logo
I Get 5G on My Phone at Home, So Why Can't I Get 5G Home Internet? Here's What I Learned

I Get 5G on My Phone at Home, So Why Can't I Get 5G Home Internet? Here's What I Learned

CNET20-07-2025
If you can get 5G on your phone while at home, you should be able to get 5G internet at your house, right? Not exactly. 5G is no longer the shiny new thing, thanks to efforts from major carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon, but 5G home internet service isn't strictly available at the same addresses as 5G cellular service.
I ran into this when I switched my mobile carrier from AT&T cellular service to T-Mobile phone service. I was immediately impressed with the phone's 5G performance. However, even though I got T-Mobile 5G cell service at home, my address wasn't eligible for T-Mobile 5G Home Internet.
It's not just T-Mobile. The same applies to Verizon's cellular service as well as AT&T's. Their 5G home internet products are also not categorically available at all addresses covered by the company's 5G coverage map. For example, even if you have Verizon's Ultra Wideband service in your neighborhood, it's not a given you'll be able to sign up for Verizon 5G Home Internet. Let's get into the details about why.
First things first: What is 5G?
Before we get into the details on the main 5G home internet providers, let's clear up any confusion about what 5G actually is.
5G stands for "fifth generation." It represents the fifth generation of wireless data networks, not to be confused with 5GHz, a specific frequency band often used by Wi-Fi routers. If you have 5G home internet, you're using a fixed wireless internet connection provided by a cellular provider. You may have a 5G home internet connection that uses a Wi-Fi router with a 5GHz frequency.
Locating local internet providers
Also of note, 5G comes in three types: millimeter-wave, midband and low-band. Cellular home internet providers often use all three to create strong, varied networks.
AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all offer 5G home internet
T-Mobile and Verizon were the first to use cellular airwaves to offer dedicated 5G home internet plans. Each provider's plans feature straightforward, all-inclusive pricing that ditches equipment fees, data caps, term agreements and other added hassles often associated with internet service providers.
T-Mobile 5G Home Internet features plans for $50 to $70 per month for speeds of 87 to 415 megabits per second. Verizon offers two plans -- Verizon 5G Home ($50 a month) and Verizon 5G Home Plus ($70 a month). Qualifying Verizon and T-Mobile phone plans can also knock $15 off the price of your monthly bill. Simplicity and a straightforward approach seem to be key for both companies.
What about AT&T, you ask? Although an AT&T spokesperson told CNET that "fiber remains our focus," the company also offers 5G home internet: AT&T Internet Air. It provides potentially higher download speeds than its hybrid DSL service (up to 225 megabits per second) and is now available in more than 100 locations across the US.
If AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are serious about home internet, why isn't it as available as their overall 5G coverage?
Verizon also includes its 5G equipment in your monthly fee.
Sarah Tew/CNET
When my former CNET colleague Eli Blumenthal tested Verizon 5G Home, he noted that the 5G connection on his iPhone was better than the one for his 5G Home hub.
He was on to something.
A Verizon spokesperson told me that it designed its network with its mobile customers in mind. "We continue to allocate spectrum to ensure our mobile customers have the reliability they've come to expect from Verizon," they said via email. "As we deploy more spectrum -- in excess of what our models show we need for the highest reliability for our mobile customers -- we are able to offer 5G Home service as well."
