Ookla, the maker of the popular Speedtest app, has released its latest report and T-Mobile has come out as the big winner in wireless.
Thanks to its Speedtest app, Ookla is in a unique position to compile reports based on organic user data, rather than rigid, pre-defined studies. The company gives each provider a “Speed Score,” which is based on the provider’s upload and download speeds. Because download speed has a far greater impact on a user’s experience, 90% of the score is attributed to download speed, with the remaining 10% attributed to upload.
Its latest report covers Q1 2021, and T-Mobile has come out on top in almost every category.
Overall Speed
In terms of overall speed, T-Mobile scored first place with a score of 50.21. AT&T came in second with 48.38 and Verizon came in third with 41.25.
Consistency
Ookla’s Consistency test measures providers’ ability to deliver consistent speeds. T-Mobile came in first, providing download speeds of at least 5 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 1 Mbps 84.8% of the time. AT&T came in second at 83.5% and Verizon came in third at 81.6% of the time.
5G Speed
When looking exclusively at 5G speed, T-Mobile was again the clear winner, with an average download speed of 82.35 Mbps. AT&T was again second with 76.60 Mbps, and Verizon came in third at 67.24 Mbps.
5G Time Spent (5G Availability)
Ookla’s Time Spent test measures how much time phones are connected to 5G, giving a look into a provider’s 5G coverage and availability. T-Mobile came in first with 65.4%. Verizon came in second with 36.2% and AT&T was third with 31.0%.
Latency
Latency tests were the only tests were T-Mobile didn’t score first place. AT&T and Verizon tied at 32 ms, while T-Mobile had 33 ms.
T-Mobile touted the results as validation of its 5G strategy, one that has helped it become the company to beat in the 5G race.
“Ookla’s report is just the latest to prove T-Mobile is America’s leader in 5G, with real customer data showing T-Mobile delivers the fastest 5G speeds and a 5G signal more often,” said Neville Ray, President of Technology at T-Mobile. “While the other networks play catch up, T-Mobile 5G will keep layering on even more capacity and speed to the nation’s largest 5G network.”
