Best 5G home internet providers
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Verizon 5G Home Internet
- Fastest speeds
- 50% discount when paired with select mobile plans
- Occasional disconnects
- Prices: $25.00–$80.00/mo.*
- Speeds: 300–1,000Mbps
- Availability: 900 US cities
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T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
- Easy signup and installation
- No price hikes, no data caps, and no annual contract
- Slower speeds than other plans
- Prices: $30.00–$50.00/mo.†
- Speeds: 72-245Mbps
- Availability: 600 US cities
*w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile plans. Available in select areas.
†w/ Auto Pay. Internet provider not available in all areas; customers ineligible for 5G Home Internet may be eligible for 4G LTE or other fixed wireless options. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts.
About 5G home internet
5G home internet is a relatively new service provided by wireless carriers like T-Mobile and Verizon. Speeds range from 30Mbps to 1,000Mbps and plans come at an affordable price. Available mostly in urban areas and big cities, 5G internet comes with unlimited data and doesn’t have extra fees or annual contracts, making it a cost-effective alternative to cable or fiber internet.
As the name suggests, 5G internet (or 5G Wi-Fi as it’s sometimes called) gives you a wireless internet connection from a 5G cellular network. Although you can get fast speeds over 5G Wi-Fi, the connection doesn’t have fixed bandwidth in the same way as cable or fiber internet. Wireless speeds can be impacted by factors like inclement weather, geographic landmarks, and network congestion. Still, if you live in an area with strong cell service, you can expect 5G home internet to work just as well as the internet you get on your phone.
Compare 5G home internet providers
| Provider | 5G speeds up to | Price | Data limit | Availability | Order online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 1,000Mbps | $60.00–$80.00/mo. | None | 900 US cities | |
|
| 245Mbps | $50.00/mo. | None | 600 US cities | View Plan |
 | 40–140Mbps | $55.00/mo. | None | Limited availability | |
| 1,000Mbps | $30.00–$80.00/mo. | None | Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington, DC | View Plan |
Verizon’s 5G Home Internet service is the most widely available right now. It also has the best prices: you can get it for just $25 a month if you also subscribe to Verizon’s Unlimited Plus cellular plan. Verizon scored high among national providers in HighSpeedInternet.com’s yearly customer satisfaction survey, with 5G customers showing particular enthusiasm for speed and customer service. However, it may not work best in some areas with limited 5G cell service: as we write in our Verizon 5G Home review, one of our staffers tried it last year and had to deal with recurring outages.
T-Mobile Home Internet is also a worthy option, with easy setup and no extra fees for installation or equipment. T-Mobile’s 5G home internet plan comes with a free, yearlong trial of Paramount+ Essential and Vix+, and the price drops to $30 per month if you have a Go5G Plus or Magenta MAX phone plan. In our satisfaction survey, T-Mobile customers gave its 5G service excellent ratings for price and speed, placing the budding service towards the top among regional internet providers. A writer for HighSpeedInternet.com reviewed T-Mobile 5G Internet firsthand and loved it, saying the service delivered fast speeds ideal for a small- to medium-sized household.
Starry Internet doesn’t advertise itself as 5G internet, but it basically works the same way as Verizon’s and T-Mobile’s 5G internet setups. Starry offers unlimited data and fixed rates, and it’s available for apartment dwellers in a handful of big American cities.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Flat rates and no extra fees
- Competitive speeds
- Lots of perks on some plans
Cons:
- Limited availability
- Fluctuating speeds
Pros of 5G home internet
Flat rates and no extra fees—5G internet providers compete with much more established fiber and cable internet providers. One way they draw in customers is by selling 5G internet at a fixed rate without any extra-fee shenanigans that traditional home internet plans are notorious for. So you win out with no extra fees for installation or equipment, no need to sign up for an annual contract, and no monthly limit on your data usage.
