
Nicolas Thomas, the CEO of Free, did not want to respond directly to the question posed by Numerama during the presentation of the operator's quarterly results. The executive cites confidentiality agreements and points out that Apple usually keeps its new features and iPhone developments to itself.
Testing new technologies like 5G SA takes longer, not to mention that Apple then conducts its own tests. Ultimately, the time between the submission of a file by an operator and the actual activation on the iPhone can take anywhere from 6 months to a year. Rather than wait for Apple's green light, Free Mobile preferred to launch 5G SA quickly, beating Orange in the process.
However, rumors mentioned by the site predict the activation of 5G SA (or 5G+ as it is called by Orange and many other international operators) in the wake of iOS 18.5. This version of the operating system is expected before June and WWDC; in the meantime, the final version of iOS 18.4 will be available in early April. To benefit from it, you will need to own a 3rd generation iPhone SE, an iPhone 13 or later.
By deploying on the core of the network (3.5 GHz frequencies), 5G standalone should fulfill the promises of 5G itself: significantly higher speeds and minimal latency.
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