T-Mobile Will Offer 5G Hotspots which “usually have better antennas over a phone”

By B.N. Frank

So far, for the most part, 5G service has received awful reviews (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). In fact, one critic recently described it as a “complete hot mess.” Nevertheless, T-Mobile will soon be offering its first 5G hotspot.

From Fierce Wireless:

T-Mobile peddles self-branded 5G hotspot

By Monica Alleven

T-Mobile announced its first T-Mobile-branded 5G hotspot, which it describes as an affordable way to use its 5G network “with more 5G bars in more places.”

The device – available starting next Thursday, June 16 – taps into T-Mobile’s 600 MHz Extended Range 5G for nationwide coverage, as well as Ultra Capacity 5G, or 2.5 GHz, for super-fast speeds “in hundreds of cities.”

The 2.5 GHz signals aren’t as widely available as those on the lower-band 600 MHz, but the carrier has set a goal of reaching 260 million people covered with the mid-band spectrum this year. It already covers 225 million people with the 2.5 GHz spectrum, which it acquired thanks to Sprint.

Related T-Mobile aims for 300M by 2023 with 2.5 GHz

According to T-Mobile, new and existing customers can get the T-Mobile 5G Hotspot for free with 24 monthly bill credits when adding a line on an eligible 50GB or 100GB Mobile Internet plan or for $99 when adding a line on an eligible 5GB Mobile Internet plan.

Users of the new hotspot device can connect up to 32 devices for simultaneous connectivity. According to T-Mobile, “that’s enough to power a party of your closest friends at the park, the beach, the café – all day – or enough to power your office on the go.”

Who needs it?

Some long-standing questions for these and similar hotspot devices: Who needs it, and why not just use your phone as a hotspot?

Bill Ho, principal analyst at 556 Ventures, said the “phone vs. dedicated hotspot” has been the question for the longest time.

“The hotspots usually have better antennas over a phone,” he told Fierce. “The buyer would likely be price insensitive to adding an additional mobile internet line to achieve better data performance. I think it’s a better positioning for T-Mobile Business segment users who may want to share their connection. “

Looking at the current lineup of devices on T-Mobile’s website, he noted that the Inseego 5G MiFi M2000 is the only 5G option as the T10 and Linkzone 2 are LTE devices, so this new device provides another choice. The Inseego device’s full price is $336 vs. the new hotspot’s of $198.

Related T-Mobile launches its first 5G mobile hotspot

Hotspots are especially useful for small business in remote and fluid office setups, said industry analyst Avi Greengart, president of Techsponential.

“They can also make sense for families and travel. It allows sharing a cellular signal to multiple devices and device types sometimes with better antenna performance, while the dedicated battery means you won’t be rapidly killing your phone’s battery if you can’t plug the hotspot in,” he told Fierce.

T-Mobile’s network now includes low band 5G in more remote locations and very fast mid-band 5G in many cities and suburbs, making a 5G hotspot a really useful tool, and even a meaningful upgrade from older 4G hotspots, he said. In sum, “this is a good deal.”

Opposition to 5G is worldwide and this has limited, slowed, and/or stopped deployment in some locations. Since 2017 doctors and scientists have asked for moratoriums on Earth and in space (see 1, 2) and the majority of scientists oppose deployment. Since 2018 there have been reports of people and animals experiencing symptoms and illnesses after it was activated (see 1, 2. 3, 4, 5 ). In 2019, telecom executives gave congressional testimony that they had NO scientific evidence that 5G is safe. Some researchers have suggested that activation may be contributing to COVID-19 infections as well as hundreds of thousands if not millions of bird deaths. Of course, others say it’s not. Nevertheless, research has determined there are health risks associated with 5G exposure as well as exposure to 4G and other sources of wireless Wi-Fi radiation (see 1, 2) and electromagnetic fields (aka “electrosmog”). Additionally, last year a federal court ruled in favor of organizations and petitioners that sued the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for NOT adequately protecting Americans from wireless radiation exposure from 5G and other sources of wireless.