Yes, ladies and gents, it's that time of the year again. The time when various reputable analytics firms present the latest results of their incredibly meticulous wireless network performance-testing efforts, leaving mobile device users across the US scratching their heads as they try to come up with an answer to the seemingly simple age-old question: which major carrier is best?
As always, said answer depends on a large number of variables, ranging from where you live to what kind of phone you own, and perhaps most importantly, what analytics company you choose to listen to. While both Ookla and Opensignal have showered T-Mobile with 5G awards recently, RootMetrics is naming AT&T its overall champion today, closely followed by Verizon.
Wait, what?
It's true, the nation's third-largest mobile network operator by subscriber numbers is ranked first in the latest edition of the aptly named "US State of the Mobile Union" report, with three outright titles and three gold medals shared with arch-rival Verizon across a grand total of seven categories.
That leaves one trophy for Big Red and a big fat zero in Magenta's W column, which might come as a shock to those who are completely unfamiliar with these "overall" RootMetrics studies. While an H2 2021 report focused entirely on 5G network performance is coming soon, today's results are also taking "outdated" 4G LTE technology into account.
As hard as T-Mo might be trying to convince you otherwise, that's still a big part of the everyday mobile experience for many people around the country, crucially helping AT&T and Verizon offset some of their major 5G infrastructure weaknesses.
AT&T's greatest national victory undoubtedly comes in the 4G LTE/5G speed department, with an impressive 97.4 RootScore (on a 100-point scale) that actually represents a (tiny) decline from the first half of last year.
Luckily for Ma Bell, Verizon's same score dropped way more abruptly, from 95.7 to 94.6 points, while T-Mobile couldn't escape the last spot on the podium (yet) despite rocketing from 91.4 to 94 points.
Incredibly enough, AT&T has both the fastest and most reliable mobile network nationwide right now, leapfrogging former leader Verizon in the latter category, which continues to be one of T-Mo's biggest weak points. For its part, Verizon saw its scores declining in several categories, but it still statistically tied AT&T for the "overall experience" crown, technically emerging as a winner from this squeaky close race.
The biggest loser is also the most improved player
There's really no way for T-Mobile's crafty marketing division to spin this particular battle as a win, but at least the "Un-carrier" managed to move into second place in one section of the report (accessibility), where it nearly gained three points in the space of six months, compared to Verizon's +1 progress and AT&T's -2 deficit.
Perhaps more importantly, Magenta's frequently hyped-up 5G expansions, breakthroughs, and achievements of the last nine months or so greatly boosted the operator's median download speed, strongly suggesting a comprehensive win is in the cards in the next 5G-focused RootMetrics report.
T-Mo's 4G LTE/5G median download speed result surged by an absolutely mind-blowing 163 percent between H1 and H2 2021, from 30.3 to 79.8 Mbps, leaving Verizon and AT&T's 40.8 and 38.1 Mbps averages respectively in the dust and making us wonder exactly how Magenta missed out on the overall speed trophy.
At least part of the explanation is the presumably huge gap between T-Mobile's median download speeds in many large cities and rural areas where AT&T and Verizon's 4G LTE networks continue to reign supreme across all user experience components.
Basically, the question of which carrier is best all comes back to where you live and how lucky you are, but from a macro perspective, AT&T and Verizon are evidently leading the (small) pack, while T-Mobile is improving at an unrivaled pace.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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