Why 5G Home Means Savings for You – Even If You Have Cable

By Madeline Sorg, Government Affairs Manager

If you’ve been price shopping for internet options over the last few years, you’ve likely read about 5G Home internet from carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T.  A typical article or ad highlights several features that make 5G home internet compelling in comparison to more traditional fiber and cable providers, including cheaper prices with no contracts, quicker and easier setup, and competitive speeds.  These upsides have really appealed to consumers, with more than 13 million subscribers between T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T since the first 5G home plans released less than ten years ago.

I am a subscriber; I signed up for Verizon’s 5G Home in 2022 because it was $35 a month, half the price of my existing cable internet subscription.  I’ve stayed a subscriber because it’s great for my needs as someone who works hybrid and streams TV and movies on the weekend while being much cheaper than the other options available.  I don’t have to worry about equipment fees or a data cap, and the price has stayed the same since I joined.  I’m not alone –  Verizon and T-Mobile 5G Home service had the two highest non-fiber consumer satisfaction rates in 2024 and 2025.  Fixed wireless is clearly here to stay and improve the customer experience…even if you’re not a fixed wireless customer.

In 2021, new fixed wireless subscribers overtook new cable subscribers. Given that 5G Home plans presents such a major value proposition compared to cable, millions of consumers have switched, especially as inflation has been a major consumer concern.  As CNET said of 5G Home Internet, “the affordable, straightforward pricing is vastly appealing and it’s what jumps off the page for me.”

Cable has taken notice.  Comcast announced in April this year that its Xfinity service now offers five-year price lock for new customers and Spectrum currently offers a three-year price guarantee, each creating a large discount over the previous cycles of annual increases.  Considering 65% of Americans are concerned about the price of consumer goods, the competition in the wireless and home internet markets are providing Americans much needed cost savings.  Whether a customer sticks to cable or switches to 5G Home service, competition is driving better deals for all.

While everyone can celebrate prices going lower, it’s important to note how we got here.  Fixed wireless access home broadband has been an option for decades but usually operating on unlicensed spectrum by small regional providers.  In 5G Home internet, “home” is actually not as novel as “5G” is.  The large nationwide carriers that are now offering reliable, fast, and, yes, affordable 5G home broadband are able to do so because of the faster speeds and greater capacity 5G offers than previous generations of wireless.

Not only is the technology better now, but so is the network and the public policies that enabled the investment that got us here.  The wireless carriers and infrastructure operators have invested more $734 billion into America’s network since 5G launched in 2018.  Those funds have been used to deploy new infrastructure like towers, small cells, and rooftop nodes that provide the capacity needed to offer data-intensive home internet.  America’s wireless infrastructure and carrier companies investing in the US is saving Americans hundreds of dollars a year.

The industry didn’t do it alone.  The FCC has led the way on smart building policies like the 5G Upgrade Orders and its current wireless streamlining rulemaking, which add transparency and certainty for industry before deployment.  Congress can keep the level of investment and consumer savings going by codifying streamlining rules with the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025.  Smart policy is needed to address the affordability issues Americans are concerned about, and this bill will go a long way to keep wireless and home internet prices dropping lower (and staying there).  As for those of us not in Congress?  Next time you pass a cell tower, just know it’s the reason you’re spending less on home internet.