As mobile internet service keeps getting better and faster, small differences in exact speeds may not make as much of a difference to those who use their phones for little more than texting, checking email and occasionally posting a few photos on Facebook (META).
But as anyone who has ever dealt with bad service when driving out of a city or entering a dead zone knows, better coverage can save a lot of headaches and even prove to be essential in a vital moment.
According to the latest analysis run by Ookla's Speedtest, the fastest internet speeds by far come from telecom giant T-Mobile (TMUS). The median download speed of 151.35 megabytes per second far outpaces the closest front-runner of 69.01 mbps at Verizon Wireless (VZ).
The third place was nabbed by AT&T (T) and was not far behind Verizon with a median download speed of 65.57 mbps. Traditionally significantly slower than download speeds, median upload screens were 12.53 mbps at T-Mobile, 9.33 mbps at Verizon and 7.98mbps for AT&T.
This Is Where You Have to Go For the Fastest Internet
"T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator in the United States during Q4 2022 with a median download speed of 151.37 Mbps on modern chipsets, a substantial increase from 116.14 Mbps during Q3 2022," write the report's authors. "Verizon Wireless and AT&T were distant runners up."
When looking at consistency, the gap between providers is much less dramatic. T-Mobile provided consistent speeds 86.8% of the time while that number was at a respective 82.4% and 81.1% for Verizon and AT&T.
Availability of 5G was also highest for T-Mobile at 69.2% while it was at 64.5% for AT&T and 34.3% at Verizon.
T-Mobile immediately jumped on Speedtest's findings and released a press release detailing how proud it was to come out on top of this ranking.
"We've long led the industry in 5G, but we've had our sights on more than 5G leadership," T-Mobile's President of Technology Neville Ray said in a statement. "We're taking the crown as the overall network leader in America by expanding our coverage and game-changing speeds to deliver the best experience and value to customers across the nation, and we've only just begun to show what T-Mobile's network can do."
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The Telecom Wars Between T-Mobile, Verizon And AT&T
Known as the "big three" telecom providers in the U.S. for decades, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T are in a constant battle to win over customers by speed, price and overall service.
While the latter two have recently made big moves to offer customers smaller monthly payments, T-Mobile has been riding a much stronger wave than its competitors recently.
At $144.29 as of Thursday afternoon, T-Mobile stock is up nearly 37% since this time last year while AT&T and Verizon have been on a downturn; AT&T shares are now $18.84 and down 8.84% since January 2022 while Verizon is down 26% year-over-year and at $39.61.
"I can't help but notice that AT&T stock is ramming into the 10-week and 50-day moving averages, as well as the $16.50 to $17 area, which formerly was support," Bret Kenwell wrote for TheStreet in late October. "The bulls now want to know whether this area will flip to resistance. If AT&T stock can reclaim this area, then the bulls will be in control. That will open the door up to the 50% retracement at $18."
