This cell carrier plans to slow home internet speeds for some users when there’s a lot of ‘congestion’

If you’ve found yourself relying on T-Mobile 5G Home Internet more often these days and you happen to live in a busy area, you might have noticed an aggravating part of your day when network speeds slow down.

Since it’s 5G, you might wonder why it’s so slow, since 5G is usually fast.

Then you begin to wonder if you’ve run into a cap on your data, but that’s not it either.

The truth is there’s no data cap.

Turns out, the mobile company changed its terms of service for its home broadband users and added a new clause, which says If you are a heavy internet user that passes 1.2 TB of data in a monthly billing cycle, you might have your speeds slowed “in times of congestion” or when a great deal of pressure is present on the network.

According to T-Mobile’s updated terms, the change went into effect on Jan. 18, and the company said that “users will be prioritized last on the network” when it comes to congestion, which can mean slow speeds for however long that might last.

Ouch.

The company also added that since the home internet service is available only in some areas and is supposed to be used in a setting where it’s anchored and motionless (compared to a phone that has more of a chance to be in a busy place) the company said, “these customers should be less likely to notice congestion in general.”

It’s a “potential limitation” the phone carrier is implementing. For heavy home internet users in areas where the network is experiencing a great deal of pressure on the network, those users could experience their data being slowed down while the network is busy, or “congested.” Once that passes and the network returns to normal, speeds should get back to normal as well.

You might be wondering what you can do to combat the slow speeds.

The answer is nothing.

T-Mobile isn’t letting users buy more high-speed data, CNET reported. Those who go over 1.2TB in a month can still get fast speeds but would have to wait until the congestion period lifts or is over, and in these specific instances, it’ll be slower during a busier than normal network in their area.

So, why even do this at all? The cell carrier said it’s a way to ensure the protection of the network for all users.

“Our mainstream broadband Home Internet product services millions of customers who use hundreds of gigabytes of data,” a carrier spokesperson told CNET. “To ensure all of our customers get a great network experience into the future, our terms of service have been updated to say that those who need more than 1.2TB (per) month, a single digit percent of users, would be prioritized after other Home Internet customers only during times of congestion.”