T-Mobile is launching a new home Internet service using its existing 5G infrastructure, titled T-Mobile Home Internet, which aims to offer unlimited data and maximum speeds of 100 Mbps for $60 per month.

The move means that T-Mobile aims to bring Uncarrier Smack Talk to the likes of Comcast, Spectrum, and Time Warner Cable. The $60 monthly fee includes taxes, fees, and equipment. (Those interested in T-Mobile Home Internet can check the T-Mobile site to see if the service is available in their area.

The potential is high; T-Mobile claims that at launch, the Internet service will reach more than 30 million homes. More importantly, one-third of them will be in areas that T-Mobile describes as rural and small towns. [In a press release detailing the T-Mobile Home Internet, T-Mobile Senior Vice President Edwige Robinson said, "Connectivity in rural America has been an afterthought since the digital age began. One of our most important goals is to ensure that rural America is not left behind during the transition to 5G." This is why 5G for All will span the entire United States, including small towns as well as large cities, and rural areas as well as suburban areas."

Here's what you need to know about T-Mobile's home Internet service.

T-Mobile's new residential Internet service is based entirely on the company's existing wireless infrastructure, as it does not require the installation of fiber-optic cable like Verizon Fios. coverage map of T-Mobile's network can be found here.

Still, just because T-Mobile has coverage in your area, you may not be eligible for T-Mobile Home Internet. According to the company, its service reaches one in five U.S. homes, including some areas where high-speed service is not available. This is the same strategy being pushed by Elon Musk's Starlink satellite Internet service.

You can check T-Mobile's ISP website to see if your home qualifies. Incidentally, the editor of Tom's Guide, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, checked to see if T-Mobile Home Internet was available at his house.

T-Mobile's 5G speeds can vary widely, actually slower than LTE in some areas, despite the promise of better performance with 5G when connecting with a smartphone. T-Mobile has been working with Sprint's 5G frequency bands in existing network by further integrating it into its network. Consistency of performance is probably why T-Mobile has limited its home Internet service offerings for now.

To that end, T-Mobile promises average download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps for most new T-Mobile Home Internet customers. These speeds may vary depending on the time of day and the amount of traffic on the network.

The most attractive aspect of T-Mobile's new home Internet service is the price: for a flat $60 (including taxes and fees) with Autopay enabled, unlimited Internet is available. This includes T-Mobile's high-speed Internet gateway that converts 5G signals to Wi-Fi. There is no contract and no annual fee.

You do not have to be a T-Mobile wireless customer to qualify for home Internet service. (Contrast this with Xfinity Mobile, where you cannot sign up for cellular service without Comcast's Xfinity Internet service.)

T-Mobile says there is no data cap on usage. This is a welcome policy given that some ISPs are beginning to enforce data caps while we are still stuck at home with the coronavirus pandemic.

But while T-Mobile boasts that customers can stream as much video as they want, there are limits to what they can do on their network. According to T-Mobile's Home Internet FAQ, "Home Internet is not intended for unattended use, automated data feeds, automated machine-to-machine connections, or any use that would automatically and unreasonably consume available network capacity."

In other words, as long as T-Mobile Home Internet is used for home Internet activities, there is no problem.

How will T-Mobile Home Internet compete with Elon Musk's Starlink T-Mobile is positioning its Home Internet to use the existing cellular Internet infrastructure. That is, the connection is made from T-Mobile's towers, and pings are sent from the towers to a high-speed Internet gateway.

Starlink, on the other hand, uses an antenna that communicates directly with a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite. Currently, Starlink is still in beta, but already users are seeing download speeds from 80 Mbps to over 200 Mbps. However, Starlink is still in its infancy. By next year, when the mega-constellation is completed, speeds will exceed 300 Mbps worldwide.

T-Mobile, by comparison, will not exceed 100 Mbps, at least for now. Also, latency will no doubt be longer than Starlink. However, T-Mobile's service is much cheaper. At a flat rate of $60, it is a much more affordable option than the $500 Starlink equipment cost plus an additional $100 per month for coverage.

Starlink is not yet available in all areas. Therefore, if you have access to T-Mobile Home Internet, it would be best to try that rather than waiting for Starlink to become available. Also, keep in mind that T-Mobile Home Internet has no contract, so there is no need to cancel or switch.