Wireless carrier T-Mobile is expanding their services to include Home Internet in some areas of Reno/Sparks. Assuming you are in their limited service area – should you switch?
Why you may want to switch
- If you’re on a budget, at $50/month TMHI is less expensive than most AT&T and Spectrum internet plans.*
- TMHI is available in some rural areas that are under-served by AT&T and Spectrum.
- If you’re in an area served only by AT&T’s legacy DSL service with speeds less than 6 Mbps, and Charter/Spectrum is not an option.
* Low-income households may qualify for a discount of up to $30/month on internet service from many providers through the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Why you may NOT want to switch
- Wireless service speeds are more variable and can be less reliable than other wired providers, particularly during peak times.
- If you’re on a bundled package with AT&T, DirecTV or Spectrum and don’t want to change your TV and/or home phone service.
Internet speeds provided by local home internet providers
The chart below shows a comparison of the speeds provided by the major internet providers. Streaming video needs the most bandwidth (higher speeds), but that number only needs to be as high as 25 Mbps for streaming the highest-quality 4K Ultra HD content.
| INTERNET PROVIDER | TYPICAL INTERNET SPEEDS – Download Mbps / (Upload Mbps) |
| AT&T DSL | <6 / (<1) |
| AT&T U-Verse | Up to 100 / (Up to 20) |
| AT&T Fiber | 100-5000 / (100-5000) |
| Charter/Spectrum Cable | 300, 500, 1000 / (10, 20, 35) |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet | 33-182+ / (8-25+) |
If you need help deciding which internet or other service provider is best for you, contact us.