Are you tired of being tied to internet service providers with cumbersome contracts, low speeds, restrictive terms and rising fees? You’re not alone. A 2023 customer survey tagged ISPs as the country’s second-lowest-rated industry. Yes, even lower than airlines, social media, health insurance companies and the US Postal Service. Whoa! All too often, though, we feel we have hardly any options and fewer alternatives. Could 5G be the answer?
The technology powering the newest phones also wants to tackle our household broadband needs. A solid home internet connection is vital, whether working from home or decompressing with the latest video games. The earliest 5G home internet plans, available from names like Starry, Verizon and T-Mobile, offer respectable speeds at a straightforward price — but availability is limited to select cities and regions. CNET has reviewed all of the major 5G services, and we’ve got the details on how they work, how fast it gets, what it costs and where it’s available.
What is 5G home internet?
Simply put, 5G stands for the fifth generation. The fifth generation of what? The fifth generation of wireless data networks. You’re probably most familiar with hearing 5G used to describe better mobile communications and speedier phones. You’re not wrong: 5G networks, which use different radio frequencies than previous generations, aim to provide faster data speeds with much less lag or delay than we had with 4G.
My CNET colleague Eli Blumenthal does a great job of breaking down the basics of 5G. Millimeter-wave technology uses higher frequencies than previous generations, providing faster speeds and connections. But those higher, gigabit speeds come with a price — the data doesn’t travel the same distance as 4G and has more trouble with obstructions. To combat that, midband technology, which offers speeds averaging between 300 and 400 megabits per second, increases the coverage area provided by millimeter-wave. Finally, low-band 5G offers a range similar to 4G but speeds between 100 and 200Mbps.
Is 5G home internet the same as 5GHz?
Nope. One common mistake is to see the “5GHz” setting on your Wi-Fi router and assume you have access to 5G. Wi-Fi routers also use short-range radio frequencies — typically either 2.4GHz or 5GHz — to transmit your internet signal to connected devices within your home. So 5GHz is one of the band options for your home’s Wi-Fi system, but it’s not the same as 5G, a cellular technology that uses higher-frequency waves.
Starry Internet
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T-Mobile Home Internet
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Price range $50 – $70 per month (50% off for eligible 5G mobile customers) Speed range 85 – 1,000Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Key Info Unlimited data, no contracts, free equipment, 50% discount for qualifying Verizon mobile customers
Verizon’s 5G internet service, which uses Ultra Wideband 5G technology, boasts max download speeds of up to 1 gigabit and average speeds of around 300Mbps. However, upload speeds are not symmetrical and will plateau at 50Mbps or less because Verizon does not exclusively use the millimeter-wave technology, but rather a mix of low-band, midband and millimeter-wave.
Verizon 5G Home Internet pricing is $50 a month for a two-year price guarantee or $70 a month to lock in the price for three years, plus some extra perks. Either way, it’s an all-in price that includes equipment, setup fees and taxes, and like all other Verizon plans, it requires no contracts or data caps.
Verizon offers many promos and deals to sweeten the pot for potential customers. First, it provides an early termination fee credit offer to give qualifying customers a bill credit of up to $500 if they switch from their current ISP and are charged an ETF. Second, 5G Home Plus customers can choose a HomePod (valued at $300) or a $200 Verizon gift card. Lastly, customers with qualifying Verizon mobile plans will get a discount on the monthly cost of either plan, bringing them down to $35 or $45 monthly.
Verizon 5G Home Internet plans and prices
5G home internet is one of the more affordable options available considering the decent download speeds that current plans average — T-Mobile averages just over 100Mbps, Starry chimes in at 200Mbps and Verizon’s median speed is 300Mbps. The lowest monthly cost among the three main providers is $15 (Starry’s low-cost option) and the highest is $70 (Verizon 5G Home Plus without the Verizon mobile discount). But each provider’s monthly costs include all fees, taxes, equipment and installation charges. So the monthly charge you see is the monthly charge you pay. Lastly, none require term contracts, so you won’t have to fear any early termination fees.
In theory, 5G should enable a speedy connection that will match or better what you get with cable or fiber internet. But that’s usually not the case regarding the reality of 5G home internet. To increase the reliability and coverage of the 5G internet service, most providers rely on a mix of millimeter-wave, low-band and midband technology — as well as 4G LTE in some cases — and this means home internet customers won’t see the real high-end capabilities of 5G at present. But you should see well over the broadband minimum of 25Mbps and average higher speeds than your typical DSL and satellite internet plans.
It simply means generation. In other words, 5G is the fifth generation of cellular technology.
