5G business internet competition in the US continues to ramp up and providers like T-Mobile and Verizon are offering some big incentives to attract customers. AT&T is in the game too but with a poor offering. Follow along for speed, pricing, and fine details for each provider in our comparison of the best 5G business internet options.
Update May 2023: T-Mobile has upped its bonus incentive to $100 in celebration of Small Business Month.
Table of contents
5G internet background
It’s been a bit over two years since Verizon and T-Mobile launched their 5G business and home internet services and they’re both building momentum. AT&T is also now offering a 5G fixed wireless option for businesses (but not for residential customers).
T-Mobile 5G business and home internet are now available for over 50 million customers and Verizon 5G internet is available for over 30 million now.
We’ve also got a comparison of the 5G home internet plans if you don’t necessarily need a business plan:
Keep in mind availability and performance for these plans will depend on your location. If you’re not sure whether 5G internet will be a good fit for you, doing a free trial with no installation cost is a great way to find out. Let’s dig in…
Best 5G business internet: T-Mobile vs Verizon vs AT&T
Speeds
Verizon offers the fastest potential speeds with service up to 400 Mbps. But T-Mobile‘s service is more widely available with speeds up to 182 Mbps. AT&T lags behind both with its performance.
Keep in mind that your average 5G speeds will vary based on your location and coverage. Also, T-Mobile is the only one that publishes its upload speed averages on its site.
| 5G business internet | T-Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
| Download speeds | 33 to 182 Mbps | 100 to 400 Mbps depending on plan | 12 to 100 Mbps |
| Upload speeds | 6 to 23 Mbps | “Upload speeds vary” … “lower than download speeds.” | ? |
Pricing, price lock, fine details
T-Mobile and Verizon are offering affordable pricing starting from $50 and $69, respectively.
T-Mobile has just one tier at $50 a month with autopay. And Verizon has four tiers from $69-199/month (but can be as low as $29 to $119 with eligible business smartphone plans).
AT&T is the most expensive with the worst performance at $75-225/month. AT&T also has a data cap, and hardware isn’t even included.
| 5G biz internet details | T-Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
| Price | $50/month with autopay | $69-199/month or $29-119/month | $75-225/month with autopay |
| $40-80/month discount | ❌ | with eligible business phone plan | ❌ |
| Contract | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Data cap | ❌ | ❌ | Yes, varies per plan between 75-175GB |
| Hardware included | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Self-setup | ✅ | ✅ or Verizon setup | ❌ |
| Installation fee | ❌ | Optional | $99 |
| Price lock | Lifetime | 10 years | ❌ |
Incentives
Both T-Mobile and Verizon have some nice incentives to entice customers.
AT&T offers just one deal for 25% off eligible wireless phone plans for its 5G business internet customers.
| 5G biz internet incentives | T-Mobile | Verizon | AT&T |
| Free trial | ✅ – 15 day | ✅ – 30 day | ❌ |
| Early termination credits | Up to $500 | Up to $1,500 | ❌ |
| $100 Mastercard gift card | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| 25% off wireless phone plans | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Best 5G business internet conclusion
T-Mobile and Verizon are outperforming AT&T with their 5G business internet service thanks to affordable pricing, free trials, no contracts, faster speeds, and enticing incentives.
But it’s tricky to call a winner between T-Mobile and Verizon.
- T-Mobile gets points for greater availability and a lifetime price lock.
- Verizon is ahead with a cheaper price for bundlers and faster overall speeds.
If you’re unhappy with your existing provider, doing a risk-free trial with T-Mobile or Verizon’s 5G business internet is easy, and you can try it out alongside your existing internet.
If you already have one of the carriers for your business phone plan, it makes sense to do a trial with that one first.
Start a free trial
- Check T-Mobile 5G business internet availability in your area
- Check Verizon 5G business internet availability in your area
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