Verizon had the best overall wireless network during the first half of 2020, ranking first in six of seven categories (including a tie), according to a new survey.
AT&T ranked second overall, followed by T-Mobile, mobile evaluator RootMetrics said Tuesday.
Verizon ranked first in reliability, accessibility, data connections and calls. As in previous years, Verizon tied first with AT&T for text messaging quality.
But in the most important test for the fastest network, Verizon came in second behind AT&T. T-Mobile was left behind.
The ranking comes just as the industry is making an expensive transition to 5G, which will eventually bring speeds 10 to 100 times faster than current 4G LTE, and after T-Mobile finally completed its $ 26,000 merger. million with Sprint in April. In its latest round of testing, RootMetrics said it used 5G-capable phones and measured the speed and availability of 5G service as part of all ratings.
“Keep in mind that there are significant differences in availability between spectrum types, and carriers sometimes face a difficult compromise between wide geographic coverage and high speeds,” RootMetrics noted over 5G.
Verizon claims to offer a super-fast type of 5G, but only in parts of about three dozen cities, while AT&T and T-Mobile offer a much slower type of 5G in many more cities. That’s similar to what Fortune found in our recent 5G network test.
RootMetrics didn’t offer 5G-specific statistics, but noted that availability reached 63% of tests on the T-Mobile network in Jackson, Miss., And 50% on the AT&T network in Columbus, Ohio compared to a low. of 0.7. % on Verizon’s Omaha network.
In terms of 5G average speeds, Verizon in Los Angeles hit 255 megabits per second, roughly seven times faster than Verizon’s combined 5G and 4G overall average speed nationwide of 36 Mbps. At 255 Mbps, a user From your phone you can instantly download a song album or record a Full HD movie in minutes.
AT & T’s best 5G reached 116 Mbps in Phoenix, about three times faster than its overall national average of 42 Mbps. T-Mobile’s top 5G speed, 83 Mbps in Hampton Roads, Virginia, was four times faster than its overall average of 20 Mbps.
RootMetrics uses a different methodology than other mobile network testing companies, such as Ookla and OpenSignal, which rank based on speed tests performed by customers using free apps on their phones. AT&T topped Ookla’s most recent download speed rankings, followed by T-Mobile, with Verizon lagging behind.
RootMetrics, a unit of IHS Markit, performs its tests with professionals who drive across the country, but in the first half of 2020 it had to reduce the number of tests due to the COVID-19 outbreak. To compile the latest rankings, its surveyors ran 2.7 million tests, drove nearly 203,000 miles, and also checked more than 3,000 indoor locations. That was less than 3.9 million tests, driving 225,000 miles and reviewing 8,000 indoor locations for its report covering the second half of 2019.
RootMetrics also ranked operators in seven categories in each of the 55 major metropolitan areas, below its 125 typical areas. Verizon ranked first in the most local categories, at 329, followed by AT&T with 193, T-Mobile with 78 and Sprint with 70.
