Internet & Broadband Market Report 2025

5G vs Fiber: Flexibility, Lock-in, and the New Broadband Trade-off

By the end of 2025, Saudi Arabia’s home internet market had split into two competing philosophies:

• 5G home internet built for flexibility and speed of activation.

• Fiber internet built for stability, bundling, and long-term commitment.

Consumers are no longer choosing “internet speed” alone. They are choosing freedom vs certainty, and that choice is increasingly expressed through contract structure rather than technology.

Market Snapshot (Giraffy Data — Dec 2025)

• 156 live home internet deals

• 108 5G plans (69%) vs 48 fiber plans (31%)

• Providers: 6 in 5G, 5 in fiber

• Fiber contracts are typically 12–24 months; 5G offers both rolling and long-term variants.

What the Market Looks Like

1) 5G is now the dominant offer format

Even if fiber remains the “gold standard” in reliability, 5G has overtaken fiber by deal volume, meaning it’s the primary source of consumer-facing choice and experimentation.

2) Contract structure is the real differentiator

• Fiber is relationship-based: installation, equipment, long-term pricing, and lock-in.

• 5G is trial-based: faster activation, portability, lower friction, and more rolling contracts.

3) Pricing overlaps more than consumers expect

The mid-range overlap breaks the simplistic narrative that “5G is cheap and fiber is premium.” Many users are effectively choosing based on switching tolerance and perceived stability rather than price alone.

4) Fiber competes on tiers; 5G competes on simplicity

Fiber differentiates via speed ladders and ecosystem bundling (routers, mesh, content). 5G typically offers fewer configurations with “unlimited” framing and minimal setup complexity.

5) 5G is the internet equivalent of prepaid

Rolling 30-day 5G behaves like prepaid: freedom, fast switching, minimal lock-in. Fiber behaves like postpaid: commitments, guarantees, and higher switching friction.

Why the Market is Shifting

• Household mobility is higher (renters, expats, new movers)

• Consumers are more willing to change providers if friction is low

• 5G expands access beyond fiber-dense areas

• Consumers increasingly treat connectivity as a managed subscription decision

What This Means

For consumers

The decision is about commitment psychology: do you want portability and low lock-in, or stability and guarantees? Many don’t realise contract structure matters more than Mbps.

For providers

Fiber and 5G shouldn’t be positioned as direct substitutes—they serve different consumer mindsets. Product design must align with switching friction and household stability.