T-Mobile has begun to roll out a significant update for its Home Internet customers, moving towards a transformative 5G experience. As the only carrier in the U.S. offering standalone 5G (5G SA) nationwide, T-Mobile’s transition marks a key advancement in its service.
Historically, T-Mobile’s Home Internet relied on a non-standalone (NSA) 5G network, which depends on existing LTE infrastructure. However, the new update allows users to access pure 5G capabilities.
The NSA architecture served as a temporary solution, utilizing LTE for essential tasks like authentication while enabling swift activation of 5G services. In contrast, 5G SA operates independently of LTE networks, enabling advanced features such as network slicing, which allows for optimized virtualized networks.
The latest software update, version number 1.00.13, enables 5G functionality for both download and upload on T-Mobile’s G4AR gateway, enhancing overall performance. This rollout started over the weekend and is expected to significantly improve upload speeds, which were previously reliant on LTE.
Additionally, 5G SA is vital for unlocking Carrier Aggregation, a feature that combines various channels for better speed and efficiency. Notably, T-Mobile recently showcased its 5G SA capabilities through a test that achieved impressive peak speeds of 6.3 Gbps.
Although current gateway devices may not reach these speeds, users can still expect a noticeable performance improvement. Furthermore, the T Life app will receive an update to inform users when their gateway is connected to 5G SA.
This update eliminates the necessity for users to rely on unofficial methods to connect to 5G SA and may broaden the service’s availability in areas lacking LTE coverage. This progressive step marks an exciting development for T-Mobile Home Internet users.