Ookla SpeedTest Q3 2023 Results Show T-Mobile is Still in the Lead

As of yesterday, Ookla released their latest data on 5G speeds for the third quarter of 2023. Results are showing the difference between 5G and fixed broadband download speeds in the U.S. is getting closer.

Scoring a Median Download Speed of 221.57 Mbps, T-Mobile led the race. That’s compared to Verizon’s 153.79 Mbps median download speed, and AT&T’s 101.55 Mbps. With the exception of the latency scores, which AT&T led, T-Mobile was the winner in every category. However, each carrier saw increases in most categories. Other measurements compared were of Median Download and Upload Speeds, Median Multi-Server Latency, Consistency, and Video Score, as well as the same categories specific to 5G networks. 

In addition to reviewing speed test results, Ookla looked at device information. More specifically, the most popular devices at this time. This includes the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold4 and the Pixel 7 Pro. Overall, the Apple iPhones won with the highest speeds, but lost to the Galaxy devices in terms of latency. 

Lastly, state and city speeds were recorded and compared. Illinois took first place at the state level with the fastest median mobile download speed of 110.08 Mbps. T-Mobile was the fastest provider in 44 states and the District of Columbia during Q3 2023. Verizon was the fastest in North Dakota. As for South Dakota, Montana, Vermont, Maine, and Alaska – the results were too close to call. Among the 100 most populous cities in the U.S. Glendale, Arizona displayed the fastest median download speeds. T-Mobile was the fastest operator in 77 of these cities. Verizon Wireless was the fastest provider in El Paso, Texas, and AT&T was fastest in Las Vegas, Nevada. Results were statistically too close to call in 21 cities.

Ookla is using their Speedtest Intelligence service to find the overall Fastest Provider in terms of their Download Speeds. This service offers “up-to-date insights into global fixed broadband and mobile performance data based on millions of consumer-initiated tests taken every day with Speedtest®.” To see exactly what is being tested, checkout how Ookla collects data.  

RootMetrics Reports on 2H 2022: How the Cellular Networks Compare

RootMetrics just released its report that measures overall network experience and performance for the most popular cellular networks in North America.

Test results were based on the second half of 2022 and cover all network technologies (5G, 4G LTE, and any sub-4G technology). The report also looks at the newest C-Band 5G performance for AT&T and Verizon. The test space for the report consists of the entirety of the United States, which includes 125 of the country’s most populated metropolitan markets (as defined by the United States Census Bureau’s Census Urbanized Areas [CUAs].

The report noted a few important points to take away regarding the three top cellular networks: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.

2022 RootMetrics Report Highlights for AT&T

AT&T won five national awards, including the U.S. Overall Performance RootScore Award. AT&T was also recognized within the Reliability, Speed, Data and Call categories. AT&T tied with Verizon for first in the Text category. Additionally, AT&T also took home the most State RootScore Awards. Its results in major cities were strong, but it came in second to Verizon. AT&T shows 5G speed gains in 70 C-Band markets. Overall, AT&T has clearly made some improvements, both in LTE and 5G. 

2022 RootMetrics Report Highlights for T-Mobile

Compared with its competitors, T-Mobile’s results showed great speeds. It took home 88 Speed RootScore Score Awards, which were higher than those of AT&T (59) or Verizon (71).

Out of all carriers, T-Mobile’s overall median download speeds measured above 50 Mbps in the most cities. T-Mobile was also the only carrier that posted median download speeds above 200 Mbps. These speeds were achieved in 59 markets.

Even more impressive is how in 32 of those cities, T-Mobile recorded median download speeds above 300 Mbps; additionally, it acheived 400 Mbps speeds in one city (Fort Wayne, Indiana). Overall, the carrier delivered the Fastest 5G and the Best Overall 5G Experience in the U.S. for the third time. It was recognized for its top 5G availability four years in a row.

2022 RootMetrics Report Highlights for Verizon

Verizon took home the most awards out of any carrier in major metropolitan markets — a total of 747 awards out of 875 total opportunities. This was a representation of roughly 85% of all possible network awards. Verizon demonstrated the best 5G reliability out of all cellular carriers and earned the second most state-level awards. Verizon showed improved speeds, including 5G C-Band speed increases: RootMetrics’ tests recorded Verizon’s C-Band in 102 of its 123 cities with 5G. Further, the carrier’s 5G speeds improved in nearly 90 of these markets since 1H 2022. Outstanding Verizon reliability has also been seen in major metros, compared to 1H 2022.