Speeds competitive with cable and fiber—As far as performance goes, 5G home internet delivers roughly the same speeds as a modest cable or low-end fiber plan. 5G home internet speeds usually fall in the range of 100Mbps to 300Mbps, but they sometimes peak at up to 1,000Mbps. That makes it a great option for mid-sized households, giving you enough bandwidth to support streaming, gaming, Zoom meetings, and more on three to five devices.
Lots of perks on some plans—Verizon is especially generous with extra perks for customers considering a switch to 5G home internet. Those who already have a qualifying mobile plan from Verizon can get 5G home internet at half price; plus, the plan comes with other benefits as well, including streaming-service trials, gift cards, and more.
T-Mobile hooks customers up with extra goodies too. You get a Paramount+ Essential and Vix+ trial with its 5G plan. Customers signed up for the T-Mobile Magenta MAX or Go5G Plus phone plan can get the internet plan for $30 per month, plus subscriptions to Netflix and Apple TV+.
Cons of 5G home internet
Service outages—Although Verizon and T-Mobile both scored very well for reliability in our annual customer satisfaction survey, 14% of T-Mobile customers in the survey also reported “always” or “often” experiencing service outages on the carrier’s 5G service. One of our staff members at HighSpeedInternet.com experienced similar recurring disconnects on Verizon’s 5G service.
Outages like these stem from the wireless nature of 5G and the newness of the infrastructure. 5G internet requires a widespread buildup of new transmitters and deployment of 5G routers, but some bugs may still need to be worked out—and technical issues can lead to a slowed or dropped connection.
Limited availability—5G home internet is a relatively new service: it’s just now coming into wider use after a couple years of small-scale beta testing, so availability is quite limited. Verizon is in the lead, offering its 5G Home Internet plans in 900 cities across the country.
5G home internet is sure to expand in popularity and use over the coming years. But it’s likely to remain centered around big cities and urban areas, with less of a footprint (or possibly none at all) in rural areas.
Fluctuating speeds—Since 5G internet works over a wireless 5G network, its speeds aren’t as consistent as wired services like fiber or cable internet. You’re more likely to experience slowdowns over a 5G connection due to neighborhood-wide network congestion—and other factors beyond your control might also impact your speeds, including inclement weather or geographic landmarks like hills and trees. That said, if you already get steady cell service where you live, you’re likely to get steady 5G internet service too.
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Best 5G home internet plans
| Plan | Download speed | Prices | Perks | Order online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon 5G Home Internet Plus | Up to 1,000Mbps | $35.00/mo. (for Verizon Unlimited Plus phone plan subscribers) or $80.00/mo. (for nonsubscribers, w/ autopay)* | Gift cards, streaming-service trials, and more (deals change monthly) | |
| T-Mobile Home Internet | 72-245Mbps | $50.00/mo.†, $40.00/mo. (with Go5G, Magenta, or Essentials phone plan), $30.00/mo. (with Go5G Plus or T-Mobile Magenta MAX) | Paramount+ Essential and Vix+ for 12 mos., lower price when bundled with phone plan | View Plan |
*w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile plans. Available in select areas
†w/ Auto Pay. Internet provider not available in all areas; customers ineligible for 5G Home Internet may be eligible for 4G LTE or other fixed wireless options. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
Verizon 5G Home Internet is definitely the best plan you can get, since it has the best prices, fastest speeds, and most perks. But T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is a solid option as well. All these plans come at fixed rates—you don’t need to worry about 12-month contracts, data caps, or extra fees for equipment or installation. And Verizon and T-Mobile both got high rankings in our annual customer satisfaction survey, suggesting that customers have really appreciated both providers’ prices and services.
Verizon 5G Home Internet
Verizon still seems to have some technical issues to work out with its 5G Home Internet service, but we love how affordable this 5G option is. You can get speeds of up to 300Mbps for just $50 a month—and half that if you also have a qualifying Verizon phone plan. Verizon doesn’t impose hidden fees, data caps or annual contracts, and in areas where 5G isn’t available you may be able to get the similarly-excellent 4G LTE Home Internet.
