T-Mobile US takes the lead in 5G speed as well as availability, while AT&T and Verizon are ‘too close to call’ in 5G reliability
After coming in third for 5G speeds in RootMetrics’ national testing in the first half of this year, T-Mobile US surged to the lead in the second half.
According to RootMetrics’ newly released ScoreCard for November — which assesses carriers’ positions based on results from 60 cities tested so far, out of 125 that will ultimately be tested during the half — T-Mobile US now leads in both 5G speeds and availability.
RootMetrics said that T-Mobile US’ speeds showed “huge improvement” and that it has pulled ahead to “clearly lead the 5G speed race,” adding: “T-Mobile is not only delivering fantastic speeds but has also maintained its lead for 5G availability.” T-Mobile US had the most 5G availability in 42 cities, AT&T led in 25 markets and Verizon in four.
RootMetrics highlighted improvements by AT&T in 5G reliability, where it said that the carrier had “made great progress” in the second half and that it is “currently neck and neck with Verizon.”
Meanwhile, Verizon also saw a bump in its 5G speeds and rapid expansion in availability. RootMetrics reported that between the first and second half, the carrier’s median 5G download speeds improved in 53 out of 58 cities where it has 5G available. Â
Some cities in the U.S. have achieved very extensive 5G coverage, according to RootMetrics’ numbers. It reported that the cities where each of the carriers had achieved the most extensive amount of 5G coverage were El Paso, Texas (98% 5G coverage by T-Mo), Indio, California (96.8% 5G coverage by AT&T) and Rockford, Illinois (91.7% 5G coverage by Verizon).
The cities where each carrier clocked the fastest speeds thus far during RootMetrics testing were Kansas City, Missouri, where T-Mobile US achieved a blazing 273.3 Mbps; Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Verizon’s network registered median 5G download speeds of 98.3 Mbps; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where AT&T saw median 5G download speeds of 71 Mbps.
Patrick Linder, CMO of RootMetrics, said in a statement that T-Mo’s increased use of its midband spectrum holdings provided “particularly striking improvements.”
In this round of testing, Linder said, “We … witnessed firsthand just how dynamic the 5G race can be, with a new leader for speed and a shift in the reliability standings since our testing in the first half of 2021. With another 65 markets to test and all carriers aggressively continuing 5G deployment and optimization, things could certainly change again as we continue our 2H 2021 testing.”