How is Nokia Testing 5G-Advanced and 6G?

Nokia Bell Labs and Keysight Technologies have partnered in order to verify the performance of 5G-Advanced and 6G transceiver (TRX) modules. Nokia is looking to accelerate research and development critical to supporting 5G-Advanced and 6G use cases. These are use cases which leverage millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub-terahertz (THz) frequencies to wirelessly transmit large amounts of data across short distances.

Nokia will be running tests using a sub-Terahertz (THz) test bed from Keysight. The 6G test bed will be used to test the performance of TRX modules, power amplifiers and antennas. Tests will be performed under both linear and nonlinear conditions. The network infrastructure components were designed by Nokia. The company accomplished this by leveraging complex modulation technology and D-Band (110 GHz to 170 GHz) and E-Band (60 GHz to 90 GHz) spectrum.

Keysight and Nokia recently demonstrated the 6G test bed in combination with Nokia’s RFIC and radio-on-glass technology. The demonstration was showcased at the 2022 Brooklyn 6G Summit last month. The companies outlined the use of the 6G test bed for evaluating the performance of an individual component or a cascaded series of components in an end-to-end system.

“Working with Keysight enables us to make significant progress in developing next generation wireless technology. Cross-industry collaborations are important in co-innovating technology that merges physical, digital and human domains to create immersive experiences that support meaningful interactions,” said Nokia Bell Labs Core Research President Peter Vetter in a statement.

Nokia seems eager that they get 6G right since they were a bit behind with 5G. In fact, in a blog post earlier this year, Nokia highlighted that it’s working closely with industry organizations, government agencies and academia to make 6G technologies a reality. Nokia said it was selected to lead major 6G initiatives in the U.S., and it’s leading the Hexa-X-II project in Europe that’s designed to lay the groundwork for 6G standardization.

How Do I Perform a Cellular Site Survey?

When it comes to boosting cellular signal, it can be extremely helpful to perform a site survey. This is a simple cellular network strength test of signal and bandwidth.

Verifying where you have the best signal and bandwidth speeds first, will not only help determine the ideal placement for your external antenna, but that there is enough available signal to increase network performance. Even the best outdoor antenna or amplifier kit can only increase your signal if there is a signal available to draw in. On the other hand, if your signal is already strong, a signal booster might not provide enough benefit to be cost effective.

While this is mainly done for fixed applications. such as at your home or business. You may also do this if you’re traveling and planning to stay in the same location for an extended period. 

There are tools like the SureCall Site Survey kit which is made specifically for testing signal strength. However, unless you need an easy way to test multiple carrier signals, a cell phone or cellular modem can be sufficient. Cell phones will, of course, be limited to only the carrier they are linked to. Though if you have a cellular modem – Peplink, Cradlepoint, Digi, Inseego, Sierra Wireless, etc – you can test any carrier for which you have an active SIM card. 

Before you get started, it’s important you understand the data you’re looking for. RSSI, (Received Signal Strength Indicator), as well as RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power). These are both values that measure signal strength. RSRP is what you will want to refer to when looking at LTE and 5G signals. These signal values will be represented as a negative number. The closer this number is to 0, the stronger the signal strength. 

Also note the RSRQ (Received Signal Received Quality) and SINR (Signal to Noise Ratio). These values are what you’ll refer to for the signal quality of LTE and 5G connections. The SINR value will be the only value that is a positive number. Not all modems will list this value.  

Each of these values varies for different technologies and carriers as they depend on the particular abilities of the modem – essentially how well it can extract a signal. The values shown in the charts here are what we typically reference. 

We cannot guarantee a particular signal or improved performance, regardless of the signal strength and quality.  This is because of the many factors which affect signal values. Such as:

  • Distance to the cell tower.
  • Tower load.
  • Physical barriers (mountains, buildings, trains, etc).
  • Competing signals.
  • Signal from a cellular booster.
  • Weather.  

Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer to what constitutes a successful connection. It is possible to disconnect with excellent, as well as poor values. You have to take both signal strength and signal quality into account. You could have an excellent signal, but disconnect because of poor quality. And vice versa. You may also stay connected because of good signal, but have poor bandwidth speeds because of poor signal quality. 

The variance of a signal is a significant factor in the success of a connection. Measurements of signal strength and signal quality for a specific moment do not reflect on the stability of a connection, as these values will vary as conditions change. 

Some factors, like cell tower load, can’t even be measured. You can only gain some idea as to whether or not tower load affects your connection by testing at different times of day. This allows you to find averages, but also helps to confirm if you’ll see any improvement when the tower is at full load.  

We understand that finding RSRP and RSRQ on a cell phone could be a bit tricky compared to cellular modems and routers. Some phones will only list RSRP. In the event you cannot locate these specific values from your cellular device, doing a site survey using the signal bars as a reference is fine. At a minimum, the signal bars will give you some data to compare with. It’s also best if you can perform speed tests in multiple points at the location. This can help determine if bandwidth performance improves. Especially when you’re not seeing a change in signal bars. 

To perform the site survey, try to answer the following, as best you can.

  • What is the RSRP indoors, at the location you use your device?
  • At that location, what are your speeds? You can use a site like speedtest.net to check your download and upload speeds.
  • What is the best RSRP you could find immediately outside and around the building?
  • At that location outside, what are your speed test results?
  • If the signal outside the building is not significantly better than it is inside, walk or drive in the direction of a better signal until you find a significantly better signal. At that location, what are your speedtest results?
  • What’s between you and that optimal signal? Trees? Elevation? How far away is it?  

For your reference, you can find instructions for locating your RSRP and RSRQ/ SINR on the Apple iPhone, Samsung, Google, Blackberry, and Nokia phones here.  

For different router instructions, check out our YouTube Channel.

If you have more questions, or would like assistance determining if an antenna or amplifier system can help you, reach out to our team by phone, email, or chat!

How T-Mobile Earned Top Honors with OpenSignal

BELLEVUE, Wash. (T-Mobile Newsroom — Sept. 20, 2022) — Before going interstellar, T-Mobile takes 5G leadership global. In a new global report, leading research firm Opensignal today confirmed that T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) customers get a 5G signal more often and in more places than anyone else on the planet. That’s right. T-Mobile has the world’s best 5G Availability and 5G Reach … and for the second year in a row was the ONLY U.S. operator to win a 5G Global award!

“The latest awards from Opensignal further prove that our early bets in 5G are paying off for our customers with the biggest, fastest and most reliable 5G in America … and also the best 5G reach and availability anywhere on the planet,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “We’re out in front of the competition, and we’re not looking back.”

This report joins a plethora of others from third-party research firms like Ookla and umlaut, further cementing T-Mobile’s status as the most-awarded 5G network in the nation. In fact, the Un-carrier is the returning champ for best global 5G Availability based on results from Opensignal’s 2021 Global Awards.

For Carrier customers who want to experience a world leader, the Un-carrier’s recently-launched Network Pass gives them free 5G data on T-Mobile’s network for three months using their current compatible phone, so they can see for themselves how T-Mobile performs compared to their current provider.

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G with the country’s largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network. The Un-carrier’s Extended Range 5G covers nearly everyone in the country – 320 million people across 1.8 million square miles. 235 million people nationwide are covered with super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G, and T-Mobile expects to cover 260 million in 2022 and 300 million next year.

For more information on T-Mobile’s network, visit T-Mobile.com/coverage

Follow T-Mobile’s Official Twitter Newsroom @TMobileNews to stay up to date with the latest company news.

Opensignal Awards – 5G Global Mobile Network Experience Awards 2022, based on independent analysis of mobile measurements recorded during the period January 1 – June 29, 2022 © 2022 Opensignal Limited.

Who Has the Best Mobile Network?

