Verizon’s mmWave 5G shows “huge potential”, report claims

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In the last of four carrier-specific reports, RootMetrics provides its verdict on Verizon’s performance through the start of 2020.

Verizon commits to getting its mmWave 5G into 60 cities in 2020.
(Image credit: Verizon)

 The latest RootMetrics report on Verizon 5G performance reveals that the carrier didn’t rest on its laurels in the early months of 2020, posting “outstanding” speeds, and showing improvements in most of the cities that RootMetrics tested.

According to the report, Verizon’s data and call reliability results met RootMetrics mark of “Excellence” in each of the 55 areas that were tested. And Verizon won or shared far more RootScore Awards than any other carrier in 2020 to date, with a total of 329 awards (AT&T being the closest competitor with 193).

(Image credit: RootMetrics)

“Verizon’s results have generally remained a step above those of the competition in many aspects, and that was again the case in early 2020, with consistently fast speeds and strong reliability results across the board,” said Suzanth Subramaniyan, Director of Mobile Networks, RootMetrics. “Verizon also delivered incredible speeds on its mmWave 5G network and has announced plans to expand its mmWave 5G offering as the year moves forward.”

Super signal strength

The report claims that Verizon’s sustained success can be put down to its signal strength results, which have generally been stronger than those of the other carriers across the US, and Verizon’s signal to noise ratio (SNR), which the report hailed as “exceptional”. (Verizon’s strong SNR allows the carrier to deliver faster speeds and better reliability than a network whose signal suffers from more interference or noise.)

“Verizon’s max speeds on 5G ranged from 472.3 Mbps in Boise to 676.4 Mbps in LA. While consumers won’t experience those maximum speeds on a daily basis, they do offer an important look at the potential of the carrier’s millimeter wave 5G.”

RootMetrics.

“RootMetrics recorded 5G results for Verizon in eight of the of the 55 markets tested in 1H 2020, and Verizon’s 5G maximum download speeds were remarkable in Boise, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia,” RootMetrics said. “Verizon’s max speeds on 5G ranged from 472.3 Mbps in Boise to 676.4 Mbps in LA. While consumers won’t experience those maximum speeds on a daily basis, they do offer an important look at the potential of the carrier’s millimeter wave 5G.”

While Verizon’s speeds on 4G LTE have always been fast, says RootMetrics, the carrier took another step forward during first-half 2020 testing, with improvements in 40 of the 55 markets RootMetrics tested. And Verizon’s speeds were consistently fast in nearly every city, with median download speeds of at least 30Mbps (a good benchmark for a fast speed) in 45 of 55 cities, a total matched by only AT&T (for example, Sprint recorded median download speeds of 30 Mbps or better in 32 metros, while T-Mobile did the same in 12).

To read all the data from the report, and more insight from RootMetrics, click here. 


Dan Oliver
Dan Oliver

Dan is a British journalist with 20 years of experience in the design and tech sectors, producing content for the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, Dell and The Sunday Times. In 2012 he helped launch the world's number one design blog, Creative Bloq. Dan is now editor-in-chief at 5Gradar, where he oversees news, insight and reviews, providing an invaluable resource for anyone looking to stay up-to-date with the key issues facing 5G.