T-Mobile is finally bringing the much-hyped 5G Home Internet to households in America. The telco announced today its Un-carrier move, described as a sweeping set of initiatives that mark the beginning of the #5GforAll era.
The US-telco said its Home Internet launches today with more than 30 million households eligible and 10 million of which are in rural areas.
Over the past few years, billions of dollars have been spent to build 5G networks. Billions more have gone for breathless ads touting the promise of a 5G-powered future. But for most people, 5G has been a total nonevent.
Why?
Because 92% of Americans don’t have a 5G phone as of the start of this year. And no 5G phone means no 5G experience.
T-Mobile promises to change this.
The Great Free 5G Phone Upgrade: Now, everyone in America can trade in any mobile phone and get a 5G smartphone for free, the company said.
The service costs $60 (R872) a month with AutoPay with expected average speeds of 100 Mbps.
“This is the moment we’ve been working toward since we shared our vision for a faster, more inclusive future — a vision we called 5G for All — when we announced our plans to merge with Sprint three years ago,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile.
“We’re quite literally the only company that can kickstart this new era of connectivity, that has the network to upgrade America’s phones, homes and small towns to 5G. And we’re just getting started.”
T-Mobile said its Home Internet access in rural communities is possible because the Un-carrier’s 5G network isn’t just America’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. It’s also America’s biggest RURAL 5G network — by a LOT.
Its 5G network spans 1.6 million square miles, with 1.45 million of that coverage in small-town America.