T-Mobile Offers Free First Month and Up to $200 Rebate on 5G Home Internet

Q: T-Mobile promises unlimited 5G internet, but what hidden speed cap are new entry-level subscribers quietly facing?

New entry-level subscribers on T-Mobile’s Rely 5G Home Internet plan are now subject to a hard download-speed cap of 354 Mbps. That cap appears to be a quiet change affecting new Rely customers only. Reporting and plan disclosures indicate the plan has been renamed internally as “Rely Home Internet Capped,” and the 354 Mbps ceiling is listed in the fine print and broadband facts materials rather than emphasized in the main marketing pitch. This matters because T-Mobile continues to advertise the service as unlimited, which refers to data usage rather than uncapped speed. In practice, customers can still use unlimited data, but new Rely subscribers will not get download speeds above 354 Mbps even if local network conditions could otherwise support faster performance. By contrast, existing Rely customers reportedly remain on the older uncapped version for now, and the higher-tier Amplify and All-In plans are still described as uncapped, subject to normal network conditions and congestion. So the hidden tradeoff for new entry-level users is not a data limit, but an artificial speed ceiling: 354 Mbps.

3 articles · Updated · PCMag · Aug 10

$0 for the first month and rebates of $100 to $200 are now available on T-Mobile’s three 5G home internet plans through a limited-time promotion.
The offer applies to Rely, Amplify and All-In plans, which include unlimited data, a five-year price guarantee and a free Nokia or upgraded Wi-Fi gateway depending on tier.
Monthly pricing starts at $50 for Rely and $60 for Amplify, while customers who bundle a T-Mobile voice line and enroll in autopay can cut another $15 a month.
T-Mobile is pitching the service as a lower-cost alternative to wired ISPs, especially for rural users, with setup handled through a preinstalled SIM gateway and the T-Life app.
Rebates are paid by virtual prepaid Mastercard after seven weeks, and actual speeds still vary with 5G network conditions.