5G allows for a greater connection density -- approximately 1 million devices per square kilometer -- than previous generations of cellular connectivity. Is that a lot? Yes, it's about 100 times better than 4G, but it's not limitless.
Telecom insider Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research, said he believes T-Mobile has also been judicious about selling home internet because of how a home internet product puts a heavy capacity usage on a mobile network.
He pointed me to a YouTube interview with Kendra Lord, T-Mobile's director of geospatial engineering and analytics, where she likened 5G home internet availability to the number of seats on a plane.
"It's not only the number of households that we believe could get [T-Mobile 5G Home Internet]," she said, "but how many within a given sector we could say yes to."
A spokesperson corroborated that mindset when I contacted T-Mobile for further insight. "There are still many households that do not qualify for Home Internet yet, even though they may get 5G on their mobile device -- and that's intentional," I was told via email.
"Our fixed wireless Home Internet runs on the extra capacity on our wireless network. In some areas, we have extra capacity on the network, but in others, we don't. So, we allocate access to Home Internet on a sector-by-sector, home-by-home basis."
In other words, it's entirely possible that I could get 5G cellular service in my home, and my next-door neighbor might even have T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. However, my address might not be serviceable for that home internet product because of the capacity limits for my area's cellular coverage.
Is home internet just a side hustle for mobile carriers?
T-Mobile, whose gateway device is shown here, includes equipment in the monthly fee as well.
Amanda Kooser
I was tempted to think that getting into the ISP game was a lark for these companies. Moore considers another layer at play.
"Mobility is the core business for T-Mobile, and for the most part, it's the core business for Verizon," said Moore. "But T-Mobile, in particular, is telling Wall Street that in addition to selling [home internet] services to businesses, it's also saying it's increasingly pushing into rural America. I don't think it's just a PR stunt.
All of the numbers support Moore's assessment. In its Q1 2025 report, T-Mobile proudly announced it had reached nearly 7 million customers. That's an impressive number coming less than four years after the product's nationwide launch.
Overall, T-Mobile has been aggressive in its pitch. In 2022, it began its Internet Freedom push, which leaned into Americans' dissatisfaction with ISPs and encouraged people to "break up with Big Internet" by trying T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. It continues to seek consumers' attention, recently launching an aggressive summer campaign.
Verizon also has been ambitious with its offers while ringing less of an "ISPs are evil" note. That's probably because Verizon Fios -- the company's fiber-optic internet service -- is an ISP and one of the few that's regularly highly rated. In its case, 5G home internet seems less of a blow against "Big Internet" and more of a play to extend the Verizon home internet game beyond the Northeast (Verizon Fios' playground) and out to the rest of the country.
At the very least, 5G home internet has succeeded in being a convenient and reliable way to get online, especially for rural customers. So the next time you ask, "Why can't I get 5G home internet even though I have 5G on my phone at home?" I advise you to hang tight. Both carriers are actively optimizing their networks for mobile first and home internet second, in a dynamic process that changes month to month. 2025 could be your year to try 5G for your home's broadband connection.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How Fixed Wireless Access Is Rewriting The Rules For Broadband
How Fixed Wireless Access Is Rewriting The Rules For Broadband

