T-Mobile is the New Speed King Carrier

PCMag has published its Fastest Mobile Networks 2021 report, and based on its findings, T-Mobile is the new speed champion. This is a big development, as Verizon has been the champ nearly ever year since 2011. There were two years where AT&T snuck in and stole it, most recently in 2019. That’s not important, though. What is important is our new speed king, T-Mobile.

According to PCMag’s testing, while a few speed figures may look similar when comparing T-Mobile’s network against Verizon and AT&T, what’s important is the average download and upload speed, which is where T-Mobile really shined in these tests. While Verizon averaged a download speed of 93.7Mbps and AT&T came in at 98.2Mbps, T-Mobile’s average download speed is listed at 162.3Mbps. It also averaged an upload speed of 7Mbps faster than both AT&T and Verizon, hovering around 28Mbps.

Average speed isn’t the only factor when it comes to these tests, though. As you can see in the graphic above, T-Mobile didn’t get a clean sweep. In average latency time, Verizon came in at the lowest, while T-Mobile’s 5G network availability also isn’t listed as the best of the three. If you’re only concerned with raw speed, Verizon absolutely dominates with its mmWave, coming in at a peak of over 2200Mbps.

With the battle for 5G supremacy still raging on, it’s becoming more and more clear which bet was the better one for these carriers. While Verizon focused on mmWave, which is hardly accessible, T-Mobile decided it would take its chances on purchasing Sprint, then utilizing its mid-band airwaves and utilizing it for 5G. So far, it’s been working very well for them.

Everyone’s experience will be different. What works for me won’t always work for the next guy, so it’s important that customers continue to see what else is available in their area. You never know if there might be a better deal/service/experience around you.

Now, if only T-Mobile could stop getting hacked.

// PCMag