- T-Mobile’s backup solution includes free data passes for emergencies
- Each plan offers 130GB/month, plus three free 130GB passes yearly
- No hidden fees with T-Mobile’s Home and Business plans
T-Mobile has unveiled enhanced Internet Backup plans for both home and small businesses which aim to give users a reliable and affordable 5G network in the event of an outage of the primary network.
However, the irony of this launch is it came on the same day that the company suffered its largest outage of 2024, which disrupted services for users across various regions in the United States.
The outage left millions of users disconnected for almost five hours, and confirmed the need for a reliable backup solution.
Backup solution for downtime
According to T-Mobile, the Home and Small Business Internet Backup plans are offering users more robust tools to maintain connectivity during ISP outages. These plans are not meant to replace, but rather complement, traditional cable or fiber internet services.
Each plan includes 130GB of 5G data per month, which is sufficient to keep most households or small businesses online for up to seven days during disruptions. The latest update introduces an additional three free 130GB data passes per year, which can be activated during extended outages lasting either three days or until the data is consumed.
The T-Mobile 5G gateway can be set up in under 15 minutes, ensuring a quick transition to backup connectivity when primary services go offline. These plans do not include any hidden fees, which means that the 5G gateway is provided at no additional cost.
T-Mobile is also offering the Nimble Champ Pro 20k 65W portable power station at a discounted price of $49.99 for new customers to help keep devices and the 5G gateway online during blackouts.
T-Mobile’s massive November outage cast a spotlight on the vulnerabilities of even the largest telecom providers. While the company has long promoted its 5G network as a robust and reliable option, the scale of this service disruption reminded customers of the potential for unexpected failures. This incident also highlights how critical internet access is in an era where remote work, virtual learning, and online business operations are routine.