Straight Talk is offering a prepaid version of Verizon's 5G home internet - The Verge

Straight Talk, a subsidiary of Verizon’s Tracfone provider, is present offering a prepaid 5G location net work that you tin motion up for without having to spell done a recognition check. The $45 per period work uses Verizon’s 5G and 4G networks and a router, disposable astatine “nearly 2,000 Walmart stores crossed the country,” according to a property release, to supply location net without having to person a institution travel and hook up a modem. But portion the institution pitches it arsenic an affordable option, determination are decidedly immoderate considerations you’ll privation to instrumentality into relationship if you’re looking to get cellular net arsenic cheaply arsenic possible.

Compared to Verizon’s 5G location net plans, Straight Talk’s location net is little costly successful astir cases. Verizon’s 5G Home work is $50 a period with autopay and $60 without, and its 5G Home Plus tier is $70 with autopay and $80 without. At those prices, you’ll beryllium redeeming astatine slightest $5 a period by going with the Straight Talk option. (Though there’s an asterisk determination that we’ll get to successful a second.)

However, if you person the Verizon 5G Do More, 5G Play More, 5G Get More, oregon One Unlimited for iPhone plans for your phone, those monthly prices driblet to $25 and $35, respectively. Those surely aren’t budget-oriented compartment plans, but if you’re trying to optimize each dollar and are acceptable connected getting cellular internet, it’s worthy doing the mathematics to spot if going with the combo would beryllium a amended deal.

It’s besides worthy noting that the Straight Talk location net program appears to person immoderate velocity limitations compared to Verizon’s; the property merchandise promises “speeds up to 100 Mbps connected 5G oregon 50 Mbps connected 4G LTE.” Meanwhile, Verizon’s basal 5G location net program promises 70Mbps connected LTE and 85–300Mbps portion connected 5G; spell with the Plus plan, and you whitethorn adjacent get 1,000Mbps if you’re fortunate capable to unrecorded adjacent to an Ultra Wideband high-band tower.

Another happening hurting the worth proposition of the Straight Talk enactment is that you person to bargain the router for $99, portion Verizon’s plans see it astatine nary other cost. That means that it’ll beryllium 20 months earlier you really spot immoderate savings from the $5 a period cheaper terms constituent for Straight Talk’s service. To beryllium fair, that clip framework drops down to astir 7 months erstwhile compared to the non-autopay price.

That router, by the way, doesn’t look to beryllium Verizon’s recently announced upgraded location net router. That 1 supports tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, portion Straight Talk says its router is dual-band and uses the little almighty Wi-Fi 6. That’s not needfully unreasonable for a work marketed toward budget-oriented customers (especially fixed those velocity caps), but fixed that you person to really wage for the router, it would’ve been bully to get the amended one.

I’m alert that I whitethorn person travel crossed arsenic being a spot down connected this service. I bash privation to marque it wide that I deliberation it’s a bully happening that it exists and that Verizon is making 5G location net disposable to radical who (like me) can’t walk a recognition cheque oregon who request the quality to wage their measure successful cash. I conscionable privation that it were giving them a work that’s really budget-friendly, alternatively than conscionable precise somewhat cheaper arsenic agelong arsenic you support it agelong capable that the savings adhd up to the outgo of the router.

For that matter, I besides privation that T-Mobile hadn’t pulled fundamentally the nonstop aforesaid move erstwhile it announced its credit check-free 5G location net work done Metro. Though astatine slightest with that, you could expect the aforesaid net speeds arsenic prepaid customers provided you live successful an country with tenable coverage.

PS: if you’re a low-income idiosyncratic signing up for a location net service, it’s worthy checking to spot if you’re eligible for the government’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which tin get you a discount of up to $30 a period connected location net plans, including the 5G ones from Straight Talk and Verizon.