T-Mobile does it for the second year in a row – they’ve beat out Verizon and AT&T in recent tests performed by the PCMag team. They’ve been running these “Fastest Mobile Network” tests for the past 12 years and with this year came some changes. They opted for electric vehicles for the more than 10,000 mile drive across the country. They used new software that tracks dropped calls and provides a better measure of reliability. Also, while previous years were in search of America’s fastest mobile network, they are now on the search for the best network. 

Using the Samsung Galaxy S22+ phone, the team stopped in 30 cities and six rural regions where they compared performance between AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Of these 30 cities, T-Mobile won in 18, Verizon won in eight and AT&T won in four. According to the team, “We use people, not square miles, to determine our scores. Rural areas comprise 16% of our score, similar to the 14-20% of the US population classified as rural.”

The reason for using the Samsung Galaxy over other 5G phones? PCMag said, “We’re using the Samsung Galaxy S22+ because it has shown the best network performance in our tests. With its Qualcomm X65 modem, the S22+ can hold onto weak signals longer than phones from previous years, and it supports all the new 5G bands carriers are implementing, including the frequencies AT&T is launching later this year.”

Due to the new software used this time around, the results aren’t directly comparable to those from previous years. For example, both T-Mobile and Verizon see dramatically increased nationwide speeds this year as they expand their mid-band 5G networks. However, as AT&T’s speeds decline, it has added very little capacity while data demands grew.

Looking closer at those speed results, T-Mobile also won here, specifically in upload and download speeds. The carrier was the fastest in 19 cities out of 30, compared to Verizon with nine and AT&T with two. PCMag also reported that T-Mobile is performing better in rural areas, but explained that it still has more rural dead zones in the Northeast than Verizon and AT&T do.

So how exactly is it that T-Mobile was capable of these wins? Their mid-band 5G network. This is what the carrier built from Sprint’s network after acquiring the company for $26 billion in 2020. They’ve also begun using carrier aggregation within the mid-band network to achieve faster speeds. 

For Verizon and AT&T, they are still working on closing the gap by utilizing mid-band spectrum they obtained in a recent FCC auction. Verizon has already gotten started with its 5G network, but AT&T has been waiting for the equipment required to build it out. AT&T hopes to have more 5G network service up and running by next year.

Does T-Mobile Still Have the Fastest 5G?

You may be familiar with Ookla, or their famous speedtest.net website that lets users easily test their Internet connection’s latency and download and upload speeds. They also run quarterly reports comparing the results between different Internet providers, both fixed and mobile. 

We’d like to highlight the mobile results only. This first quarter’s results were just released Monday and they compare median download speed, median latency, consistency score, and availability. 

Results reveal T-Mobile is still in the lead, and at the top of each category tested. The only change is that the gap between T-Mobile and Verizon has lessened. Here are just some results; median download speeds:

  1. T-Mobile: 191.12Mbps (up from 187.12Mbps)
  2. Verizon: 107.25Mbps (up from 78.52Mbps)
  3. AT&T: 68.43Mbps (down from 68.82Mbps)

With regards to testing by state and city, Minnesota took the top spot for fastest median mobile download speed during Q1 2022 at 92.31 Mbps. Overall, T-Mobile was the fastest mobile provider in 42 states. Results were too close to call in 6 states. 

St. Paul, Minnesota had the fastest median mobile download speed among the 100 most populous cities in the U.S. Speeds topped out at 136.72 Mbps. T-Mobile was the fastest operator in 78 of these cities. Verizon Wireless was the fastest provider in 10 cities, and US Cellular was fastest in one city (Madison, WI). The results were statistically too close to call in 11 cities.

Per T-Mobile news, their President of Technology has this to say about today’s win: 

“Our 5G network is delivering a powerful performance boost and it’s resonating, with over 40% of our customers now using a 5G device, accounting for more than HALF of our network traffic. And we’re just getting started – this leading network experience will continue to improve as we accelerate our 5G build this year and beyond.”

What Are the Results of the Opensignal Speed Tests on C-band?

Opensignal - 5G, 4G, 3G Internet & WiFi Speed Test - Apps on Google Play

Opensignal has released some findings from tests performed using mid-band services from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. This is their first major report since AT&T and Verizon launched their first C-band service back in January. 

Prior to C-Band coming out, T-Mobile was and still is using its 2.5GHz nationwide 5G network. This was from the spectrum they obtained via the Sprint merger. 

