Two weeks ago T-Mobile began providing a new plan. The ‘T-Mobile Home Internet Backup’ plan is intended as a failsafe for your standard home broadband plan. The plan is priced at a $30/month flat rate with GSMARENA stating, “You also get a 5G gateway included at no extra cost…” This is T-Mobile's attempt to expand their reach to those outside their current home internet customer base
The plan primarily targets those who already have a primary internet service provider. T-Mobile intends for customers to keep their backup internet running at all times. When your main provider goes out you simply connect to your T-Mobile router and they will keep you connected until your issues are resolved. The plan reportedly provides users with 130 gigabytes of 5G data per month. The plan is technically unlimited, but after surpassing this threshold you will be left with speeds of, “...up to 600 kbps…” until your plan is renewed according to T-Mobile's FAQ. These speeds are unusable so it essentially functions as a capped plan.
For casual internet users this amount of data can last for anywhere from several days to several weeks depending on your usage. However, for more data intensive activities such as gaming this backup plan is probably not for you. This plan will be most useful for those who work from home and cannot afford to experience outages for extended periods of time.
Interestingly, multiple sources such as Android Headlines, PC Mag, and GSMARENA mention that existing T-Mobile customers with an, “eligible voice line,” can receive the plan for just $20/month for a limited time. When I personally called the T-Mobile support line I stated that I already had T-Mobile home internet service and asked what the backup plan could provide for me. I was told that the backup plan was not for me and was for customers with a different internet service provider. It seems as though this discount is for customers that use T-Mobile as their primary cellular provider, but have a different primary home internet provider.
This new plan targets a pretty niche market. Most customers can deal with infrequent internet outages by making due with their mobile hotspot, or a similar solution like the eero Internet Backup. Especially, when the entry price is $30 a month. However, for those who work from home and are on call requiring constant high-speed internet, this internet backup could be incredibly useful.
“5G Backup Internet: T-Mobile Home Internet.” T-Mobile, www.t-mobile.com/home-internet/plans/5g-backup-internet-options. Accessed 21 June 2024.
“What Is Eero Internet Backup?” Eero, support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/8947860842523-What-is-eero-Internet-Backup. Accessed 21 June 2024.
Pegoraro, Rob. “T-Mobile’s Home Internet Backup Plan Kicks in When Your Broadband Goes Out.” PCMAG, 6 June 2024, www.pcmag.com/news/t-mobiles-home-internet-backup-plan-kicks-in-when-your-broadband-goes-out.
Upadhyay, Rishaj. “T-Mobile Announces a New ‘home Internet Backup’ Plan.” Android Headlines, 7 June 2024, www.androidheadlines.com/2024/06/t-mobile-announces-a-new-home-internet-backup-plan.html.
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