T-Mobile US announced its first T-Mobile branded 5G hotspot which taps into the operator’s 600MHz Extended Range 5G spectrum for broad nationwide coverage and its Ultra Capacity 5G 2.5GHz network for faster speeds across hundreds of cities.

The Quanta 5G Hotspot, which has been re-branded as the T-Mobile 5G Hotspot, can connect up to 32 devices simultaneously.

New and existing customers can pick up the T-Mobile 5G Hotspot, which will be available June 16, for free with 24 monthly bill credits when adding a line on an eligible 50GB or 100GB Mobile Internet plan or for $99 when adding a line on an eligible 5GB Mobile Internet plan.

Qualified T-Mobile customers – including T-Mobile for Business customers – can take advantage of the above offers or buy the T-Mobile 5G Hotspot for $8.25 per month for 24 months with no interest. The device retails for $198.

There’s also the possibility of a $35 assisted or upgrade support charge.

Device-based hotspots were particularly popular in dense urban areas, such as New York City, that lacked sufficient Wi-Fi for all of the phones in a congested area.

Since then, mobile consumers have come to rely on using their own phones as hotspots, but the devices come in handy for a large group of people who want fast connectivity from a single device.

US hotspot round-up
In April AT&T announced Netgear’s Nighthawk M6 and Nighthawk M6 Pro mobile hotspots would be available online for $309.99 and $459.99, respectively.

In addition, AT&T Enterprise Business customers can buy the Nighthawk M6 for $224.99 and the M6 Pro for $349.99 on a two-year agreement.

Verizon’s roster of hotspots includes the Inseego MiFi M2100 5G UW which, as the name implies, runs on its ultra-wideband service, as well as 5G and 4G LTE.

The Inseego hotspot costs $11 per month for 12 months as well as a one-time activation fee of $35. The retail cost is $399.