T-Mobile has announced two new home internet plans: Home Internet Plus and Away. Well, technically that’s one home internet plan and one anywhere-but-home plan. These new flavors of T-Mobile’s 5G-powered internet service aim to address different customers, but both serve the same goal: leveraging that sweet 5G spectrum to do more than just keep our phones connected.
The new Away plan, importantly, does not allow for “extended use in the same location,” according to a footnote in T-Mobile’s press release. It’s basically a Starlink competitor designed for campers and RV owners, but instead of using satellite connectivity, it’s more like a supercharged cellular hotspot. It can connect up to 64 devices at a time, which seems like way more than an RV can actually hold and comes in two data capacity options: up to 200GB for $110 per month or unlimited for $160 per month (both prices with autopay enabled). It’ll be available starting on May 8th.
Home Internet Plus includes all the features of T-Mobile’s standard plan, starting with a gateway router to turn cellular signal into home Wi-Fi. On top of that, you get a mesh access point to help bring the signal to more corners of your home — an extra 2,200 square feet worth of corners, according to T-Mobile’s press release. You also get access to around-the-clock tech support from Assurant. Home Internet Plus will be available on April 26th for $70 per month with autopay.
As we enter the middle innings of the 5G era, fixed wireless services like T-Mobile’s home internet have emerged as the real moneymakers for carriers. T-Mobile was the first to offer it on a large scale, and Verizon has been pushing into the space as its mid-band 5G spectrum comes online. Even fiber-centric AT&T eventually, reluctantly, got in on the action. Like Verizon, they’ve got some big 5G bills to pay. In any case, T-Mobile’s latest efforts to package up this service for different customers look like something we’re only going to see more of in the near future.