Author: Chris Hoffman / Source: How-To Geek
Verizon is about to launch home internet service using 5G. This new wireless standard isn’t just about faster data for your smartphone—it could finally offer competition for home internet, breaking the cable companies’ local monopolies and giving you a choice.
This is About Verizon, But It’s Not About Verizon
Verizon is the first company to deliver home internet service via 5G, so we’re talking about Verizon a lot in this article. We know the details of their service and can compare it to cable internet. But this isn’t an advertisement for Verizon.
AT&T also plans to launch home internet over 5G by the end of 2018. T-Mobile and Sprint are claiming they will launch a similar service if only the government lets them merge first.
This is all exciting. These are multiple companies that can compete with each other! It’s very unlike wired internet service in most places in the US, where there’s one big cable company.
Imagine having a choice between internet service providers. Competition might force Comcast to lift that data cap—or provide good customer service. Seriously, have you ever been to an old-school Comcast service center? It’s like going to the DMV. They’ve gotten better with their more upscale Xfinity stores, but most places don’t have those yet.
Why Internet Over 5G and Not 4G LTE?
5G is a newer, faster wireless standard that supersedes the current 4G LTE standard, just as 4G LTE replaced 3G. But 5G isn’t just for your smartphone.
You might wonder why everyone is talking about home internet over 5G. After all, no one was talking about home internet delivered over the current 4G LTE network that smartphones use. Is 5G that much faster?
Yes, yes it is. 4G has a theoretical maximum speed of 100 Mbps (megabits per second,) while 5G has a maximum speed of 10 Gbps (gigabits per second.) In other words, 5G is a hundred times faster than 4G at theoretical maximum speeds. Even taking these numbers with a grain of salt, it’s a huge leap.
5G also promises reduced latency. According to the specification, there’s a maximum latency of 4 ms (milliseconds) on 5G instead of 20 ms on 4G LTE today. That will deliver a better experience, too.
With these high speeds and low latencies, 5G looks like a strong competitor to the cable speeds offered by companies like Comcast/Xfinity, Charter, and Cox. 5G could be even faster than cable.
How Verizon’s Service Works
Verizon is the first cellular carrier to launch a 5G home internet service product, which it’s calling “5G Home.”
Like with standard cable internet service, you’ll have a 5G Home modem that connects to Verizon’s servers. You can then attach this modem to your router and other devices so they can access the internet. That…
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