T-Mobile says $30/month “backup” 5G is the solution to home Internet outages

Enlarge / T-Mobile logo exhibited during Mobile World Congress on February 28, 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto /)

T-Mobile is hoping that home Internet customers who suffer from frequent service outages will pay $30 a month for a “backup” 5G plan. T-Mobile’s new “Home Internet Backup,” announced today, is intended to be used only when a user’s primary home Internet service goes down.

One big drawback is that T-Mobile clearly intends for customers to subscribe to the $30 monthly plan indefinitely, even though a user likely wouldn’t need it during some months and might need it for just a day or two in other months. The pricing terms make it so that canceling and resubscribing as needed is not feasible.

T-Mobile said the plan provides 130GB of 5G data each month, “enough to keep a typical household connected with Wi-Fi for up to seven days a month when their primary internet service goes down.” After 130GB, speeds will be reduced to “up to” 600kbps.