T-Mobile vs. unWired Broadband: Which Internet Provider Is Best for You?
T-Mobile home internet is convenient and affordable, but unWired Broadband prioritizes rural connectivity
Jun 14, 2024 | Share 
Brand Guides, Provider Comparisons (Versus)
-
Best for rural customers
- Customer rating: N/A
- Price: $59.99+/mo.
- Speed: Up to 200Mbps
- Internet type: Fixed wireless
- Data cap: None
- Contract: Annual contracts
-
Best value
- Customer rating: 4.1/5
- Price: $50.00–$70.00/mo.†
- Speed: Up to 245Mbps
- Internet type: 5G fixed wireless
- Data caps: None
- Contract: Month-to-month
†w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms. Delivered via 5G cellular network; speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks, including data prioritization.
Compare unWired Broadband and T-Mobile head-to-head
unWired Broadband offers customizable plans in areas without access to cable or fiber internet, while T-Mobile offers two 5G home internet plans in more-populated areas.. T-Mobile’s plan reaches faster speeds for a lot less, but may not be available where you need it.
Pros and cons: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
Pros:
- Coverage for rural and underserved areas
- Customized plans
- Unlimited data on all plans
Cons:
- Annual contract required
- Slow speeds compared to cable or fiber internet
- Lack of pricing transparency
Pros:
- Low prices with mobile phone bundling
- Faster speeds in some areas
- No contracts required
Cons:
- Speeds deprioritized compared to mobile phone traffic
- Higher prices if you don’t have a T-Mobile phone plan
- Slower, less reliable speeds outside populated areas
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Plans and pricing: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
T-Mobile offers plans you can order online and set up yourself, but unWired Broadband offers customized plans you’ll need to review with a sales representative.
A selection of unWired Broadband plans and pricing
| Package | Price | Download speed | View on unWired Broadband’s site |
|---|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband Basic | $59.99/mo. | Up to 200Mbps | View Plans |
| unWired Broadband NextGen | $79.99/mo. | Up to 25Mbps | View Plans |
| unWired Broadband NextGen | $149.99/mo. | Up to 150Mbps | View Plans |
Data as of 5/9/24. Plans and prices subject to availability and may change at any time.
unWired Broadband customizes each plan, so your price will vary based on your location and speed tier. Talk to a representative for an exact quote.
T-Mobile plans and pricing
| Package | Price | Speed | View on ISP site |
|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Unlimited | $50.00/mo.† | 72–245Mbps | View Plan |
| T-Mobile 5G Home Internet Plus | $70.00/mo.† | 72–245Mbps | View Plan |
†w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms. Delivered via 5G cellular network; speeds vary due to factors affecting cellular networks, including data prioritization.
T-Mobile makes it easy to sign up, and there are no hidden monthly fees, no annual contracts, and a free rental gateway. We highly recommend taking advantages of the free trial period, though, because your actual speeds depend on your exact location and how busy the network is at a given time of day. Bookmark our speed test tool to check your results throughout the day.
That said, we think you’ll be pleased with T-Mobile’s customer service. That’s based on real user ratings from annual customer satisfaction survey. T-Mobile ranks number one overall and is first for price and customer service. Customers also had great things to say about reliability even though T-Mobile uses a 5G wireless signal, which typically isn’t as stable as wired internet options like cable and fiber.
Deals and promotions: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
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Extra fees: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
| Equipment Fee | Installation Fee | Other Fees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband | $4.99/mo router rental | N/A | N/A |
| T-Mobile | Free rental gateway | None | None |
T-Mobile keeps it simple with no extra fees for installation or equipment rental. unWired Broadband does have a router rental fee, or you could purchase your own router to avoid the charge.
Customer ratings: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
| Overall Rating | Reliability Rating | Customer Service Rating | Speed Rating | Price Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| T-Mobile | 4.1/5.0 | 4.0/5.0 | 4.0/5.0 | 4.1/5.0 | 4.0/5.0 |
Data from 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey.
T-Mobile received some of the highest scores in our annual customer satisfaction survey, which is impressive considering T-Mobile is a nationwide internet provider with millions of internet customers. unWired Broadband services a much smaller community in rural parts of Northern California, and we didn’t have any unWired Broadband customers participate in our annual survey.
Internet types: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
| Internet type | View on provider site | |
|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband | Fixed-wireless | View Plans |
| T-Mobile | 5G Fixed-wireless | View Plans |
Both T-Mobile and unWired Broadband deliver internet through a fixed wireless connection, so your quality of service will depend on how far you are from the nearest tower. unWired Broadband continues to build new towers in areas that are underserved by cable and fiber providers.
Data caps: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
| Data Cap | View on provider site | |
|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband | Unlimited | View Plans |
| T-Mobile | Unlimited (speeds slowed after 1.2TB data usage) | View Plan |
unWired Broadband promises unlimited data and guaranteed speeds, but doesn’t list speed availability publicly. T-Mobile offers unlimited data, but your speeds may be deprioritized relative to mobile traffic or after you’ve used 1.2TB of data in a month. Neither provider imposes overage fees.
Contracts: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
| Contract length | View on provider site | |
|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband | Annual contracts | View Plans |
| T-Mobile | Month-to-month | View Plan |
T-Mobile again goes for the simple approach with a month-to-month internet plan that you can cancel at any time with no penalty. unWired Broadband takes a more standard approach where customers must sign a 1- or 2-year contract.
Installation: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
| Installation options | View on provider site | |
|---|---|---|
| unWired Broadband | Pro install required | View Plans |
| T-Mobile | Free self-install | View Plan |
T-Mobile offers free self-installation, but unWired will send out a pro to help you get everything ready to go.
Pro tip:
To learn more about T-Mobile’s internet installation, see our install guide:
Availability: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
T-Mobile has a nationwide coverage area, while unWired Broadband is only available in California. unWired Broadband focuses on the rural areas of California, but its network is growing quickly.
Ready to get unWired Broadband or T-Mobile 5G Home Internet?
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Final call: unWired Broadband vs. T-Mobile
unWired Broadband is there for you if you live in rural areas of Northern California. For most, it’s a provider of last resort. If you can get T-Mobile 5G home internet instead, we recommend it. The price is more affordable than even unWired Broadband’s cheapest plan, and speeds may be faster.
Methodology
Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.
More about T-Mobile
Author - Chili Palmer
Chili Palmer covers breaking news, satellite internet, mobile connectivity, and streaming services for HighSpeedInternet.com. Previously writing under the name Rebecca Palmer, Chili is passionate about providing accurate and accessible information any time you're trying to connect … whether you already speak geek or just got your first smartphone.
Editor - Jessica Brooksby
Jessica loves bringing her passion for the written word and her love of tech into one space at HighSpeedInternet.com. She works with the team’s writers to revise strong, user-focused content so every reader can find the tech that works for them. Jessica has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University and seven years of creative and editorial experience. Outside of work, she spends her time gaming, reading, painting, and buying an excessive amount of Legend of Zelda merchandise.
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