Microsoft and T-Mobile enable free 5G for the PC

Seeing the news yesterday about T-Mobile offering free 5G connectivity for the Surface Pro 9 with 5G brought back a wave of memories. Back in April 2018 I wrote a paper titled “Defining the Always On, Always Connected PC” that looked at how the Snapdragon 835 (!!) based platforms with their extended battery life and integrated LTE modems changed how users could think about device connectivity. Later that same year I looked at the second generation of Snapdragon devices in another paper, analyzing what had improved and what still needed to get better.

I guess I had assumed that this was a solved problem by now… taking 5 years off to work at a silicon provider that isn’t really invested in cellular connectivity clouded my vision!

The good news is that a promotion like this, where users of this particular Surface PC can simply open up the connectivity settings, pick a carrier like T-Mobile, hit GO and then be instantly connected to a fast 5G network, can open more eyes. You don’t need a credit card, you don’t even need to be a prior T-Mobile customer! For the next 90 days or 30GB of data, you’ll be able to experience the freedom of not depending on Wi-Fi.

When I wrote about this 5+ years ago, the idea was simple. Are you tired of:

-       Slow Wi-Fi in public spaces

-       Visiting people that don’t know their own Wi-Fi passwords (Mom!)

-       Wondering if this open access point at the coffee shop is compromised

-       Fiddling with the phone hotspot on/off button over and over

-       Still finding locations that don’t have Wi-Fi coverage

I don’t think any of that is changed. Twice a week I sit in a competitive cheer gym for 2-3 hours while my daughter practices, and the ownership refuses to supply Wi-Fi. I often am sitting at the driving range with my son for hours during the spring and summer and we are far from any building with Wi-Fi. And yes, when I visit my aunt for the holidays, she has to hunt down some post-it note with her password hidden in a drawer somewhere.

And apparently 43% of people in a recent survey have said their security had been compromised while using public Wi-Fi!! That’s crazy.

A laptop with a 5G modem solves this. It’s more convenient, more secure, and more…modern?

The Surface Pro 9 with 5G that Microsoft and T-Mobile have partnered with for this promotion is based on a Qualcomm-developed SQ3 SoC and Qualcomm 5G modem. It was released in 2022 and so it’s a bit dated from a performance perspective. But with the upcoming release of Snapdragon X-series based notebooks in the middle of 2024, I’m hopeful that Microsoft and other device OEMs will both a) include the optional 5G modem in their designs and b) include the ability to EASILY get connectivity up and running.  

It's time for the carriers, OEMs, and Microsoft to get on board with a vision for truly ubiquitous computing and connectivity.