Now that the carriers are on more level playing fields, Opensignal determined it was time to put them all to the test. The Opensignal team has measured the impact of each carrier’s C-Band rollout on their nationwide performance within its new Quantifying the impact of C-band on 5G mobile experience in the U.S.

Results show that Verizon Wireless customers came out on top with the initial C-Band rollout. Thanks to the C-band coverage, the carrier’s average nationwide 5G download speed increased by 15Mbps. This spiked from 55.7Mbps shortly before the launch to 70.6Mbps following it. That’s a boost of more than 26% in download rates. Upload speeds on the other hand showed no clear change. Sadly, for AT&T customers, the results before and after the C-band launch were not much different on download or upload speeds. 

Opensignal noted that these differences with AT&T and Verizon weren’t exactly surprising. You simply need to compare the rate at which the carriers rolled out service and the number of users they were capable of reaching in this short amount of time. Verizon was able to reach more customers in their rollout than AT&T. 

Next, Opensignal measured the head-to-head performance of each carrier’s respective mid-band 5G offering. As you’ll see below, T-Mobile won with the highest download rate. They however lost on the upload rate to Verizon, which came in a close second on download speed. 

In their report, Opensignal stressed that, even when limiting its measurements to mid-band connections only, there’s more at work here than raw speed. The company says the other biggest factor is available spectrum ranges and their impact on network capacity. The more spectrum that’s available, the more users can connect before everyone’s download, and upload speeds begin to decline from congestion. It’s helpful to note that both AT&T entered the mid-band 5G game with 40MHz of available spectrum, while Verizon owns 60MHz. Comparatively, T-Mobile is believed to have deployed between 60MHz and 80MHz, with as much as 100MHz available for eventual deployment. 

The last item Opensignal looked at were the mid-band download rates of Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile in five major cities: Chicago, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Phoenix. AT&T was purposely left out since their mid-band was only available in Chicago. T-Mobile’s extensive network came out the winner here. It was only a close call when it came to results from Los Angeles.

In conclusion, Opensignal reminded readers that it is still very early days for competitive mid-band 5G in the U.S. However, it already detected average download rates on mid-band 5G that are “much faster — three to four times when connected to mid-band 5G on AT&T and Verizon compared to the average 5G download speeds our users experienced on the two carriers before they activated their C-band networks.” 

Thanks to the lead T-Mobile has over the other carriers, they’re likely to stay on top. Although, as Opensignal put it, “data shows that Verizon and soon AT&T now have the required mid-band spectrum to start the chase.”

Who is the fastest 5G carrier in the US?

According to the latest report from RootMetrics T-Mobile may have the fastest 5G speeds and greatest 5G availability, but what about reliability?

When measuring only 5G reliability, a different carrier, Verizon, came out on top.

The timing of this testing however, is important to note. 5G performance was done during the second half of 2021. At the start of the New Year, you may recall that Verizon and AT&T were finally able to turn on their new C-Band 5G coverare, which brings faster average speeds to a greater number of people (more than 90 million, according to Verizon). AT&T has only a handful of cities covered at this point.

The RootMetrics report gathered results from tests that were run in 125 of the largest cities in the U.S. In the end, they found T-Mobile had the fastest 5G download speeds in 48 markets, compared to three for Verizon and zero for AT&T. Median download speeds for T-Mobile topped 100 Mbps in more than half the cities RootMetrics tested in. In 26 markets, the speeds topped 200 Mbps.

T-Mobile was also determined to have the best 5G availability. With the highest availability in 83 tested markets, T-Mobile topped AT&T (62 markets) and Verizon (6 markets).

In comparison with 5G reliability, T-Mobile was actually found to have the lowest amount at 19. Verizon had the best in 93 markets, also topping AT&T, which only showed in 67 markets. 

These findings weren’t just determined by RootMetrics either. Their results are right inline with what has been seen from other third party testers. Back in January, OpenSignal published a 5G performance report in which T-Mobile not only had the fastest 5g download speeds, but was 93.9 Mbps faster than its closest rival. T-Mobile also came out on top for availability and reach.

