T-Mobile 5G still faster than Verizon and AT&T, but it’s getting close

Ookla has published its 5G in the US report today showing how the major carriers compare for download and upload speeds, video and gaming performance, and more. Here’s how much faster T-Mobile 5G performed than Verizon and AT&T. However, Verizon is catching up.

T-Mobile continued to outperform the competition for 5G cellular median download speed continuing a multi-year trend.

However, Verizon and AT&T have made up ground and Verizon even surpassed T-Mobile for 5G median upload speed.

Ookla says that the expansion of the mid-band spectrum over recent years has played a big role in all US carriers improving their performance.

US 5G performance in 2024

For median 5G download speeds, here’s how the three major carriers compared:

• T-Mobile 5G high of 287.14 Mbps in March 2024 (slight dip after)
• Verizon 5G high of 224.67 Mbps in March 2024 (slight dip after)
• AT&T 5G high of 145.36 Mbps in March 2024 (slight dip after)

Notably, Verizon made up a lot of ground compared to T-Mobile in the second half of 2023. Speaking of Verizon’s progress, the carrier was able to just surpass T-Mobile for median 5G upload speed at just over 15 Mbps.

Both T-Mobile and Verizon saw an improvement in video and gaming performance over the last year

Ookla also shared a US map of how 5G performance varies by state:

For all the details, check out the full report from Ookla on 5G in the US.

All images via Ookla