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5G home internet providers

By Ari Howard Last updated: June 2, 2023

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Best 5G home internet providers

5G home internet is the latest internet technology, using cellphone towers to send internet to your home. 5G providers perform similarly to traditional internet providers, reaching speeds as fast as 1,000 Mbps in some areas.

Verizon 5G Home – Best overall

Plans start at $25/mo.* for 300 Mbps

Read our full Verizon 5G review

Check with Verizon
Or call us today: (833) 210-4554

Starry Internet – A close second

Plans start at $50/mo. for 200 Mbps

Read our full Starry 5G review

Check with Starry
Or call us today: (833) 210-4554

T-mobile 5G home internet – Best availability

Plans start at $50/mo. for up to 245 Mbps

Read our full T-Mobile 5G review

Check with T-Mobile
Or call us today: (833) 210-4554

*For existing customers with a Verizon mobile plan of $30/mo. or greater.

Allconnect’s choice for 5G home internet: Verizon

Our favorite provider for 5G internet is Verizon. It offers the best blend of performance and affordability, with a $50/mo. flat rate and 300 Mbps download speeds. On top of that, there are no equipment or installation fees, and your price is guaranteed for two years.

Compare 5G home internet plans

Right now, Verizon, T-Mobile and Starry Internet are the only providers actually selling 5G home internet. However, AT&T is also working to provide 5G internet soon. In the meantime, AT&T offers 4G fixed wireless internet in select rural areas. Verizon, Starry and T-Mobile are the three main providers offering 5G internet throughout the country.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/12/23.

**For existing customers with a Verizon mobile plan of $30/mo. or greater.

What we like about 5G internet

  • Low latency – With reduced latency, data between a source and its destination will be able to transfer much faster. This means much fewer delays, buffering and lag when you are video chatting or gaming online.

  • No contracts or hidden fees – Most of the providers offering fixed wireless 5G are promising no contracts or hidden fees, which includes free installation.

Things to consider

  • Availability – Not all areas have access to 5G towers yet, and 4G fixed wireless speeds are significantly slower than you can expect from 5G.

  • Speeds could slow at busy times – 5G home internet connections are more prone to traffic congestion than fiber optic or cable networks.

How we evaluate internet providers

We evaluate broadband providers in four categories: affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction. Each category contains multiple sub-factors, all of which are weighted differently to impact the provider’s overall score.

We evaluate broadband providers in four categories: affordability, performance, value and customer satisfaction. Each category contains multiple sub-factors, all of which are weighted differently to impact the provider’s overall score.

For each sub-factor, we score all providers on a continuous scale of 1 to 5, relative to the industry as a whole. Because the average download speed in America is currently 180 Mbps, for example, we assigned all plans with download speeds between 100 and 299 Mbps a score between 3 and 4. Xfinity’s 200 Mbps plan received a 3.50 score for download speed, while Spectrum’s 400 Mbps plan got a 4.16.

We only considered standardized data points in our scoring system. More abstract data like consistency of service and brand reputation is still part of our analysis, but we opted to let our writers address them in the context of each review.

Learn more about our methodology
Verizon logo

Allconnect Rating

4.27 / 5

Verizon 5G Home Internet: Best overall

Verizon currently offers fixed wireless 5G internet, referred to as Verizon 5G Home Internet, in select areas. Verizon keeps pricing simple with all taxes, equipment and additional fees included in the advertised price. It also offers a discounted price if you bundle 5G with a phone plan. 

Verizon offers the fastest speeds of any 5G provider by far. You can expect to get between 300 and 1,000 Mbps in areas with 5G coverage. Unfortunately, it’s not as widely available as T-Mobile.

*For existing customers with a Verizon mobile plan of $30/mo. or greater.
*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/12/23.

Verizon 5G home internet availability

Verizon 5G provides coverage to about 18% of the U.S. in select areas including:

Source: FCC

Check with Verizon
Or call us today: (833) 210-4554
Starry Internet logo

Allconnect Rating

4.25 / 5

Starry Internet: A close second

Starry Internet is a newer 5G internet provider. It is the only fixed wireless 5G provider that is not also a wireless carrier. However, just like Verizon, it includes taxes and additional fees in its advertised price, and there is no promotional pricing.

Starry has fast download speeds up to 1,000 Mbps and unlimited data. It offers plan variety with speeds ranging from 200 – 1,000 Mbps, so you can easily pick the best plan for your needs. Unfortunately, Starry is not suitable for all types of buildings and its fastest speeds aren’t widely available.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/12/23.

Starry internet availability

Starry provides coverage to less than 3% of the U.S. Starry is currently available in five major markets including:

Source: FCC

Check with Starry
Or call us today: (833) 210-4554
tmobile home internet logo

Allconnect Rating

3.85 / 5

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Best availability

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet promises no price increases and the advertised price includes all additional fees and taxes. An additional perk is that T-Mobile includes built-in security features to protect your internet service. However, unlike other providers that are currently offering free professional installation, T-Mobile only offers free self-installation. 

Unlike Starry and Verizon, T-Mobile has only one plan with slower max speeds. Although it has simple pricing and is widely available, there aren’t other options with T-Mobile if you want more speed.

*Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. As of 05/12/23.

T-Mobile home internet availability

T-Mobile 5G is the most widely available 5G provider with 89% coverage across the country. It’s available to about 30 million households in over 40 states. You can see a full PDF list of cities or check your address on T-Mobile’s website to see if your home has access.

Source: FCC

Check with T-Mobile
Or call us today: (833) 210-4554

5G home internet equipment requirements

Another perk of fixed wireless internet is that installation will be fairly simple. This means that, in most cases, self-installation will be an option; however, for now, most carriers are offering free installation. Here’s the equipment you will need: 

  • Outdoor antenna –  Must be installed on top of your home and in line of sight to a nearby 5G base station.
  • 5G router  – converts 5G radio waves into Wi-Fi.
  • Antenna power supply – a cable that connects the antenna and router.
  • Wi-Fi extender – If you have a larger home, you will likely need at least one Wi-Fi extender in order to provide internet access to your whole home.

What’s the difference between 5G mobile and 5G home internet?

There are two ways of connecting to the 5G network: through cellular service (mobile 5G) and through fixed wireless (5G home internet). With 5G cellular service, customers must purchase a mobile device that is capable of receiving 5G radio waves. With fixed wireless providers, this is usually done through an antenna on top of one’s home that must be in line of sight to a base station with another antenna, in addition to a small modem inside the house.

What is 5G home internet?

5G stands for fifth generation, and it refers to the newest standard of wireless technology. Compared to past generations, 5G technology allows data to transfer from a source to its destination quicker and with fewer delays. This network can be applied to both cellphones, which is what most people think of when they hear 5G, and home internet.

Learn more about how 5G home internet works.

What is fixed wireless 5G?

5G internet falls under the umbrella of fixed wireless, which is when an internet connection is sent from a fixed antenna to a nearby cellular tower. Currently, fixed wireless internet primarily exists through a 4G network and is mostly used in rural areas. However, more and more cellphone carriers are now launching 5G service around the country. 

The most important differences between 5G mobile and 5G home internet:

Portability: 5G mobile is portable and 5G home internet is limited to the home.

Equipment: 5G mobile requires a compatible 5G mobile device to connect to 5G through a cellular tower. 5G internet requires a modem that connects devices in the house to the 5G network.

Reliability: Since 5G mobile requires widespread coverage because it is portable, it is less likely to have consistent speeds than 5G home internet, which never changes location. Even in one’s home, a fixed wireless connection is more likely to receive a better signal than a mobile connection.

Data caps: In addition to being less reliable and receiving an inferior signal, 5G mobile is generally not a good replacement for home Wi-Fi because its plans tend to have data caps. Most 5G home internet providers, on the other hand, offer unlimited data. 

How is 5G different than cable or fiber internet?

The primary difference between 5G and other types of broadband is that 5G uses wireless signals to connect you to the internet, while cable and fiber rely on a wired infrastructure. Each internet type has its own strengths and weaknesses, but in general, the quality of your 5G internet connection will depend on your proximity to your provider’s cell towers or nodes. Fortunately, none of the major 5G internet providers require a contract, so you can try them for a month without committing long-term.

Learn more about the differences between fiber and cable internet to see which type fits your needsd.

5G home internet FAQs

Is 5G home internet or fiber optic internet better?

Although fiber optic is currently the fastest and most cost-efficient option available, 5G home internet will likely become the superior choice once it becomes more widely available. While fiber optic gig plans tend to cost over $100/mo., 5G plans will be able to provide gig speeds for about half the price.

If there is a base station in line of sight to your home, you will likely be able to purchase 5G home internet even if you do not own your home. However, you will need approval from your landlord if an antenna is not already installed on top of your apartment, condominium or townhome.

Out of all the most common forms of internet service, DSL, cable, fiber optic and satellite, fixed wireless is most similar to satellite internet because they both require installing equipment on top of your home to receive signals from external sources. These two types of internet service differ because while satellite internet is created from a satellite dish connecting to an orbiting satellite, fixed wireless is created from an antenna on top of your home connecting to a line of sight 5G base station.

No. 5G home Wi-Fi uses a dedicated gateway device to connect to the 5G network, which then connects your devices through Wi-Fi. 5G home internet is generally faster and more reliable than 5G mobile, which connects your 5G-compatible device directly to the nearest cell tower.

No. AT&T offers 5G cellphone service and fixed wireless home internet, but it hasn’t combined the two yet. The company has said that it will launch 5G home internet service eventually, but there is no timeline yet.

5G home internet usually provides between 100 and 300 Mbps download speeds. T-Mobile says “typical download speeds” are between 72-245 Mbps, while Verizon says its 5G plan gets 300 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload on average.

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Ari Howard

Written by:

Ari Howard

Associate Writer, Broadband & Wireless Content

Ari is an Associate Writer for the Allconnect team. She primarily writes about broadband news and studies, particularly relating to internet access, digital safety, broadband-related technology and the digital d… Read more

Robin Layton

Edited by:

Robin Layton

Editor, Broadband Content

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