Our experience with Verizon 5G Home Internet
One of HighSpeedInternet.com’s staffers used Verizon 5G Home Internet for several weeks in 2022, but he ended up switching back to his previous cable provider because he kept experiencing outages. At first, his experience was great, but within a few weeks he would have to restart his router at least once a week because his Wi-Fi would suddenly drop out. However, it’s possible that other users have much better experiences with Verizon’s 5G service. Since 5G works over a wireless signal, its performance can fluctuate depending on factors including the quality of cell service in your area and even the geography around your home. We still think it’s well worth a try, especially since you can cancel any time without paying early termination fees.
How do I know if Verizon 5G Home Internet is available in my area?
You can find out if Verizon 5G Home Internet is available in your area by searching your zip code below.
According to Verizon, you can find 5G Home Internet in cities and suburban areas across the country. It’s not as widely accessible as Verizon’s cellular service, but the plan is to eventually roll out 5G internet on a nationwide level.
Pro tip:
Read our full review of Verizon 5G Home Internet for more details on how it performs and whether it’s worth your money.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
T-Mobile uses different frequency spectrum on its 5G compared to Verizon, so its 5G Wi-Fi speeds are advertised at a slower rate. But T-Mobile 5G Home Internet still delivers excellent service at the same price as Verizon’s basic 5G internet plan. And T-Mobile offers the same bonuses, including unlimited data and no hidden fees or annual contracts.
Our experience with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
One of HighSpeedInternet.com’s writers spent several months using T-Mobile 5G Home Internet in 2022 and early 2023, and he had a very positive experience. As he writes in his review of the service, his tested internet speeds rarely dropped below 100 Mbps and often exceeded 200Mbps—giving him plenty of bandwidth to cover a two-person household that regularly hums with online activities including remote working, streaming, and online gaming. He didn’t have any issues with latency, getting a smooth connection even while playing time-sensitive online games. He experienced one technical hiccup, though. He uses a live TV streaming service, which uses his IP address to authorize his account. T-Mobile semi-regularly changed his dynamic IP address, and every time that happened, he had to make a long call to his streaming TV provider to authorize the new IP.
How do I know if T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is available in my area?
Run a search with your zip code below to see if T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is available in your area. That’s the best way to know if it’s available, because T-Mobile is busy rolling out 5G to new markets and the number of customers it can reach grows regularly.
You can find T-Mobile 5G Home Internet in 49 states across the country, with a particular concentration in New York, California, and Texas. T-Mobile is focused on building it out in cities and suburban areas.
Pro tip:
Take a look at our full review of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for the scoop on speeds, pricing, and more.
How 5G home internet works
5G home internet uses a wireless signal from a 5G network to deliver internet to your home. A 5G small-cell transmitter on the street sends a wireless radio signal to a 5G router installed in your home, which then gives you an internet connection.
Traditional broadband internet types like fiber and cable rely on cables buried beneath the ground to provide a wired connection to your home. By contrast, 5G internet is a wireless technology provided by a cellular company.
This service requires new 5G technology and a huge buildup of 5G infrastructure—both of which are somewhat rare in these early days of 5G deployment. In cases where 5G coverage isn’t widely available, a 5G internet provider also depends on 4G LTE networks to provide your internet connection.
What types of 5G are there?
There are three types of radio frequencies used on a 5G mobile network: low band, C-band, and millimeter wave. All three bands are used for mobile phones to really boost 5G coverage, but 5G internet mostly uses C-band and millimeter-wave 5G because the speeds are a lot faster.
- Low-band 5G has speeds similar to 4G and works over a long range, perfect for rural areas.
- C-band 5G has a shorter range than low-band 5G, but it can hit speeds of 100Mbps or faster over distances up to about six miles.
