It seems like just yesterday T-Mobile began offering 5G Home Internet services. In fact, it’s been over 5 years now, having launched nationwide in April of 2021.
We recently broke the news that T-Mobile is about to begin re-farming their LTE into 5G earlier this month. As part of that transition, 5G devices that are only capable of using 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) will become incompatible (or severely limited in performance) due to their use of LTE as an anchor band.
One of those devices is the Nokia 5G home internet gateway, model 5G21. It’s the first ever 5G home internet gateway T-Mobile offered, and began shipping to customers even months before the Home Internet service officially launched. The lack of 5G SA means it’s time for those gateways to be replaced.
The original Nokia 5G Gateway
According to posts on Reddit and confirmed with contacts internally, T-Mobile is sending text messages and emails to customers still rocking the original Nokia gateway. The emails offer a new gateway “On Us”, no strings attached.
Customers just need to contact support to order their replacement gateway. Once received, the customer just has to remove the SIM card from the Nokia gateway and place it into the new gateway. After that, just return the Nokia via mail with a prepaid shipping label or by handing it in at a nearby store.
It’s important to note that no plan changes are required here. If you have the old Nokia gateway, you’re eligible for a replacement, period, even if you’re one of the lucky ones with the $25 for life service.
The model of gateway you receive as a replacement may vary depending on availability or plan, but you’ll likely receive either the G4AR or the G5AR. Either way, it’ll be an upgrade, with some customers reporting over double the speeds of their previous gateway.
Every model of 5G gateway T-Mobile offers or has offered in the past, other than the Nokia, were updated earlier this year to support 5G Standalone. This means the gateways no longer require any LTE signal at all in order to function.
The upgraded gateways are available now. If you’re still using the original Nokia “trashcan” gateway for T-Mobile Home Internet, be sure to contact support to claim your free upgrade.
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