Cricket launches 5G service with just one phone
You’ll need to spend at least $60 per month for an Unlimited Plan to use a 5G phone.
You no longer need to subscribe to AT&T’s main offerings to get a taste of its 5G service. The carrier’s Cricket Wireless prepaid brand has launched 5G service (via The Verge), providing the faster downloads and reduced lag with lower service costs. You’ll need to spend at least $60 per month for an Unlimited Plan to use a 5G phone, but that’s not surprising given how easily you can chew through data using 5G.
The update also brings 5G to Cricket’s internet-only Simply Data plans, including a new $90 per month plan that offers 100GB at 5G speeds. Service starts at $35 per month for 20GB of full-performance data.
There’s one main catch: the device selection. At present, Cricket’s one and only 5G phone is Samsung’s $1,200 Galaxy S20+ (no, not even the regular S20). That’s a massive amount to spend on a phone for a budget provider. You can’t use Simply Data plans with non-Cricket devices, either. There are certainly some people who want high-end phones with more affordable rates, but that generally isn’t what attracts people to Cricket.
