Starlink vs. T-Mobile Home Internet: Which Is Best Rural Internet Provider?
- by CNET
- Aug 30, 2024
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No data caps or contracts with either service
Nothing really to move the needle one way or the other here. Neither provider enforces data caps or requires a contract for service.
Granted, Starlink has its Priority plan with varying amounts of data, but there is still no cap on your total usage. Once the priority data pool is depleted, customers fall to the Standard and still unlimited data plan.
Starlink vs. T-Mobile Home Internet availability
Choosing an internet provider starts with what’s available in your area. Starlink has the availability advantage over T-Mobile Home Internet and basically every other nonsatellite provider.
According to the most recent FCC data, Starlink is available to 99.6% of US households. While a few pockets across the US aren’t yet serviceable for Starlink, the biggest areas that lack availability are in west-central New Mexico and along the Virginia-West Virginia border. For the most part, Starlink is immediately available everywhere else.
FCC/Mapbox
T-Mobile Home Internet’s availability has rapidly increased, and there’s no reason to expect the ISP will slow down anytime soon. Still, nationwide availability sits at just under 60% as of December 2023, per the most recent FCC data. Coverage is particularly low in the western states of Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming -- states where Starlink indicates its fastest speeds are available.
Even in areas largely serviceable for T-Mobile Home Internet, availability can vary by address and the current network capacity. As a result, home internet service may not be available, even if you can get 5G on your phone.
Starlink vs. T-Mobile roaming internet
Along the lines of availability, Starlink also offers Mobility internet service intended for “RVs, nomads and campers” that allows you to take your internet connection essentially anywhere. Service starts at $50 to $165 a month for standard unlimited data while priority data plans range from $250 to $5,000. The Roam Unlimited plan recently increased from $150 to $165 a month, but I'd say the added perks are worth the extra cost.
T-Mobile Home Internet recently launched a roaming plan of its own, T-Mobile Home Internet Away. At $110 a month for 200GB or $160 for unlimited data, the monthly rate is more in line with Starlink, although going with T-Mobile will save you a good bit on equipment costs.
Starlink vs. T-Mobile Home Internet customer satisfaction
ACSI
Both providers are fairly new to the home internet market, so there's limited historical data tracking customer satisfaction trends from Starlink or T-Mobile Home Internet. Both providers seem to be off to a good start.
In its third year to include T-Mobile Home Internet in its annual report and second year to distinguish fiber from nonfiber providers, the American Customer Satisfaction Index gave the ISP a score of 76 out of 100. The score, a three-point increase year over year, was well above the average for nonfiber providers (68) and T-Mobile took the top spot in the category.
Starlink isn’t included in ACSI data, but an Ookla Speedtest Intelligence report from the first quarter of 2023 gives insight into customer reception and satisfaction. Data from the report shows that Starlink had a significantly higher Net Promoter Score (a study of how likely a customer is to recommend a service) than the averaged score from all other ISPs despite having slower median download speeds. Starlink outperformed other ISPs exceptionally well in nonmetropolitan settings, which makes sense as the service is geared toward rural internet users.
Starlink vs. T-Mobile Home Internet recap
Since entering the broadband space, Starlink and T-Mobile Home Internet have improved high-speed availability and connectivity, particularly in areas where options have long been (and still are) highly limited.
Both providers provide significant upgrades in speed and reliability compared with other rural internet services, but T-Mobile Home Internet would be my preferred choice if given the option of the two. T-Mobile Home Internet is considerably cheaper than Starlink, upfront and month to month, while service is potentially faster and easier to get started.
T-Mobile Home Internet isn’t available everywhere. In areas where T-Mobile Home Internet doesn't yet reach, Starlink is likely to be the best option for high-speed internet compared with geostationary satellite internet (Hughesnet, Viasat) or DSL internet.
Starlink vs. T-Mobile Home Internet FAQs
Is Starlink or T-Mobile Home Internet better?
Starlink and T-Mobile Home Internet match up fairly evenly regarding speed, data caps and contracts. Starlink’s main advantage over T-Mobile Home Internet is availability, as the satellite ISP is available nationwide, whereas T-Mobile Home Internet currently covers just over half of US households.
Where both providers are available, T-Mobile Home Internet will be the cheaper option. Service starts at half the cost of Starlink’s cheapest plan, and there are no equipment fees, saving customers $349 or possibly more in upfront costs compared with Starlink.
Is Starlink or T-Mobile Home Internet faster?
Starlink’s fixed home internet advertises a speed range of 25 to 100Mbps or 45 to 220Mbps, depending on your chosen service tier. T-Mobile Home Internet has a slightly faster download speed range, 72 to 245Mbps.
Location, network congestion and other factors impact actual speeds from both providers, so Starlink may be faster in some locations while T-Mobile Home Internet is faster in others.
Starlink’s Priority plan could deliver faster speeds and better reliability by giving users network precedence over Standard users, eliminating or mitigating slowed speeds due to network congestion. T-Mobile Home Internet doesn't offer a similar service tier, so customers may be more likely to experience speed issues during peak usage times or in areas with many users relying on the network.
Does T-Mobile use Starlink for internet?
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