In this case, one of the primary drivers when a consumer is selecting a wireless carrier is speed. Two of the key wireless network operators in the United States are AT&T and T-Mobile and both companies provide voice and data services on a national level. But which one of them has the faster network I am talking about – AT&T or T-Mobile? In this post, we will look at the difference between AT&T and T-Mobile with respect to speed, data transfer rate, latency, 5G availability, etcetera.
Speed Test Comparisons
According to the latest speed test data from Ookla, T-Mobile currently has a speed advantage over AT&T in terms of both download and upload speeds on their 4G LTE networks.
- Average LTE Download Speed: T-mobile - 35.73 Mbps | AT&T - 33.25 Mbps
- Average LTE Upload Speed: T-Mobile – $15.21 Mbps | AT&T –$ 9.29 Mbps
Thus, T-Mobile has a slight advantage on the level of 4G speed when compared to AT&T. However it is also useful to bare in mind that speed test results are likely to differ depending on location, time, day, traffic and other conditions.
Latency, which gives us the round trip time of data in relation to your device, has AT&T Customer Service having a better score with an average latency of 58.12 ms as opposed to T-Mobile’s 60.57 ms. Lower latency enables a more real time mobile experience.
5G Availability
5G is the fifth generation wireless network that will provide massive speed in comparison to 4G networks with much lesser delay time. As of Q3 2022, Ookla reports the following 5G availability for AT&T and T-Mobile:As of Q3 2022, Ookla reports the following 5G availability for AT&T and T-Mobile:
- AT&T 5G Availability: This implies that the percentage of students able to attain mean raw score was as follows: 94.3%.
- T-Mobile 5G Availability: This means that 95.5% of the respondents were taking one or more prescribed medications at the time of the survey.
Out of all the telecom companies, T-Mobile secures the second place regarding the percentage of the country that is covered with the 5G network. However, users should note that 5G networks are slowly being deployed across the country and coverage has been steadily increasing with each quarter.
According to the 5G average download speeds data collected by Opensignal, AT&T provides slightly better data connection than T-Mobile at the moment. However, T-Mobile is still close to AT&T as we are still in the nascent steps of the 5G network generation. It is believed that the competition of the 5G speed between the two carriers will gain momentum in the next few years as more coverages are provided and technologies are developed.
Reliability of Coverage
The fact that a carrier can deliver packages fast doesn’t mean it is the right carrier to select. At any given time and place, accessing reliable service is very crucial since it determines the quality of service that is being offered. While companies like RootMetrics carry out drive tests throughout the United States , RootMetrics not only tests the speed of the networks but also the dependability and availably of the networks.
While testing RootMetric in its latest testing, it revealed that AT&T had a slightly better performance compared to T-Mobile in the overall national reliability and network availability. According to the latest test, AT&T also has its services in more states than T-Mobile. So when it comes to the extent of coverage and having consistent service in large territories, AT&T looks to have a stronger edge over T-Mobile in what I found through my tests.
However, do point out that T-Mobile has had far less geography with relatively poor or no service in recent years due to network in and out and expansion. They are now on the same level as ATT when it comes to coverage across the country.
Additional Factors Impacting Speeds
There are several factors beyond the wireless network itself that can impact the internet speeds you’ll experience on AT&T or T-Mobile:There are several factors beyond the wireless network itself that can impact the internet speeds you’ll experience on AT&T or T-Mobile:
1. Device - This depends on your Smartphone or mobile device that you are using to download/upload where the the capabilities of the device determines the speeds that can be supported. Phones released in the last year are compatible with 5G to allow consumers to brag with the latest speeds.
2. Physical location- This is the place that one is in when they are connecting to the network and varies in terms of network loads and the latest technologies in the network. Large numbers of people create demand which in turn causes overload in densely populated regions.
3. Spectrum Holdings – Wireless carriers use various ranges in this radio frequency spectrum to transmit data. This paper has shown that the degree of spectrum holding determines the speeds as well as the capacities of the networks.
4. Rate Plan – With the unlimited data plans their provision may be faster than metered plans if the user crosses some limits set by the carrier. These policies are employed in the fight against congestion otherwise termed as ‘traffic control’.
Overall, there are certain things worth knowing today T-Mobile declared they have higher speed today in comparison with ATT where we compare 4G and 5G, but still, the real speed that users experience depends on many factors. Today, the performance of networks has been encouraged to advance as a result of technological development. Newspaper and magazine personal research show that this was true as AT&T was still the superior company to T-Mobile concerning the strength and availability of their networks.
We hope this comparison explanation will help if you are confused about the choice between AT&T and T-Mobile or if you compare these networks based on the speeds they provide! It is also important to check for updated test results as networks continue to grow; the next section looks at the best wireless carriers. Please feel free to inform us in case you have other areas of wireless service providers that you would want to see us compare in the future.
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