If you read my last blog, you know a little about my DSL internet journey. Looking back, I actually enjoyed the service we had from CenturyLink. Unfortunately, once it was transferred to another provider, we weren’t as happy.
Surprisingly, even with all the devices we had connected to the web, our download and upload speeds worked just fine. But nothing lasts forever—so I set out to explore new options in the ISP world.
To my surprise, there were more choices now than there were 20 years ago. A few years ago, a contractor buried a fiber cable down our road. I remember it well—because they accidentally cut our DSL line, and we were without internet for about a week. Years went by and we never saw or heard anything more about that fiber.
But just last month, a cable provider was running lines on the poles. When I checked their website, they projected service to be up by late spring or early summer, but prices and packages were “unavailable at this time.” We couldn’t wait that long—we needed something dependable now.
That’s when I started seeing 5G home internet ads from US Cellular, T-Mobile, and Verizon. I didn’t even know that was an option for home use—I thought 5G was just for phones. Guess I’ve been out of the loop.
So I jumped into research. Luckily, it was easier than expected. We live less than half a mile from a T-Mobile tower that was put up a few years ago. Turns out, the MVNO carrier we switched to last year already uses that tower—great signal, no more holding the phone over my head to get a call out!
I compared packages from the big three 5G providers and ended up leaning toward T-Mobile. I gave them a call, and the agent (US-based, friendly, and clear) confirmed everything I’d read on their website. No contracts. $50/month with autopay. Estimated upload speeds between 80–200 Mbps and download speeds of 15–55 Mbps.
If those numbers held, we’d be flying.
Fast-forward to April 2025—three months since we cut the DSL cord. We’re very pleased with the switch and kinda wish we’d done it sooner. I ran three speed tests today and here’s what I got:
- Speedtest: 505.57 up / 44.07 down
- Speakeasy: 501.84 up / 50.50 down
- Brightspeed: 523.20 up / 49.70 down
Wow. What a difference. Sure, speeds can vary during peak hours, but overall, we’ve been impressed.
So that’s a bit of background on how we solved our home internet problem. Anyone else using T-Mobile or another 5G provider? What’s your experience been like? I know fiber offers some incredible speeds, but for now, I’m happy with T-Mobile and plan to stick with them.
Until next time…