Albuquerque, New Mexico: home of green chiles, 300 days of sunshine, the International Balloon Fiesta... and achingly slow internet. Of the top 100 cities in the US, Albuquerque ranks 85th, according to data from Ookla. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, the same company that owns CNET.) Home internet was a two-horse race in Albuquerque for years: CenturyLink DSL and Xfinity cable. I spent decades on DSL, watching my internet speed tests march slowly up to a maximum of 20 megabits per second. Friends with faster Xfinity bemoaned the company's customer service, data caps and prices, so I stubbornly stuck with CenturyLink. One day in late 2022, a T-Mobile 5G Home Internet gateway arrived at my house. After that, I finally called to cancel CenturyLink.
Why I switched to T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
I went with T-Mobile for several reasons. DSL was too slow. My next-door neighbor got T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and raved about it. Coincidentally, CenturyLink wanted to charge me $200 to replace my old router with a newer one. I said, "Nope," and changed to 5G home internet.
My home internet life has improved in my post-DSL world, but it's not all roses and happy dances. If you're looking for a TL;DR, here you go: I'm still on T-Mobile 5G Home Internet and will probably stick with it until I can give Verizon 5G Home Internet a try or until fiber finally shows up on my block. My experience with 5G home internet is specific to my circumstances, so your journey with the same service may differ. Here are things I like about my 5G home internet and the elements that may drive me to switch to another internet service provider someday.
Locating local internet providers
What I love about T-Mobile 5G Home Internet
I will sing the praises of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet before I air my grievances. The service's best features are its simplicity and ease of use and it represents an upgrade over outdated DSL.
T-Mobile/CNET
The price is right
With CenturyLink, I was paying $45 per month for downloads up to 20Mbps. With T-Mobile, my monthly bill is a straight $50. That's a sweet spot for me regarding home internet pricing. I was willing to pay a little more than CenturyLink for a higher standard of service, but my bargain-hunting mindset would balk at anything higher. I would consider Verizon 5G Home Internet for the same price, but the rival service is unavailable at my address.
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