Verizon has announced a new home Internet service that uses its 4G LTE wireless network. The service will be aimed at rural communities that currently do not have Verizon Fios or 5G Home options.
The new “broadband” service is now available in Savannah, Georgia; Springfield, Missouri; and the Tri-Cities region of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. The plan will cost $ 40 per month for customers who already have a Verizon mobile plan and $ 60 for everyone else. (You’ll also need a home LTE router, which costs $ 240.)
With LTE Home Internet, our most award-winning 4G LTE network will provide Internet connectivity for customers in more rural areas of America who may not have access to broadband Internet service, a critical need, especially now, when so many have connectivity. Reliable for remote work and educational needs, “said Frank Boulben, senior vice president of consumer and product marketing at Verizon, in a statement.
When asked why the company is rolling out an LTE-based home internet service now, which it theoretically could have offered at any time in recent years, a Verizon spokesperson said. The edge that the service is being implemented in response to more clients working and studying from home due to COVID-19. “With more and more people working from home and participating in distance learning, we wanted this resource to be available now.”
INTRODUCTION: LTE Home Internet. It is a new broadband Internet service powered by our most awarded 4G LTE network. Check out more details below. https://t.co/G43im6ZpUD
– Ronan Dunne (@RonanDunneVZ) July 30, 2020
Verizon says that LTE Home customers will receive unlimited data and download speeds of 25Mbps with maximum speeds of 50Mbps. That’s much slower than the best speeds available through Verizon’s Fios or 5G services, which promise speeds of up to 940Mbps for the best plans.
Still, slow speeds are all that is available in many rural areas; Recent reports have estimated that there are 42.8 million people in the United States without access to broadband. The average rural internet speed is just over 39Mbps. Verizon says its 4G LTE network covers 98 percent of the American population. Of course, just because an area has 4G LTE coverage doesn’t mean coverage is good, and it’s far from a guarantee that every rural home will receive speeds close to what Verizon promises.