Forbes

time4 hours ago

  • Forbes

How Fixed Wireless Access Is Rewriting The Rules For Broadband

Eric Updyke, CEO at Spirent Communications. Did the telecom industry overlook one of the biggest opportunities in 5G? Judging from media buzz, you might think so. Early discussions were dominated by futuristic use cases—network slicing, ultra-low latency and millimeter wave—many of which were still years from deployment. Meanwhile, a quieter revolution was brewing. Many operators were making a strategic bet on something far more immediate and practical: fixed wireless access (FWA). That bet is paying off. FWA has rapidly emerged as one of the most successful use cases for 5G to date. According to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), there are now more than 200 commercial 5G FWA deployments and growing. In North America, T-Mobile and Verizon have already surpassed their 2025 targets for FWA customers, with T-Mobile now expecting 12 million connections by 2028 and Verizon anticipating 8-9 million in the same timeframe. Ericsson predicts that by 2029, there will be 330 million FWA connections worldwide, generating approximately $75 billion in revenue. How did 5G FWA seemingly come out of nowhere to become this burgeoning industry phenomenon? Let's take a closer look. Fueling Competition On one level, it's not surprising that 5G FWA didn't capture early headlines. After all, it's just internet connectivity, right? Haven't we had broadband for decades? Well, yes and no. If you live in a rural region or developing market—or even if you'd just like more competition on pricing and performance—having a brand-new internet option can be quite compelling. Especially one that delivers performance on par with fiber without the need for last-mile cabling. Suddenly, some of the biggest longstanding broadband challenges—bridging the digital divide, connecting remote locations, spurring investment in developing markets—become far less challenging. Even operators have been surprised by market enthusiasm for FWA. Whether targeting urban cable subscribers or bringing cost-effective broadband to new regions, they're finding customers hungry for new choices. Operators are finding FWA to be an effective lever for the following: In regions where fiber buildouts are cost-prohibitive, FWA enables mobile operators to offer home broadband wherever they have 5G coverage. In many cases, performance has been found to rival traditional wired connections. Our research found that 2024 monthly revenue per user for 5G FWA averaged approximately $46 in the United States, $35 in Western Europe and $70 in the Middle East. And that's just the starting point. Providers are finding a strong appetite for upsell services—like speed boosts, smart home bundles and integrated home-and-mobile packages. FWA offers a lower-cost, faster path to market entry. Operators can assess uptake in a region to inform future fiber expansion plans, using FWA as both a service and a market testing tool. FWA's appeal extends beyond residential customers. At least 20 operators are now actively marketing FWA for business use, particularly targeting small and midsize enterprises in underserved areas. These offerings often come with SLAs and value-added services—like cybersecurity, unified communications and even AI edge hosting—creating a robust connectivity platform tailored for modern business needs. Assuring Quality With FWA adoption surging, attention is now turning to retention, differentiation and customer experience. And in broadband, that means one thing: quality. Speed matters, but it's not enough. End users care about performance for the applications they use every day—streaming, gaming, video calls and more. The FWA environment introduces unique challenges, including: • Airspace contention between FWA and mobile devices on shared spectrum • Interference between 5G signals and in-home Wi-Fi • Traffic imbalances within households, where one heavy user can degrade QoE for others These challenges can't be solved with a one-time fix. They require a comprehensive, lifecycle approach to testing—starting from design and continuing through deployment and operations. Effective strategies include: • Emulation And Simulation: Using digital twins to test networks and services in the lab, uncovering performance issues before live deployment. • Continuous Testing And Automation: Integrating functional and performance testing into CI/CD pipelines, enabling rapid, reliable deployment at scale. • Active Testing In Live Environments: Injecting synthetic test traffic to monitor SLA adherence and flag issues before they impact real users. Make no mistake—FWA introduces a new level of complexity compared to traditional broadband. But it also offers enormous opportunity. As adoption accelerates, operators who recognize this complexity and prioritize service quality will be best positioned to lead. The Most Disruptive Broadband Technology In Years Fixed wireless access is reshaping the broadband market faster than anyone predicted. It's opening doors for operators to expand footprints, compete more effectively and deliver meaningful value to customers—quickly and cost-efficiently. We may not have talked about it much during the early hype cycles of 5G, but FWA is rewriting the rules. It's not just a stopgap or rural solution—it's a transformative force in telecom. And its story is just beginning. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?

Vornado Realty Trust Leases 203,000 SF to Verizon for New York Headquarters in THE PENN DISTRICT
Vornado Realty Trust Leases 203,000 SF to Verizon for New York Headquarters in THE PENN DISTRICT

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Vornado Realty Trust Leases 203,000 SF to Verizon for New York Headquarters in THE PENN DISTRICT

