Dimension · 10% of the Bench Score

5G Access

How modern the underlying network access is.

Why it is hard to measure

Almost every provider now says "5G ready", but readiness is not access. What matters is the share of a provider’s supported countries where you actually get 5G rather than being parked on 4G LTE, and that varies enormously by the partner networks behind the eSIM.

What a good provider looks like

We measure the percentage of supported countries with genuine 5G access, mapped through the underlying mobile networks. A provider that delivers 5G across most of its footprint scores far above one that lists 5G in three countries and LTE everywhere else.

How it feeds the score

5G access is worth a tenth of the score. It is a forward-looking signal: as more travel destinations light up 5G, this dimension separates providers investing in modern access from those coasting on legacy deals.

Measurement method

Percentage of supported countries where 5G is included (not just 4G LTE).

Want the whole picture? The master methodology explains how all eight dimensions combine into a single grade, and the data sources page lists where every number originates.