T-Mobile’s Magenta MAX 5G Users Are Using Less WiFi

Users of T-Mobile’s high-end Magenta MAX plans are using less WiFi, in favor of 5G.

5G has long been touted as a revolutionary upgrade to cellular networks, one that would provide the speed and bandwidth to replace traditional internet. T-Mobile’s customers seem to be supporting that theory, so much so that Light Reading’s Mike Dano declared that “5G is winning the war against Wi-Fi.”

Much of the reason for T-Mobile’s MAX customers choosing 5G over WiFi is because that plan provides truly unlimited data, with no speed throttling after a set amount of data has been used. Combined with T-Mobile’s rollout of its mid-band spectrum, considered the sweet spot for 5G, the company clearly has a winning combination. According to the company, that has led to users not only using WiFi less, but also providing hotspot access to others.

Today, 13% fewer MAX users are connecting to WiFi, 80% more are hosting a WiFi hotspot and their hotspot usage is up 20% on average during the weekends. These hotspots are cooking, with MAX users consuming 3X more hotspot data per month compared to other T-Mobile customers.

T-Mobile’s data is an interesting chapter in the 5G rollout, and shows the wireless technology is finally starting to live up to the expectation.