It’s no secret that many of us are tired of being tied to internet service providers with cumbersome contracts, low speeds, restrictive terms and rising fees. Indeed, a customer survey from 2022 showed ISPs to be the country’s lowest-rated industry. All too often, though, we have few options and fewer alternatives. 

Could 5G be the answer? The technology powering the newest phones also wants to tackle our home broadband needs. The earliest 5G home internet plans, available from names like Starry, T-Mobile and Verizon, offer respectable speeds at a straightforward price — but availability is limited to select cities and regions. Let’s dig in and see how it works, how fast it gets, what it costs and where it’s available.

What is 5G home internet? 

Simply put, 5G stands for fifth generation. Fifth generation of what, you ask? 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.

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My CNET colleague Eli Blumenthal does a great job of breaking down the basics of 5G. Millimeter-wave technology uses much higher frequencies than previous generations and provides much 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 5GHz the same thing as 5G home internet?

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 from fiber or cable internet?

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 type of fixed wireless internet service, which means that the connection between your provider and your home is not a wired one. With 5G, your provider will need to install 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 can provide 5G home internet?

As stated already, 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. Should we expect one soon? 

“We’re focused on connecting people using fiber,” an AT&T spokesperson told us. “We’re considering ways our fixed wireless services can fill in pockets as a catch product for our copper footprint and hard-to-reach areas for some customers, but fiber remains our focus.” 

So, right now, your main options for 5G home internet are Starry, T-Mobile and Verizon. Let’s explore what each offers.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Starry Internet

Starry is a relatively new player on the ISP field. The company, which started in 2016, 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” that features a full refund if you aren’t satisfied with the service and cancel within the first 30 days. 

Read our Starry home internet review.

 

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T Mobile

T-Mobile Home Internet

T-Mobile Home Internet features the lowest broadband speeds among our listed providers. That’s because it wavers between 4G LTE and 5G. It’s not exclusively 5G. T-Mobile “anticipates” that most customers will average between 33 and 182Mbps download speeds. CNET tested T-Mobile’s home internet service, and we hit a max of 132Mbps on the service.

T-Mobile’s home internet service includes all setup fees and taxes. There is no annual contract or data cap. It includes a Price Lock guarantee that shields you from any price increases for as long as you remain a customer. It also will pay up to $750 in termination fees for customers who switch. Among its current deals is Paramount Plus, free for one year ($5 a month version with limited ads), weekly perks through T-Mobile Tuesday and savings of $20 off the monthly price for eligible T-Mobile voice customers.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet overview.

 

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Sarah Tew/CNET

Verizon 5G Home Internet

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 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 get a $200 Grubhub or DoorDash gift card. Lastly, customers with qualifying Verizon mobile plans will get 50% off the monthly cost of either plan.

Read our Verizon 5G Home Internet review.

 

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Where is 5G home internet service available?

Let’s not sugarcoat this: 5G home internet service is not yet available everywhere. While the list of cities seems to expand nearly every month, most are larger US cities. 

T-Mobile Home Internet is the most widely available service among the three providers we’ve highlighted. While Verizon said in 2022 that its 5G home internet service is now available to 30 million homes, T-Mobile has leapfrogged that by expanding the service availability of its fixed wireless service to over 40 million households. Yet T-Mobile acknowledges it does not have unlimited availability across those locations due to network capacity and a limited inventory of its router. 

Verizon’s 5G Home Internet is currently offered in approximately 900 markets. That means that although the total number of households in which it is available is less than T-Mobile, it does cover more cities.

Starry Internet is available in Boston; Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Los Angeles; New York City and Washington, DC. Its future expansion roadmap includes approximately 40 million households in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Memphis, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle.

Does 5G home internet make sense for you?

The first thing to be said is what we always say regarding ISPs. No matter how good the service, it’s all moot if unavailable at your address. 5G technology is still being rolled out across the country, so we should expect to see some bumps in the road as that effort continues.

Still, 5G home internet availability is increasing at a pretty rapid pace. The affordable, straightforward pricing is vastly appealing — and what jumps off the page for me. Time will tell if that trend holds as availability continues to expand. Still, it would be a real step forward if 5G could emerge as a viable broadband option for traditionally underserved parts of rural America. As CNET alum Rick Broida put it after he tested T-Mobile’s service, “imperfection is a lot more tolerable when you’re paying less than half what you were before.”

5G home internet FAQs