Today, Verizon announced LTE Home Internet, which is meant to bring broadband Internet service to rural areas that might not have access otherwise. It"s rolling out now in Savannah, GA, Springfield, MO, and Tri-Cities, TN/VA/KY with a plan to be available beyond areas covered by Fios and 5G Home.
LTE Home is just like 5G Home, except it"s a lot slower, using regular old 4G instead of Verizon"s blazing-fast mmWave 5G. Rather than gigabit speeds, LTE Home will offer download speeds of 25Mbps with peak speeds of 50Mbps.
"Our 4G LTE network keeps our customers connected when and where it matters most," said Frank Boulben, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing and Products at Verizon. "With LTE Home Internet, our most awarded 4G LTE network will provide Internet connectivity for customers in more rural parts of America who may not have access to broadband Internet service - a critical need, especially now, when so many are counting on reliable connectivity for remote work and educational needs."
While 5G is expensive to roll out, especially with Verizon"s strategy of using millimeter waves, rolling out a home internet plan that"s powered by LTE seems like a strange move right now. Verizon is planning to roll out a sub6 5G network later this year, and there"s no word in the press release about these customers getting upgraded.
Verizon"s LTE Home plan costs $40 a month if you"ve got a Verizon phone, and $60 a month otherwise. You"ll also have to lease a router for $10 a month.