Travelers and rural internet customers will have more options to get online
T-Mobile Unveils New Internet Plan Every RVer Should Check Out
2 min readT-Mobile, a.k.a. “The Un-carrier,” recently introduced revamped 5G internet packages, including a brand new one for travelers starting at $110 per month. These new home and mobile internet packages provide more options for rural homesteaders and frequent travelers that compete with the popular Starlink satellite internet service. This expansion of its 5G home service gives those types of customers more solutions to get online from places where options to get internet service are limited.
“Whether it’s expanding your home Wi-Fi signal to cover more spaces and connected devices, or taking the internet with you on the road, T-Mobile has the internet options that fit your needs,” said Chief Broadband Officer Allan Samson.
The biggest change is the new Away package, which allows you to roam with a T-Mobile 5G fixed-wireless gateway. Previously, the only T-Mobile option for RVs, campers, and nomads was their mobile hotspot plans, which customers would have to use with their mobile phone or hotspot device to connect their other devices to the web.
The Away plan costs $110 per month for 200GB of data, or $160 per month for unlimited data. A new T-Mobile gateway is included with both plans. T-Mobile stated that the Away plan would be available starting May 8, but at time of publication it’s not yet available to order on the website.
T-Mobile 5G Gateway, Source: T-Mobile
The Home Internet Plus is available now. It comes with premium customer support and a new Wi-Fi mesh device. According to T-Mobile, this enhanced, 24/7 support is provided by Assurant Personal TechPro and will assist you with T-Mobile issues as well as with any device or application it’s connected to. Their support agents can assist you set up a smart TV, help backup files to the cloud, or run diagnostics on your devices. The Plus plan’s regular price is $70 per month but can be discounted down to $50 with a T-Mobile voice line.
The expansion of T-Mobile’s 5G home and mobile offerings comes as competition from satellite internet giant Starlink is getting fierce. Starlink has rapidly become a popular choice for those living in remote locations and travelers. While Starlink is usable nearly anywhere in the U.S. and has the best speeds of any satellite provider, its reliability is still imperfect and is much more expensive than terrestrial fixed-wireless. With a minimum startup cost of $599 along with a monthly bill of $120 for home internet, or $140 for mobile, it’s not affordable for everyone. T-Mobile’s equipment comes with the purchase of a plan and charges an activation fee of $35.
Many Starlink owners have complained about customer service, as the provider takes a hands-off approach to equipment setup and only provides support through a ticket system. Enhanced customer service for T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet is likely to be important to users who value responsive, 24/7 assistance.
The announcement doesn’t detail any differences in speed for the Away plan vs. using your phone as a hotspot, but the boosts in high-speed data are significant, going from as much as 50GB per month to nearly unlimited with the top-tier version. Like any broadband provider that advertises unlimited high-speed data, there is, in fact, a limit, which T-Mobile says is more than 1.2 terabytes of data per month. After that, your speeds will likely be deprioritized until the next billing month.
As more details about the new packages come out and customers get their hands on them, we’ll update our coverage of T-Mobile here on SatelliteInternet.