Telecommunications giant to relocate its New York headquarters to PENN 2 NEW YORK, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) today announced that Verizon, the iconic telecommunications firm, will relocate its New York headquarters to PENN 2, Vornado's reimagined office tower in the heart of THE PENN DISTRICT campus. As part of a 19-year lease, Verizon will occupy nearly 200,000 square feet in office space across the eighth through tenth floors of PENN 2, which includes exclusive access to more than 25,000 square feet of outdoor space. One of the world's leading telecommunications firms and the largest mobile network operator in the United States, Verizon will also establish a flagship retail location on Seventh Avenue. Shop Top Mortgage Rates Personalized rates in minutes A quicker path to financial freedom Your Path to Homeownership 'We are thrilled to welcome Verizon to the growing roster of world-renowned business, communications, technology, finance, and entertainment firms that have chosen THE PENN DISTRICT for their corporate homes,' said Glen Weiss, Executive Vice President - Office Leasing and Co-Head of Real Estate for Vornado Realty Trust. 'Our reinvention of THE PENN DISTRICT has produced a vibrant gateway to New York's new West Side and represents a new era of workplace thinking, where dynamic environments, unparalleled connectivity, and employee-focused design come together to inspire collaboration and innovation.' Vornado's PENN 2 transformation incorporates a completely new, modern, and highly efficient curtain wall, a striking triple-height lobby; 16 distinctive double-height outdoor tenant loggias; and The Bustle. The new PENN 2 also encompasses 30,000 square feet of curated retail, including The Dynamo Room, a 7,100 square foot full-service restaurant and bar from Sunday Hospitality. The building features 72,000 square feet of outdoor green spaces; The Perch, a rooftop glass pavilion and event space that opens onto a lushly landscaped 17,000-square foot private green space available to all tenants; and a 280-seat Town Hall suspended above the 33rd Street promenade. PENN 2 also serves as the corporate headquarters for Madison Square Garden, Universal Music Group and Major League Soccer. Together with its neighboring PENN 1, the towers create a two-building connected campus in the heart of THE PENN DISTRICT. The twin projects encompass 4.4 million square feet of premium office space; a host of new and improved entrances to Penn Station and the surrounding subway system; and acres of new public plazas, landscaping, and new granite stone-paved sidewalks. All PENN DISTRICT tenants have access to 180,000 square feet of Vornado's WorkLife program, the most extensive and comprehensive amenity package in the City, highlighted by The Landing, a full-service restaurant, bar and private dining rooms; a 53,000-square-foot sports, wellness and fitness center; and 100,000 square feet of flexible workspace and conference facilities. THE PENN DISTRICT campus is situated directly above Penn Station, North America's most accessible and active mass transit hub. A total of 15 subway lines, along with Long Island Railroad, New Jersey Transit, PATH, Amtrak all converge in the district. They will be joined by Metro-North commuters starting in 2027. A Cushman & Wakefield team led by Executive Vice Chairman, Josh N. Kuriloff, Peyton Horn, Heather Thomas, and Kyle Ernest represented Verizon in this strategic transaction. Vornado was represented in-house by Glen Weiss, Josh Glick, Jared Silverman and Anthony Cugini. Additional information on PENN 2 and images can be found at About Vornado Realty TrustVornado is a fully integrated real estate investment trust ('REIT') with a portfolio of premier New York City office and retail assets and the developer of the new PENN DISTRICT. While concentrated in New York, Vornado also owns premier assets in both Chicago and San Francisco. Vornado is a real estate industry leader in sustainability, with 100% of our in-service offices buildings LEED certified and over 95% certified LEED Gold or Platinum. C O N T A C T Thomas J. Sanelli(212) 894-7000 Certain statements contained herein may constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They represent our intentions, plans, expectations and beliefs and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Our future results, financial condition and business may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. You can find many of these statements by looking for words such as "approximates," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "would," "may" or other similar expressions in this press release. For a discussion of factors that could materially affect the outcome of our forward-looking statements and our future results and financial condition, see 'Risk Factors' in Part I, Item 1A, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. Currently, some of the factors are interest rate fluctuations and the effects of inflation on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, operating performance and the effect that these factors have had and may continue to have on our tenants, the global, national, regional and local economies and financial markets and the real estate market in general. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Corning forecasts upbeat quarterly core sales on AI-driven demand
Corning forecasts upbeat quarterly core sales on AI-driven demand

Yahoo

time7 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Corning forecasts upbeat quarterly core sales on AI-driven demand

(Reuters) -Specialty glass maker Corning forecast third-quarter core sales above Wall Street estimates on Tuesday, led by artificial intelligence-driven demand for its optical connectivity products. Shares of the company rose about 6% in premarket trading. AI has been a growth driver for Corning's products, such as cables and connectors, which are increasingly used by hyperscale data centers to support the massive computing and data transmission demands. "We also expect an additional growth driver to emerge in the coming months, as new and existing customers seek to leverage our large U.S. advanced manufacturing footprint," CEO Wendell Weeks said. Based in New York, Corning also sells a break-resistant Gorilla Glass for mobile phones, tablets and smart watches, and has produced durable glass with infused color for the back of Apple's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus devices. Earlier this month, EU antitrust regulators accepted Corning's offer to waive exclusive deals with mobile phone makers and glass processing companies and scrap purchasing clauses to end an eight-month-long investigation and stave off a possible fine. Corning's largest unit - Optical communications - reported net sales of $1.57 billion in the second quarter, a rise of 41% from a year ago. Its core sales in the quarter rose 12% to $4.05 billion, compared with estimates of $3.86 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Corning expects third-quarter core sales to be around $4.2 billion, beating estimates of $4.01 billion. The company expects quarterly core earnings per share between 63 cents and 67 cents, compared with estimates of 61 cents. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store