What Is 5G Home Internet and Should You Believe the Hype?
Mobile carriers rave about what 5G can do for your phone. Is there a real opportunity for what it could do for your home broadband connection too?
You're not alone if you're tired of being tied to internet service providers with cumbersome contracts, low speeds, restrictive terms and rising fees. 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. Yikes! 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 it works, how fast it gets, what it costs and where it's available.
What's 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.
How is 5G home internet different?
Most ISPs deliver internet service via phone lines or cables connecting your home to a more extensive network. That includes common internet connection types, like digital subscriber line, coaxial cable and fiber-optic internet. Those are all wired connections from your provider to your home.
5G home internet, on the other hand, is a fixed wireless internet service, which means that the connection between your provider and your home is not wired. With 5G, you will need an indoor or outdoor 5G receiver at your house to pick up the signal. It's similar to satellite internet, but instead of beaming in a signal from satellites orbiting in the night sky, it's relaying information from a much closer wireless hub. Even though you're using the same 5G network as your mobile phone, the gateway is specific to your location and cannot be used elsewhere.
Which ISPs offer 5G home internet?
5G is still being deployed across the country. Due to that, the number of providers currently offering any 5G home internet plan is relatively limited. For example, AT&T provides a 5G mobile service, but its fixed wireless solution does not currently utilize its 5G network. But we should expect that to change soon -- AT&T recently announced its AT&T Internet Air will begin utilizing it shortly.
But right now, your main options for 5G home internet are Starry, T-Mobile and Verizon. All prices listed on this page reflect available discounts for setting up paperless billing. If you decide not to go with automatic monthly payments, your monthly bill will be higher. Now, let's explore what each offers.
Starry is a relatively new player on the ISP field. The company started in 2016 but does not lean into the 5G connection. It does not use 5G NR radio technology, which is a focus of mobile providers, but it does use millimeter-wave technology as a critical aspect of delivering fixed wireless home internet to customers. "We operate in 24GHz and 37GHz spectrum bands, and our network technology is the same across all our markets," a Starry spokesperson said.
The monthly price includes unlimited data, free equipment and installation, and no contracts. It's also the only 5G home internet provider listed here that features symmetrical or near-symmetrical download and upload speeds, similar to what you'd find with a fiber internet service.
Lastly, Starry also offers a "30-Day Happy Interneting Guarantee" with a full refund if you aren't satisfied with the service and cancel within the first 30 days.
It should be noted that Starry filed in February for a Chapter 11 restructuring, so it has halted plans to expand to new cities. It will focus on its five existing markets: Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC. Read our Starry Internet review.
2023-08-27 20:09:09
