My laptop, a 2019 Lenovo X1 Carbon, was ordered with the optional WWAN interface. At the time, the state-of-the-art was a 4G radio which I added to our Mint Mobile account. I only need to use mobile data occasionally, but it has proven very handy.
Several months ago I noted that it suffered very poor performance at a meeting off-site. This even as my mobile phone was working much better.
Earlier this week, while I was taking Stella to an appointment in another part of the city, the laptop reported being completely offline. It was wholly unable to connect via 4G. I looked at my mobile phone, which reported connected via “5G UC.”
A quick search online revealed:
“5G UC (Ultra Capacity): Primarily T-Mobile’s mid-band (n41) and high-band spectrum, offering faster speeds than standard 5G.”
Sure enough, while tethered to the phone, a quick speed test run on the laptop turned in some impressive numbers.
It seems that there are now places where 4G connectivity has been turned off(!) in favor of faster 5G modes of access.
This got me thinking about upgrading the WWAN card in ye old X1 Carbon. That is, assuming I’m going to keep it around for another year or so. This might be a logical extension to the aforementioned strategy for extending the lifespan of an older but still serviceable laptop.
While I was waiting for Stella’s appointment to finish, I looked up 5G WWAN cards on Amazon. It can be a little confusing since 5G might refer to 5 GHz Wi-Fi and 5G WWAN. The Wi-Fi consortium has moved to terminology like WiFi 6 and WiFi 7. Using WWAN in the search helps to eliminate the Wi-Fi cards from the result.
A newer generation of 5G WWAN cards appear to be available for under $100. This one for under $40 seems a reasonable choice. It’s product details includes a reference to the n41 band. There’s also one the stipulates for Lenovo laptops for about $60.
I checked out YouTube to look for guidance on upgrading a WWAN card. Lenovo themselves has just such a video available. The process seems to be easy enough.
All the WWAN cards seem to have four micro connectors for WWAN antennas. The antennas are external bits that must be built into the laptop. My newer Lenovo P14s does not have the antennas, so WWAN is not offered as an option on that model. The Lenovo video (above) reveals that it’s not uncommon for just two of the four connectors to actually be used.
At present, I intend to keep this X1 Carbon a while longer. It was very nicely specified when I bought it in 2019. Since then, I upgraded to a 1 TB and replaced the battery. It’s still very usable. Perhaps it’s worth upgrading the WWAN card.
Although, I must admit that I don’t use it very often these days. I could save some cash by eliminating it entirely. Just tethering to my mobile phone on those rare occasions when mobile internet is required.
Update: April 6, 2026
I ordered a 5G WWAN card for the laptop. When it arrived I was suprised to find that I could not install it. The tiny coaxial antenna connections for 4G and 5G WWAN cards are different sizes!
Thus my strategy is decided for me. The 5G WWAN card is being returned. I will drop the laptop from our Mint Mobile plen. In future, when I need mobile internet, I’ll tether to the phone.