How Fast Is 5G Home Internet?

5G home internet commonly gives you speeds around 100–300Mbps. That’s plenty fast for most households, but  speeds aren’t guaranteed and may vary a lot based on location and time of day.

Here’s a guide to 5G home internet speeds and how they compare to fiber and cable internet.

Jump to: What is 5G home internet? | 5G home internet speeds | 5G home internet disconnections | 5G home internet vs. cable and fiber | FAQ

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• What is 5G home internet?
• 5G home internet speeds
• 5G home internet disconnections
• 5G home internet vs. cable and fiber
• FAQ

What speeds can you get from 5G home internet?

Depending on the type of 5G home internet, speeds range anywhere from 25Mbps to 1,000Mbps.

Tested 5G speeds over T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T hit an average of around 70Mbps, according to a recent report from analytics firm Opensignal.

All three providers advertise faster top speeds, with Verizon going so far as to boast that you can get gigabit performance on its 5G Home Plus plan.

If that makes you suspicious, just know that there is validity to their claims. The quality of 5G networks varies widely, so some customers could be getting near-gigabit speeds even though the average speed is much lower.

Curious to see how fast your 5G internet is? Take a speed test to find out.

What’s the fastest 5G home internet plan?

Verizon 5G Home Internet Ultimate is the fastest 5G internet plan you can get. It has download speeds of up to 1,000Mbps, which is excellent for large households and heavy-bandwidth activities like 4K streaming and downloading large files.

Can you get gigabit speeds on 5G home internet?

Verizon’s 5G Home Internet Plus plan promises speeds of up to 1,000Mbps—that’s a full gigabit. Achieving those speeds in everyday life isn’t common, though. Most people don’t need gigabit speeds but if you do, fiber or cable internet are better bets.

Can you get symmetrical upload and download speeds on 5G home internet?

Symmetrical upload speeds aren’t typically available on 5G internet. On all of the 5G internet plans we’ve researched, upload speeds are considerably slower than download speeds, similar to what you get from a cable internet plan.

If you want symmetrical uploads and downloads, we recommend looking for a fiber internet provider. Still, the upload speeds you get on 5G internet are going to be perfectly suitable for most users, supplying enough bandwidth to support routine Zoom calls, modest- to large-sized media uploads, and social media.

Is 5G home internet as good as cable or fiber internet?

Most of the time, 5G home internet will be just as good as a bottom- or mid-tier cable internet plan. If the network is particularly busy, though, or if you have outdated towers in your neighborhood, your speeds could be much slower and less reliable. You could have latency issues, too.

Of course, neither 5G nor cable is as fast as fiber internet, but fiber internet has a limited footprint due to high infrastructure costs.

You can get relatively fast download speeds and slower upload speeds on a 5G home internet plan. But you can’t get symmetrical internet speeds, like you can with fiber internet.

How 5G internet is different from cable and fiber

• Connection is wireless rather than wired
• The 5G carrier provides equipment—you can’t buy your own modem or router
• Prices come at a fixed rate, with no promo pricing or extra fees
• Monthly fees are heavily discounted when you bundle with a cell phone plan

5G speeds vs. fiber and cable internet speeds

Unlike the usual fixed broadband internet types, 5G internet depends on cellular networks rather than wired networks of buried cables. Verizon uses its Ultra Wideband 5G network to provide service over millimeter-wave and C-band airwaves, making it capable of delivering really fast speeds and lowering latency. T-Mobile uses mostly mid-band 5G frequencies with slightly slower speeds but wider availability nationwide.

Speeds are generally consistent and fast over 5G, but the reliability of your connection depends a lot on the cell service and 5G signal strength in your area. In some areas, a 5G internet user’s speeds may slow down or speed up slightly throughout the week as the 5G network adjusts to factors like geographical landmarks, weather patterns, and network congestion across the neighborhood.

What is 5G home internet?

5G home internet is a relatively new type of internet service that gets you Wi-Fi access over a fixed wireless connection drawing from 5G mobile networks.

The term “5G” means it’s the fifth generation of wireless technology. 5G is most often used for cell phones, but 5G internet carriers like Verizon and T-Mobile have also developed services that deliver 5G broadband internet competitive with what you get from more traditional internet providers.

Although 5G coverage is mostly limited to major cities and urban areas (for now at least), 5G internet is growing in popularity among netizens in hundreds of major cities because of its solid 5G speeds and lower costs than many cable internet and fiber-optic internet options. It also does away with the price-gouging tactics commonly associated with more traditional internet providers—no need to worry about confusing promo prices, extra fees, or annual contracts.

Does 5G mean 5 GHz?

5G does not mean 5 GHz—these terms refer to two different things.

All modern Wi-Fi routers come equipped with at least one 5 GHz radio, which you can use to access the internet from computers, tablets, phones, and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

5G refers to a much larger array of wireless technologies, radio frequencies, and public infrastructure designed to propagate cellular signals on a wide scale.

FAQ about 5G home internet

More resources about 5G home internet

• 4G vs. 5G: What’s the Difference?
• Verizon 5G Home Internet Review
• T-Mobile 5G Availability and Coverage
• AT&T 5G Availability and Coverage
• Best 5G Phones of 2022