- Millimeter-wave 5G works only in contained areas (like buildings or stadiums), so it gives you the lowest 5G coverage. But it’s extremely fast, capable of surpassing 1Gbps speeds.
C-band and millimeter-wave frequencies hadn’t been widely used in communications technology prior to 5G cellular rollouts—although the frequencies did have some other commercial and industrial uses. So they make for less-congested mobile networks and greater capacity for carrying data. That makes for fast speeds on your 5G home internet setup.
5G technology also incorporates innovations like massive MIMO and beamforming, which help reduce network congestion and streamline communications between the mobile 5G network and your router at home.
How do you set up 5G home internet?
You can set up 5G Home Internet by plugging in the gateway that comes with the service, placing it in a centralized area in your home, and using the provider’s app to set your Wi-Fi network name and password.
Whether you’re using Verizon or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, setup is extremely easy. You don’t need to hire a professional technician to do it, and you don’t even need networking cables to make it work. After you order your service, you get a kit in the mail with everything you need and from there you can simply follow the provider’s instructions to set it up.
The key thing is you want to make sure you’ve set up your gateway (a combination modem and router) in an area in your household that’s adequately exposed to outdoor cellular signals. It might be best to put it by a window or door, but you have lots of options. Just avoid putting it in a closet or back corner of a room, since the signal may drop out easier that way.
5G home internet FAQ
What is 5G?
5G is a form of wireless network technology. Like 4G, it’s a suite of radio frequencies and cellular technologies designed to deliver phone and internet data to peoples’ mobile devices. 5G incorporates new networking infrastructure and a much wider spectrum of radio bands to boost speeds and increase capacity.
How is 5G internet different from 4G LTE internet?
In addition to 5G internet, some cellular companies also have 4G LTE home internet, which works basically the same way. But 4G LTE internet uses 4G mobile networks, delivering slower speeds. 4G LTE home internet is also typically marketed for rural users who live in remote areas where other internet options aren’t widespread, whereas 5G home internet is marketed mostly to urban users who want an alternative to cable or fiber internet.
What is 5G Wi-Fi?
5G Wi-Fi is the same as 5G Home Internet, it’s just a different term to describe the same type of connection. 5G Wi-Fi works over a fixed wireless connection and uses cellular signals from a radio tower to provide Wi-Fi in your home.
What internet speeds do you get from 5G Wi-Fi?
5G Wi-Fi typically delivers internet speeds of 100–300Mbps. Some plans can get up to 1,000Mbps, while others are more in the range of 35Mbps.
Cellular carriers and providers that have 5G home internet tend to advertise somewhat fuzzy speed figures because it’s harder to predict internet speeds over a wireless connection compared to a wired one.
What kind of technology does 5G use?
5G technology includes novel tools like massive MIMO and beamforming, which allow 5G networks to deliver faster, targeted cellular signals to customers. 5G also uses a wider range of radio frequencies, including C-band and millimeter-wave frequencies that previously had much fewer commercial and industrial uses.
A 5G mobile network also uses small-cell transmitters, basically smaller versions of cell towers. Small cells propagate millimeter-wave radio signals, which can deliver data to your phone at gigabit-plus speeds in densely populated areas. Cellular carriers have also started using software-based networking architecture to make their 5G networks more flexible. The ultimate goal is to use 5G technology like these innovations for many more functions outside of cell phones and internet—including robots, automated factories, and self-driving cars.
What is a 5G base station?
A 5G base station is a radio transmitter that provides a 5G signal to wireless devices like your phone. Some 5G base stations are similar to radio towers for 4G LTE waves, but cellular companies are also building up “small cell” base stations for millimeter-wave 5G, which tend to be much smaller and more widely distributed compared to normal cell towers.
What is network slicing?
5G network slicing is a form of network architecture that uses physical architecture to support multiple independent virtual networks. The point of network slicing is to let a mobile carrier use the same infrastructure to support a variety of services, ranging from mobile phone and internet to automated cars.