Why do I need Internet if I have a Cell Phone?

Typically, cell phone plans are limited to the amount of data that they can pull down each month. Land based Internet service typically has no such limits.

Now you might think “why don’t I just get an unlimited plan for my phone“?

There are two reasons you don’t:

  • It is greatly easier to work on a PC or laptop, than it is to work on a cell phone.
  • Although a cell phone can be a ‘hot spot’ the performance is greatly less than land based internet. To illustrate this, typical 5G cellular cruises along at around 100-200 Mbps. Land based internet typically is now 1000 Mbps or 10x faster.

What Kind of Offerings are there

It will vary depending on where you decided to live. Typically you will be able to get these types:

  • Cable
    Offered frequently by cable television providers like Chart Spectrum, COX Cable, Xfinity,, Optimum, and Mediacom. These companies often started their offerings in rural areas so you will find them there often. They can offer speeds up to 1000 Mbps (as of 2025).
  • Fiber
    Where cable uses copper to transport their internet, fiber uses glass fibers. Fiber is capable of far greater speeds than cable sometime 100x more than cable!
  • Wireless (non-cellular)
    There are local internet services providers using non-cellular wireless transmitters. They require the installation of a small dish antenna pointed at a local transmitter tower. Their speeds typically top out at about 200 Mbps
  • DSL
    DSL was the first broadband internet offered after dial-up service. It is transported over a copper pair of wires that used to be used for telephones. The speeds were typically a great deal slower than cable. the fastest speeds being about 100mbps. Because they were limited by the distance from the telephone company’s central office, they typically are uncommon.
  • Cellular
    Cellular is typically a slower performing offer that suffers from usage floods from mobile device users. the most popular offering are from:
    • T-Mobile 5G Home Internet:
      Offers 5G internet with download speeds up to 245 Mbps and upload speeds up to 31 Mbps
    • Verizon 5G Home Internet:
      Offers 5G internet from 85 Mbps – 300 Mbps
    • AT&T Internet AirTM:
      Offers 5G internet from 90 Mbps to 300 Mbps
  • Satellite
    Satellite internet is typically used in areas that can not get any other type of high speed service Although the speed can be pretty good, the service is aften affected by weather like storms and clouds which can cause outages. The most popular providers are
    • Starlink
      • Most expensive of the providers. Speeds up to 277 Mbps
    • ViaSat
      • A lower priced offering at 150 Mbps
    • HughesNet
      • The slowest of the satellite offerings at 100 Mpbs

How does this work in my home

The internet will come from your ISP (internet services provider) can plug into your wireless router often provided by the ISP. From there you can connect things like :

  • Wired or Wireless Printers
  • Wired or Wireless Laptops
  • Cell Phones
  • TV Sets

What plugs into your wireless router depends on the technology being used by your ISP.

A Cable provider will connect a cable modem.
A Fiber provider will connect a fiber to Ethernet module
A Wireless provider will connect a radio to Ethernet module
A Cellular ISP will provide a wireless router will the cell built in to it.
A Satellite provider will connect the satellite receiver