Can't get 5G

[Purple_Worzel]

I have recently bought a 5G enabled phone (Nokia XR20) and at the same time moved to Virgin Mobile and have a new 5G sim card.  I live in Liverpool, which has good 5G coverage.  However, I can't seem to get 5G on my phone.  

The preferred network type  in my phone settings only shows 4G and 3G.  Basically, am I missing something?  What do I need to do to get 5G?  I've tried Googling and looking at the Nokia user guide but have drawn a blank.  

[Pilch]

That's not borne out by this response though. 

You can get 5G with a 5G-compatible device. You’ll also need a 5G plan with us and 5G network coverage. You can get 5G on these devices if you buy them from us:

Huawei P40 Pro, Huawei P40 lite, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, Oppo Find X2, Oppo Find X2 Neo, Oppo Reno4 Pro, Oppo Find X2 Lite, Samsung S21, Samsung S21 Ultra, Samsung S21 Plus, Samsung Note 20 Ultra, Samsung S20FE 5G, Sony Xperia 5 II, Samsung A32 5G, Samsung A42 5G, Samsung A52 5G, Samsung S20, Samsung S20 Plus and Samsung S20 Ultra.

If you’ve bought them elsewhere, we can’t guarantee they’ll work on our 5G network. If your device isn’t on the list, don’t worry – we’re working on adding more devices to our 5G network all the time.

[BenMcr]

Correct. 5G devices without the appropriate firmware settings that tell the device that Virgin Mobile is 5G capable won't offer 5G when you put a Virgin Mobile SIM in them.

All 5G devices sold directly by Virgin Mobile have those firmware settings. Virgin Mobile can't force other device manufacturers to update their devices but third party support is possible.

Virgin Mobile don't sell Motorola devices however some of the most recent 5G devices from them do recognise Virgin Mobile 5G as Motorola added the settings.

So far Nokia haven't updated any of their devices to support 5G on Virgin Mobile as far as I'm aware.