Is 5G Home, Mobile Internet Worth It?

A top reason consumers browse the internet, is to stream media. Whether it’s to view YouTube videos or to stream a movie, today's consumers are acquiring their entertainment online. Most media requires only minimal download speeds to stream. If a consumer were to choose broadband, LTE, or 5 GHz, all would meet the minimum requirements, for standard streaming. For example, Hulu.com requires a minimum download speed of 3.0 Mbps for general content, 8.0 Mbps for live content and 16Mbps for 4k Content.⁵ Because 4K media consumers may experience video quality loss on wireless because of throughput and wireless signal degradation, they may want to consider a premium subscription. I personally was able to receive a speed of 200-350 Mbps down, with an excellent signal strength, when I tested 5G Mobile downloads speeds. I would definitely be interested in a long term, mobile internet plan.

Most home internet providers offer download speeds starting at 200Mbps -1Gbps⁴. That throughput is more than the average user needs. Based on FCC government reports measuring broadband performance "...download time decreases as download speed increases, from about 9.8 seconds at 1.5 Mbps download speed to about 1.5 seconds for 25 Mbps download speed.  Subscribers to service tiers exceeding 25 Mbps experience slightly smaller webpage download times decreasing to 1 – 1.25 seconds at 150 Mbps.  Beyond 150 Mbps, the webpage download times decrease only by minor amounts. "² Based on 5G sub-6GHz network connectivity, 5Ghz download speeds are 80-360Mbps.⁴ So as far as practical speed goes, there is not a huge difference in speed between cable broadband and 5Ghz broadband. In turn, a home user would fair just as well if they subscribed to either service based on download speeds. I believe that a small home office user would even be able to subscribe mobile internet services with a standard speed package and receive quality service.

Verizon Home Internet plans starting at $25.00 per month when combined with select Verizon 5G Mobile phone plans and Auto Pay⁴. Or $50.00 per month as a standalone product, equivalent to Spectrum's broadband internet which is $49.99 per month¹. So if you are able to bundle services with your mobile carrier your, then you may be in for some savings. Otherwise rates for broadband, LTE, or 5 GHz are fairly equal. Although the availability of mobile broadband services vary. It is worthwhile to try the service if its available in your area.

 

 

References

¹http://www.spectrum.com, JAN 22 22, $49.99 Offer for 12 months, includes: Speeds up to 200 Mbps, FREE Internet modem No data caps, FREE unlimited access to nationwide out-of-home Wi-Fi and FREE antivirus software.

²https://www.fcc.gov, JAN  04 21, "Measuring Fixed Broadband - Tenth Report:A Report on Consumer Fixed Broadband Performance in the United States", https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/measuring-broadband-america/measuring-fixed-broadband-tenth-report#_Toc43144657

³www.motorola.com, JAN 16 22.

⁴www.verizon.com, JAN 16 22, https://www.verizon.com/5g/home/#plans includes: 5Ghz Speeds: 30-300 Mbps & LTE Speeds 25-50Mbps, FREE WI-FI 6 router, No data caps, FREE unlimited access to nationwide Wi-Fi.

⁵https://help.hulu.com/s/article/speed-recommendations, JAN 16 22.