Verizon, one of the largest phone carriers in the US, is currently seeing increased demand for its 5G home internet service amid a growing consumer trend that is lifting beauty in the telecommunications industry.
During the third quarter of this year, Verizon’s 5G home internet service, also known as fixed wireless access (FWA), gained 261,000 new customers, according to the company’s latest report.
“With approximately 5.4 million FWA subscribers, our annual revenue has exceeded $3 billion and continues to grow,” Verizon Chief Financial Officer Anthony Skiadas said during an October earnings call. “We believe FWA can be a sustainable and long-term business.”
Many Americans across the country have cut the cord on traditional internet services as they grow frustrated with rising monthly bills.
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About 43% of Americans said the cost of their Internet service rose the most in 2024 compared to other home services.
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The average price increase for Internet services was $20.78.
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Also, 53% of Americans are the most frustrated through their internet service having hidden charges, while 39% are frustrated by price increases after a promotional period ends.
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Almost 3 out of 4 Americans cancelled, downgraded or considering switching internet providers due to high prices.
Source: Reviews.org
Fixed wireless Internet, which T-Mobile and AT&T also offer, has been a popular choice among consumers, primarily because of its availability in rural areas and affordability.
“While 5G home Internet isn’t technically faster than cable or fiber Internet, it offers a lot of value,” Peter Holslin, managing editor at Reviews.org, said in the survey. “5G internet bundles are usually sold at fixed rates, with no additional installation or equipment fees, and you often get other benefits, such as unlimited data and bundle discounts, when you bundle them with a mobile phone plan from the same provider.”
As Verizon benefits from this major shift in consumer behavior, it recently decided to restrict its 5G home internet service.
A Verizon customer reported that the company sent them an email warning them that their home 5G Internet service speed was reduced due to using the service at a different address than the one they provided during registration, according to a recent post on the social media platform Reddit.
“Your Verizon Home Internet speed has been reduced because the service is being used at a location other than your qualified service address as required by our Terms and Conditions,” Verizon’s email said. “To restore your previous internet speeds, please use the link below to request the move of your service and equipment to your new address. This step is important to ensure we can provide you with the best possible quality of service. For questions or if you believe this notification was sent in error, please contact us at 800-922-0204. Submit your move request.”
In the post, the Verizon customer claims that “after checking the internet speeds, they are reduced to 10 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up.”
Verizon emphasizes in its Terms and Conditions that its 5G home internet must be “exclusively used” at the address customers use to sign up for the service.
Related: Verizon drops price of major customer benefits amid struggles
Verizon also warns that if a customer moves or uses service to another address without notifying the company, they “may shut down or alter” their Internet.
Despite this rule, Verizon sales representatives allowed customers to circumvent it to meet sales targets.
A Reddit user claiming to be a former Verizon employee commented under the post, saying that when a customer uses their home internet service at a different address, it’s difficult for the company to deliver the promised internet speeds and troubleshoot service issues.
“They (Verizon) map out a certain area and determine that customers in that specific area will get the best possible coverage, and that would lead them to deliver what is promised in terms of speed and so on,” the former employee wrote.
“Their systems are also designed to troubleshoot problems with modems in that geographic area and not another area. If the agent were to enter the actual address of the person having problems with the device, the troubleshooter would stop and not allow the rep to continue troubleshooting,” they continued.
Verizon previously addressed the issue, but only emailed customers in violation of its service address rule, advising them to update their service address to “avoid any service interruption.” This is the first time Verizon has taken more aggressive steps to curb this problem.
The move from Verizon comes after fixed wireless internet speeds declined nationwide for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile customers in the second and third quarters of 2025, according to a recent report from technology company Ookla.
For Verizon customers in particular, average download speeds fell from 167.30 Mbps in the first quarter to 137.81 Mbps in the third quarter. Upload speeds also dropped from 15.23 Mbps to 11.40 Mbps over the same time period.
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Ookla points out in the report that “network congestion” could be one of the reasons why speeds for fixed wireless Internet customers are declining.
“There have long been concerns from the investment community and others about traffic from FWA subscribers causing congestion and affecting the performance of both mobile and FWA customers because the same 5G spectrum is used to deliver both services,” Sue Marek, Ookla’s editorial director, wrote in the report.
Amidst this troubling trend, a recent survey from JD Power found that Verizon’s fixed wireless Internet service is lagging behind its top competitors in terms of consumer satisfaction rates.
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Over the past six months, wireless Internet providers have experienced a 15% increase. in new sign-ups, while cable internet providers saw a 6% increase.
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In general satisfaction is higher for wireless internetwith a score of 647 (on a 1,000-point scale), compared to 554 for cable.
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T-Mobile ranks highest in wireless internet nationwide with a satisfaction score of 663, while AT&T falls to second place with a score of 625 and Verizon with 623.
Source: JD Power
“The Internet landscape is clearly evolving with continued growth in customer satisfaction and strong customer service performance in wireless,” Carl Lepper, senior director of technology, media information and telecommunications at JD Power, said in a press release.
“The high satisfaction we see in the wireless Internet segment is attributed to Internet speed, availability, and the hassle-free ability to start service, combined with a lower price,” he continued. “Plus, with multiple provider options, customers can choose the service that best fits their lifestyle.”
Related: T-Mobile Launches Free Offer for Customers After Major Loss
This story was originally published by TheStreet on December 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the Retail section. Add TheStreet as a favorite source by clicking here.