CMLink 5G coverage checker

Last updated 4th February, 2026

CMLink (run by China Mobile) is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses EE’s infrastructure, meaning that it has 5G coverage in all the same places as EE.

At the time of writing, that means over 87% UK population coverage, so the availability of 5G on this network is substantial.

Below we’ll look more in depth at how CMLink stands up as a 5G network, and how it compares to rival UK networks.

CMLink 5G Summary

Enter your postcode in our coverage checker at the top of this page to get the clearest possible picture of CMLink’s coverage in your area.

This will show you how much 5G coverage there is in the area, as well as 4G and voice, and a comparison to the UK’s other networks.

The data used is real-time, and it’s sourced both from the mobile networks themselves and from independent third-party sources, so you can be confident that it’s comprehensive and correct.

How does CMLink's 5G coverage compare to others?

We keep track of which networks offer 5G coverage across 120 major UK towns and cities, so you can see at a glance how they compare in key locations.

CMLink has the same number of locations as EE below:

That full list of 120 locations can be seen in the chart below. If a network has 5G coverage in a location then there will be a tick next to its name in that network’s column, so you can see at a glance where 5G is available.

Note however that while a tick means a network reports offering 5G in a location, in some cases the coverage will be very patchy, so don’t count on getting 5G across the entire town or city. However, the situation will improve over time.

CMLink relies on EE for expanded 5G coverage, and the most recent places that network (and therefore CMLink) expanded to (as of February 2026) include Llandudno, parts of the Outer Hebrides, and Tonbridge.

4G coverage

You don’t need 5G coverage to use CMLink – you can still access 4G coverage when speedier options aren’t available. And CMLink has widespread 4G coverage, as the chart below shows.

How fast is CMLink’s 5G network?

While data is light on CMLink itself, we have plenty of information on EE’s 5G network speeds, and the two are likely to be similar given that they use the same spectrum and infrastructure.

The chart above shows the key takeaways for EE then, with the top speed coming from a Point Topic study from September 2020.

This found that EE’s peak 5G download speed was 753Mbps, and while this is an old report now, it’s still the highest speed we’ve seen for EE in tests.

More recently, an Opensignal report from September 2024 found that EE’s average 5G download speed was 96.8Mbps.

However, a RootMetrics report from the first half of 2025 put EE’s median 5G download speed at a higher 241.2Mbps. It also found EE’s 95th percentile 5G download speed (which should be close to the highest they recorded) was 730.1Mbps, and that its 5th percentile 5G download speed (which should be close to the lowest) was 27.9Mbps.

There’s also an Ookla report from the second half of 2025, which put EE’s median 5G download speed at 97.96Mbps and its 90th percentile 5G download speed at 326.01Mbps.

These are very solid speeds on the whole, putting EE and its MVNOs likely ahead of O2 and perhaps Vodafone, though Three and its MVNOs typically have it beat.

Latency

As with speeds, we’re reliant on tests of EE’s network to establish CMLink’s likely latency.

EE then has a median 5G latency of 30ms (milliseconds) according to a 2023 report from Speedtest.

For loaded latency (that being the latency when the connection is under heavy use), a 2025 Ookla report found EE’s to be 583.53ms.

Ultimately though 5G latency should get a lot lower, potentially dropping to around 1ms – at least when unloaded – eventually.

What frequencies/bands does CMLink use?

CMLink presumably uses all the same network frequencies as EE, which means the ones in the chart above.

So for 5G that includes the 700MHz, 3.4GHz, 3.6GHz, 26GHz, and 40GHz bands. Most of those are high frequency, which tends to mean a greater capacity is available, allowing for higher speeds and more simultaneous connections – two things that 5G is supposed to empower.

However, lower frequency bands like the 700Mhz one can travel further (making them a good fit in rural locations) and penetrate walls better (so they’re also good for inside buildings). As such, a robust 5G network needs both high and low frequency spectrum.

At the time of writing, EE has access to 1GHz of 40GHz spectrum, 800MHz of 26GHz spectrum, 40Mhz of 3.4GHz spectrum, 40MHz of 3.6GHz spectrum, and 40MHz of 700MHz spectrum, which is 1,920MHz in total.

That’s a decent chunk, and will benefit CMLink too. For reference, O2 has the same amount, while VodafoneThree combined has 2,030MHz.

Every network may one day have more 5G spectrum though, as it’s possible that there will be additional 5G spectrum auctions.