Everybody gets 5G on Cricket Wireless now
It's no big secret that the US 5G wireless landscape is still... pretty messy, with AT&T and Verizon scrambling to catch up to T-Mobile in terms of average download speeds across the nation, but at least real progress is being made when it comes to giving people easy and affordable access to the latest cellular technologies.
By no means a huge improvement over 4G LTE out in the real world (just yet), AT&T's 5G network is officially expanding to cover Cricket Wireless customers on all of the prepaid operator's plans.
As long as you actually live in a city where Ma Bell's low-band 5G signal is available, you can now get a tiny speed boost and a shiny new icon on your (supporting) mobile device for as little as $30 a month.
Of course, Cricket's entry-level plan is still capped at 2GB of "high-speed" data, with $40 buying you a line of 10GB data a month, and unlimited options starting at $55.
The $30, $40, and $55 plans no longer come with a pesky 8Mbps speed limit either, although that might prove more of a problem than a benefit for users on the two cheapest service options.
Getting 5G access across the board, however, feels like a natural and long overdue change that brings the AT&T-owned wireless service provider on the same boat as Metro by T-Mobile, for instance. Curiously enough, the only AT&T Prepaid plan with 5G is still the costliest of the bunch, setting you back $60 a month, while the $30, $40, and $50 options remain 4G LTE-limited... for the time being.
The nation's third-largest carrier is clearly betting big on the Cricket brand, which seems to be paying off with a jump of more than two million subscribers in the last two years alone to a new grand total of 12.4 million people.
If you're thinking of adding your name to that list, you may want to check our latest roundup of the best phones available on Cricket Wireless and keep in mind that the "regular" unlimited 5G plan (with no mobile hotspot or HBO Max) is an exceptionally great value with four lines of service at a total monthly cost of $100.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: