As Penetration of 5G Home Internet Service Grows Among U.S. Households, New Horowitz Study Shows High Satisfaction

Mobile providers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have been aggressively rolling out 5G home internet (also known as FWA, or fixed wireless access) in more U.S. markets over the past year. Penetration of the service has now reached 12%, and more than half (56%) of non-FWA subscribers are likely to consider the service when it becomes available in their area, according to Horowitz’s latest annual report, State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Subscriptions 2025.

While traditional home internet services continue to dominate the market, penetration of 5G home internet has enjoyed a threefold increase since Horowitz first started tracking the service in the 2023 Subscriptions study. Subscription to 5G home internet is higher among 18-34 year-old consumers (18%), compared to their older counterparts (35-49 and 50+ year-olds, 11% and 9% respectively). A common misconception is that the service would have higher appeal for lower-income consumers given its relatively lower cost compared to cable or fiber. In fact, the Horowitz study finds that 5G home internet is growing similarly across income segments, including higher-income homes.

Satisfaction with 5G home internet is just as high as traditional home internet services, with 76% of 5G customers giving high satisfaction ratings to the speed and 83% giving high ratings to the service for reliability. Similarly, most traditional home internet subscribers report fast (80%) and reliable (76%) service.

“When 5G was first introduced, we predicted the service would give traditional cable and fiber internet providers a run for their money, especially given the high satisfaction and loyalty many consumers feel towards their mobile providers,” notes Adriana Waterston, Executive Vice President and Insights & Strategy Lead for Horowitz Research, a division of M/A/R/C Research. “What we are seeing in the marketplace is that indeed, consumers are bullish about 5G, and those who have it are very satisfied with the service. The fact that it is wireless within the home allows consumers to situate the gateway where they get the strongest signal in the home, which helps with reliability, and even though ‘on paper’ the speeds might not be as fast as some of the other options out there, for most households – even heavy streaming homes – the service does the job.”