When comparing T-Mobile’s approach to the 5G rollout to that of AT&T and Verizon’s, it’s clear that T-Mobile got ahead by using sub-6GHz spectrum to create a far-reaching 5G nationwide network. The network now reaches more than 310 million people. More recently, they’ve begun using mid-band spectrum — much of it obtained through the merger with Sprint — to boost speeds. T-Mobile calls this their Ultra Capacity 5G service and it covers some 210 million people.

Verizon and AT&T started their 5G journey by concentrating on mmWave-based 5G. This can be very fast, but has a limited range. mmWave-based towers are in select cities. To provide more coverage, but at slower speed, the two carriers use sub-6GHz 5G.

After a few delays and limitations AT&T and Verizon were able to roll out more coverage in January, this time on the faster C-Band spectrum. The higher band spectrum has a wider reach than mmWave, enabling both carriers to reach more people with faster 5G service. In Verizon’s case, they have more than 90 million people being covered with the carrier’s fastest Ultra Wideband 5G. AT&T is rolling out its C-Band 5G, though on a more limited basis currently.

C-Band tests have been done in a number of different locations and already seems to be improving performance for Verizon. Right after C-Band 5G went live, testing firm Ookla published a report claiming that Verizon’s average 5G download speed jumped to 116.3 Mbps from 76.5 Mbps within the course of a week. For comparison, T-Mobile speeds increased from 182 Mbps to 187.1 Mbps in that same time period.

With the recent upgrades and third party tests that have come out, it would seem the leader board is bound to shift by RootMetrics’ next test. Only time will tell!

Verizon’s sneak peek of pre-commercial C-band in LA

Amidst the concerns over 5G’s C-Band spectrum, and cold weather, journalists and analysts went to the streets to test. They received a sneak peek of Verizon’s pre-commercial C-band 5G service in downtown Los Angeles, complete with handsets tuned to the C-band. 

Among these testers was Bill Ho, a principal analyst at 556 Ventures. He later posted on Twitter that he was able to get download speeds of 649 Mbps, with upload of 63 Mbps.

The tests were conducted at an ice-rink within the LA Live entertainment district of downtown and detailed in this article. This is a well trafficked area of LA, a few blocks wide, where they set up a few devices to access the network.

Infrastructure in the area was supplied by Ericsson, and only available to these supplied devices (i.e. Samsung S21, iPhone 12, and iPhone 13).  C-band nodes were often a half a mile away from the test area and still provided broadband speed and performance. Some reporters also used their own phones which would have had access to LTE and mmWave, but not C-band.

Verizon’s intent was to show off the unique power of C-band – specifically on 60Mhz – where on an unencumbered network with few users the speed and capacity are compatible with millimeter wave (mmWave). Though the 3.7 GHz C-band has much farther range. 

Verizon hasn’t provided an exact time for when the commercial C-band service will launch, but reiterated its commitment to cover 100 million people by the end of March. “We’re confident we’ll do that,” a spokesperson said on Friday. 

Now, the real question is whether Verizon can catch up to T-Mobile in mid-band 5G in a way that’s fast enough, and effective enough, so that T-Mobile’s advantage doesn’t significantly hurt Verizon’s business. 

“T-Mobile is building out simply because they’ve got it and they know that they want to extend the competitive gap,” Ho said. From Verizon’s standpoint, they’re moving very fast – and from AT&T’s standpoint, “they’re doing it too, but maybe not as telegraphed as much as Verizon – and that is to limit the gap, or minimize the gap” that T-Mobile has created.

That, in part, is because “in my opinion, everybody is going after enterprise,” Ho added. That said, there are a lot of 5G growth sectors, such as fixed wireless access (FWA) and enterprise, both areas where T-Mobile intends to grow. Verizon has a huge enterprise base, so they need to bring that up to show and minimize any competitive gaps. T-Mobile says they’re two years ahead,” and that’s a snapshot in time.

Once Verizon turns on that C-band, “they kind of minimize that whole argument,” leading to questions as to whether or not T-Mobile’s head-start is indeed two years, Ho added. “It’s really the marketing message that T-Mobile has been saying for a while,” he said. “If Verizon gets it done fast, then they can minimize that marketing message totally.”