AT&T is leading in 5G speeds, but T-Mobile is winning in coverage

With smartphone OEMs launching more and more affordable 5G phones and service providers offering attractive discounts on their 5G plans, 5G adoption in the US has seen a massive uptick in the last few months. Carriers have also made significant improvements to their 5G networks this year, extending coverage to more cities, enhancing reliability, and offering faster average download speeds. So, if you’ve been planning to get yourself a 5G phone, now is the right time. But before you go ahead and choose a device and carrier, you should check out RootMetrics’ latest 5G scorecard to see which carrier is providing the best 5G service in the country.

As per RootMetrics’ 5G scorecard for June 2021, AT&T provides the fastest everyday 5G download speeds across the US. But it lags behind T-Mobile when it comes to overall 5G coverage in the country. The report highlights that AT&T offered the fastest 5th percentile, median, and 95th percentile 5G download speeds in the first half of 2021, followed by Verizon and T-Mobile.

On the other hand, T-Mobile offered the highest everyday 5G availability in 57 of the 85 cities tested. AT&T and Verizon lagged behind, offering better reliability in just 27 and 8 cities, respectively. T-Mobile also provided better coverage, offering 5G in all 85 cities tested. In contrast, Verizon and AT&T’s 5G networks were present in 83 and 79 cities, respectively.

Additionally, the report highlights a few improvements in 5G network availability in the first half of 2021 compared to the second half of 2020. It states that AT&T’s everyday 5G availability increased to 63.5% from 0% in Raleigh, NC, while its median download speed clocked in at 75.7 Mbps in the region. T-Mobile’s everyday 5G media download speed in Hampton Roads, VA, nearly quadrupled from 56.5Mbps to 195.8Mbps, while its everyday 5G availability increased from 44.1% to 67.1% in the region. Verizon also showed impressive progress in the New York City metro area, going from 0% availability to 35% and offering a median download speed of 78.8Mbps.

Based on these figures, T-Mobile seems to be the best option if you want widespread coverage, AT&T is better if you want faster download speeds, and Verizon should be your pick if you want the best reliability. If you’re still confused, you should check out the full report for additional details by following this link.

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