5G from AT&T and Verizon turns out to be Europe-level bad
Recent Opensignal data shows AT&T and Verizon's 5G availability at 11.7% and 7.7%, respectively, while T-Mobile leads at 67.9%. Poor performance is linked to spectrum choices and fewer mobile sites.
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Recent data from Opensignal reveals that 5G services from AT&T and Verizon are significantly underperforming, with availability scores of just 11.7% and 7.7%, respectively. In contrast, T-Mobile leads with a score of 67.9%. The report highlights that these availability figures reflect the percentage of time users can connect to 5G in frequently visited locations, rather than geographic coverage. Analysts attribute the poor performance of AT&T and Verizon to their reliance on C-band spectrum, which, while expensive, is not ideal for providing robust coverage. T-Mobile's advantage stems from its use of 2.5GHz spectrum, which offers better propagation characteristics. The report also notes that the U.S. has fewer mobile sites per capita compared to countries like China and Japan, exacerbating coverage issues. Despite the low 5G availability, AT&T and Verizon maintain high overall mobile availability rates, but their 5G performance could hinder their competitive positioning. Verizon's strategy, which initially focused on millimeter wave spectrum, has also contributed to its struggles. The findings suggest that while U.S. telcos have invested heavily in 5G, the results have not met expectations, leading to comparisons with European operators who have similarly low availability rates.
- AT&T and Verizon's 5G availability is significantly lower than T-Mobile's.
- Poor performance is linked to reliance on C-band spectrum, which is less effective for coverage.
- T-Mobile's use of 2.5GHz spectrum provides better connectivity.
- The U.S. has fewer mobile sites per capita compared to leading countries.
- Low 5G availability may impact customer retention and competitive positioning for AT&T and Verizon.
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8 comments ╔═════════════╦════════════════╦══════════╦════════╦════════╦══════════╦═════════╗
║ Location ║ Provider ║ Protocol ║ Ping ║ Jitter ║ Down ║ Up ║
╠═════════════╬════════════════╬══════════╬════════╬════════╬══════════╬═════════╣
║ Chicago ║ Sharktech ║ IPv4 ║ 60 ms ║ 15 ms ║ 408 Mbps ║ 23 Mbps ║
║ Atlanta ║ Cloudiver ║ IPv6 ║ 67 ms ║ 8 ms ║ 311 Mbps ║ 23 Mbps ║
║ Amsterdam ║ "Rust backend" ║ IPv4 ║ 169 ms ║ 260 ms ║ 68 Mbps ║ 20 Mbps ║
║ Nuremberg ║ Hetzner ║ IPv6 ║ 155 ms ║ 125 ms ║ 132 Mbps ║ 20 Mbps ║
║ Los Angeles ║ Sharktech ║ IPv4 ║ 86 ms ║ 15 ms ║ 373 Mbps ║ 21 Mbps ║
║ Serbia ║ SOX ║ IPv6 ║ 188 ms ║ 29 ms ║ 173 Mbps ║ 17 Mbps ║
║ Tokyo ║ A573 ║ IPv4 ║ 183 ms ║ 72 ms ║ 156 Mbps ║ 22 Mbps ║
╚═════════════╩════════════════╩══════════╩════════╩════════╩══════════╩═════════╝
I've noticed my device, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, will stay on LTE until I start downloading or streaming something. Then it will switch to 5g ultra wideband.
I'm disappointed, but not especially surprised.
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