T-Mobile ranked fastest 5G network in the US by Ookla

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New real-world testing hails T-Mobile 5G as faster and more reliable than AT&T and Verizon.

T-Mobile
(Image credit: T-Mobile)

A new report by speed test service, Ookla, has found that T-Mobile 5G has the fastest average download speeds in the US. This result contradicts Rootmetics’ findings, as their report, released on the same day, crowns AT&T 5G as currently winning the 5G race, with superior 5G download speeds and reliability.

Blazing 5G speeds

The testing, done over the first quarter of the year, showed the T-Mobile 5G network clock in 82.35Mbps download speeds, followed by AT&T at 76.6Mbps and Verizon with 67.24Mbps.

“T-Mobile delivers the fastest 5G speeds and a 5G signal more often.”

Neville Ray, T-Mobile.

“Ookla’s report is just the latest to prove T-Mobile is America’s leader in 5G, with real customer data showing T-Mobile delivers the fastest 5G speeds and a 5G signal more often,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “While the other networks play catch up, T-Mobile 5G will keep layering on even more capacity and speed to the nation’s largest 5G network,” he continued.

5G availability

Ookla’s study also found that T-Mobile customers spent more time connected to a 5G network, than customers on rival 5G networks. The results show customers were connected to the T-Mobile 5G network 65% of the time, followed by Verizon customers at 36% and AT&T customers at 31%. This at least is something Ookla and Rootmetics agree on – Rootmetrics found that T-Mobile has the best 5G network availability too.

As well as ranking first for 5G speed and availability, the latest data from Ookla showed T-Mobile 5G customers get the fastest and most consistent overall network speeds nationwide.

Real-world testing

The report results were collected from wireless customer’s devices using Ookla’s Speedtest application to record how wireless networks perform in all the places people frequent for work, rest and play. The real-world testing of network performance was carried out every day, across the US, resulted in millions of data samples.

This year, independent reports from Opensignal and umlaut have agreed with Ookla’s findings, ranking T-Mobile as top for 5G in the US, while the Rootmetics’ findings show AT&T as top dog.

Since its $26.5 billion merger with Sprint, T-Mobile uses its low-band 600MHz spectrum, which has a good range but low speed, together with Sprint’s midband 2.5GHz spectrum. This is important for its 5G speed as midband spectrum is faster than low-band, and travels farther than high-band, which can only travel short distances and is prone to being blocked by buildings, trees etc. Conversely, AT&T uses 850MHz spectrum for its low-band 5G network and Verizon 5G uses high-band millimeter-wave spectrum.

T-Mobile’s Extended Range 5G covers 287 million people across 1.6 million square miles, in the US. The Un-carrier’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G can deliver game-changing performance with broad coverage and fast speeds, currently covers 125 million people. T-Mobile plans to extend this deployment nationwide, covering 200 million people, by the end of 2021.

Rachael Sharpe
Rachael Sharpe

Rachael is a British journalist with 17 years experience in the publishing industry. Since launching www.digitalcameraworld.com, she’s been freelancing, and working for some of the world’s best-loved websites and magazines including T3.com and TechRadar.com and has also had a book, iPad for Photographers, published. A regular contributor at 5Gradar, Rachael is following the 5G market closely. Find out more at www.rachaelsharpe.com