First Mast Sites Live as JT Starts Island-wide 5G Mobile Rollout on Guernsey

State-owned broadband and telecoms operator JT Global (Jersey Telecom), supported by technology partner Ericsson, has this week announced that they’ve finally begun the roll-out of their new 5G mobile network across the channel island of Guernsey. The first two sites are now live in and around St Peter Port.

Regular readers might recall that the Guernsey Competition & Regulatory Authority (GCRA) last year approved the release of new radio spectrum in the 700MHz and 3.6GHz bands in order to enable telecoms operators JT and Sure to deploy 5G services across the islands of Guernsey, Alderney and Sark from “early 2026“.

The work signals the beginning of a phased deployment programme that will see coverage extend across The Bailiwick of Guernsey over the next four months. The system being deployed by JT will initially reflect a non-standalone (NSA) 5G network (essentially a 5G network with some 4G infrastructure still in the mix), before later migrating to a faster standalone (SA) network over time (end-to-end 5G+).

JT customers in Guernsey will also benefit from Voice-over-Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi Calling) at no additional cost, helping to improve call quality and connectivity in indoor or low-signal areas by using home WiFi (broadband) to offload mobile network traffic.

Alessandro Bovone, CTO of JT Group, said:

“Today marks an exciting moment as we begin bringing 5G to Guernsey. This is a significant step forward to enhance the island’s digital infrastructure and one that will unlock new opportunities for both consumers and businesses.

While the process has taken longer than anticipated due to regulatory approvals, we are pleased to now be moving at pace and to be the first operator to deliver 5G services in Guernsey. As with our rollout in Jersey, this is about investing in the future – building a network that will support the growing demands of island life, drive innovation, and enable new technologies for years to come.”

By deploying a full 5G Standalone network, we are not just enhancing today’s mobile experience but creating a powerful platform for the digital services and opportunities of tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Sure previously announced that they would invest £48m into building a new “world-class” 5G mobile network across both Guernsey and Jersey during 2026 (JT already has one on Jersey) as part of their recent move to acquire rival Airtel Vodafone (here), which required the suspension of local competition laws to proceed. But Sure’s roll-out plan remains unclear, while JT has launched a related information page, although initial device support looks to be rather limited.