The arson attacks against 5G masts in the UK have become serious enough that carriers are joining together to put a stop to the incidents. EE, O2, Three and Vodafone have issued a joint statement both urging people not to set fire to cellular masts, threaten engineers or spread conspiracy theories falsely linking 5G to COVID-19. The networks also encouraged people to report abuse of engineers and call out people spreading misinformation.

As the companies reiterated, cell networks are critical in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. They provide “essential connectivity” to emergency services and the National Health Service, help connect families and enable remote education. The arson has disrupted “critical infrastructure,” the carriers said, and threats to engineers have “prevented essential network maintenance.”

You can get the equipment the next day for free, but Three will bring it to you the same day for £20 ($24).

This isn’t the mobile 5G service you might have hoped for, although Three recently said it would deploy the next-gen wireless service in 25 UK cities by the end of 2019. It also stressed that mobile users wouldn’t pay extra for 5G, as with rivals like Vodafone. Really, Three’s advantages are its low cost and its large 100MHz chunk of 5G spectrum. It’s hoping that you’ll not only be tempted away from wired broadband, but that its network will have enough real-world capacity to live up to 5G’s potential.