I'll believe it when it happens.

DSL was going to break the chains of the dialup overlords.

Cable was going to break the chains of the DSL overlords.

Fiber was going to break the chains of the cable overlords.

Fixed wireless was going to break the chains of the fiber overlords.

My prediction: 5G data providers will pull the same tricks as what we have now. Pricing will be about the same as it is for legacy methods/speeds. You can only get the highest speeds and pay the highest prices even if you don't need all that bandwidth, unless you're part of a government poverty program. In which case, you'll get DSL speeds for cable prices. Signing up will be easy. Getting out of the contract will be hard. There will be mandatory fees for things you don't need or want.

It's the same group of companies. Why would we expect any different just because the delivery method has changed?

The market might not function as competitively as it should in the US, but it still functions - new, cheaper tech eventually results in lower prices for consumers.

I was going through some old papers a couple of weeks ago and found some bills. My cable ISP bill from 2002 that I found was $103/month after taxes and fees. Seventeen years later, I pay $106/month.

Back then, the only other choice I had for internet was dialup. Today my other choices include DSL, fiber, and fixed wireless. So, I have more competition now; but I don't have a lower bill.