Natalie DeCoste
After a long wait and a long testing phase, T-Mobile is finally bringing 5G home internet to its customers.
The company announced that as part of its next “uncarrier” move, 30 million homes, 10 million of which are in rural areas, are now eligible for the 5G internet.
“This is the moment we’ve been working toward since we shared our vision for a faster, more inclusive future — a vision we called 5G for All — when we announced our plans to merge with Sprint three years ago. We’re quite literally the only company that can kickstart this new era of connectivity, that has the network to upgrade America’s phones, homes and small towns to 5G. And we’re just getting started,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile, as part of the announcement.
The company’s attempt to make its 5G service work has been in the works since 2019 when the company was pitching its acquisition of Sprint to the Federal Communications Commission. The company claimed that gaining access to Sprint’s network in the acquisition would be necessary for the company to offer high-speed in-home wireless internet. The original pilot of the 5G service started with 50,000 people and, by last month, was up to 100,000 households.
The internet service will cost customers $60 per month, or $65 without autopay. The price is $10 more than when the service was rolled out during its pilot phase. The service has no taxes, contracts, or equipment fees for the 4G/5G modem rental that also doubles as a Wi-Fi router.
The internet offers users speeds of up to 100Mbps and an average of around 50 Mbps plus no data caps. For reference, Netflix recommends download speeds of 5Mbps for watching videos in HD or 25Mbps for 4K streaming, and Zoom recommends download speeds of 3.8Mbps with upload speeds of 3Mbps for 1080p HD group video chatting.
Part of the rollout will also bring new jobs and more money to towns across America. The company expects to bring 5,000 direct new jobs, plus thousands more in construction and services to build and maintain them.
“At T-Mobile, our commitment to small town America is about more than infrastructure. It’s about a long-term commitment to support the people and local businesses who help rural communities thrive and grow. We have one goal here: be your hometown network. That starts with a great 5G network and continues with sustained investments in local communities through T-Mobile Hometown, so the towns so many of us love aren’t left behind in this next wireless generation,” said Jon Freier, Executive Vice President of T-Mobile.
There is one major caveat to the new 5G service: home internet customers will be subject to data slowdowns during times of network congestion. The slowdowns could be a serious deterrent for some customers who live in dense areas.
