³7KLVLVPXFKZRUVHWKDQ9HUL]RQ¶V)LRV¿EHURSHUDWLRQZKHUHFRYHUDJHLV
OLPLWHGE\GLVWDQFHWRWKH&HQWUDO2̇FHEXWDWOHDVWLVFRPSUHKHQVLYHZLWKLQ
that area—so you can target neighborhoods, or at least entire blocks. With
LQYHVWPHQWWKH*+RPHFRYHUDJHPDSFDQ¿OOLQVRPHRIWKRVHKROHVEXWLI
Verizon management is not prepared for a one-at-a-time customer acquisition,
will it be willing to make those investments?” Greengart said.
T-MOBILE, AWOL
+RPHLQWHUQHWVHUYLFHZDVRQHRIWKH¿UVWDSSOLFDWLRQVDQ\RQHGLVFXVVHGIRU*
In our relatively uncompetitive home-internet landscape, where most people
KDYHRQO\RQHRUWZRFKRLFHVIRUEURDGEDQGDFRPSHWLWLYHXQOLPLWHGR̆HULQJ
IURP9HUL]RQIRUDPRQWKZRXOGUHDOO\KHOS
%XWQRQHRIWKHFDUULHUVKDYHSURSHUO\VWHSSHGXSWRR̆HUDQRSWLRQWKDWZRXOG
FDXVH,63VWKHVOLJKWHVWELWRIZRUU\9HUL]RQIRULWVSDUWVD\VLWZLOOKDYH*
home internet in 10 cities by the end of this year, but notably, it never says how
much of those 10 cities it’ll cover. For now, it doesn’t seem to cover much.
70RELOHKDVDFWXDOO\VWHSSHGEDFNIURPR̆HULQJKRPHLQWHUQHW6SULQWKDG
D+RPH+XEGHYLFHZLWKD*%SODQIRUEXW70RELOHQRORQJHUVHOOV
any 5G hotspots or home access devices at all. While the company swore as part
RILWVPHUJHUWKDWLWZRXOGR̆HUFRPSHWLWLYHKRPHLQWHUQHWLW¶VPDGHQRVROLG
SURPLVHVWRR̆HUDQ\VHUYLFHEHIRUH
$7 7GRHVQ¶WR̆HU*KRPHVHUYLFHEXWLWQHYHUSURPLVHGWR
The most hopeful announcement I’ve heard from home internet competition
UHFHQWO\FRPHVIURPWKHZRUOGDFWXDOO\LW¶V9HUL]RQ¶VUXUDO
LQWHUQHWSODQ%XW9HUL]RQVWLOOLVQ¶WR̆HULQJUHDOPDSVDQGLVIRUFLQJHYHU\RQH
to qualify their address through a website. I just hope this new 4G system
doesn’t cover as few people as 5G Home does.
Sherin Shibu and Joseph Maldonado contributed to this report.
PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION (^) I SUBSCRIBE (^) I NOVEMBER 2020