For as exciting as the roll out of 5G is, the unfortunate reality is that it’s going to be a while before most people will be able to take advantage of the blazing fast speeds it will provide. Not only are we seeing a somewhat staggered release of 5G enabled smartphones, it’s going to take some time for carriers to expand 5G coverage in a meaningful way. Just this week, for example, T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray revealed that the carrier’s first big push into 5G coverage won’t happen until the second half of 2019. Even then, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage will only blanket 30 cities at the start.
The good news, at least for T-Mobile subscribers, is that the network isn’t planning to use the roll out of 5G as a means to increase its data plans.
In an interview with PC Mag earlier this week, Neville firmly stated that T-Mobile’s 5G data plans won’t be any more expensive than the company’s current 4G pricing. What this means for subscribers is that they’ll be able to enjoy 5G speeds with unlimited data for $70 a line at the absolute maximum. What’s more, the company said that 5G won’t cost any more than 4G for a period of at least three years.
While it remains to be seen when T-Mobile’s 5G network actually gets off the ground — there are rumors that it’ll be after September — Sprint earlier this week issued a press release stating that its 5G service will begin in May across a handful of major US cities, including Chicago and Atlanta.
