The fastest 5G network in the US has a new champ

According to Ookla, based on tests conducted during the first three months of 2021, the fastest 5G speeds were seen on T-Mobile This is a change from Ookla's Q4 results, where AT&T boasted the fastest 5G performance

However, AT&T can take comfort in the fact that it had the highest median 5G speed in the RootMetrics report, topping the 45-city sample AT&T also took the top spot in the LTE speed rankings in RootMetrics' latest report T-Mobile, on the other hand, claimed improved speeds and more 5G availability than any other carrier

Verizon lagged in both reports because of its early focus on launching faster millimeter wave-based 5G in select cities after T-Mobile and AT&T launched their nationwide networks; both Ookla and RootMetrics reports noted Verizon's 5G performance and availability, noting

Let's take a closer look at what each testing firm had to say about the state of 5G

According to Ookla's numbers, T-Mobile 5G recorded a median download speed of 8235 Mbps in the first quarter of this year, eclipsing AT&T's result of 766 Mbps Verizon came in behind with 672 Mbps

This was an improvement over the Q4 numbers recorded by Ookla for all three carriers, but T-Mobile posted the largest quarter-over-quarter growth This is due to T-Mobile's overall speed increase due to ongoing efforts to integrate Sprint's 5G holdings into T-Mobile's network

T-Mobile also dominated in 5G usage time (essentially, the average time a 5G-enabled device is connected to the faster network in Ookla's testing); T-Mobile's 654% 5G usage ranking is almost double the 362% recorded by the second place version which is almost double that of the second-place version

No wonder Ookla gave T-Mobile the title of fastest mobile operator in the US with a speed score of 5021 This beats the speed scores of AT&T (4838) and Verizon (4125)

Interestingly, Ookla's report also includes performance figures for individual phones: the OnePlus 8, released a year ago, had the fastest median download speed for all technologies combined, beating both iPhone 12 Pro models OnePlus also topped the median download speeds of cell phone manufacturers, ahead of Samsung and Apple in second place

RootMetrics did not publish median download speeds in its new report, instead awarding the top 5G carriers based on the number of cities with 5G performance above 50 Mbps In the first quarter, AT&T 5G exceeded 50 Mbps in 31 cities; T-Mobile and Verizon exceeded 50 Mbps in 12 and 10 cities, respectively

"All three carriers showed progress in the first 45 cities we tested in the first half of 2021 compared to what we found in the same cities in the second half of last year," RootMetrics said in its report

The potential for getting 5G signals on T-Mobile's network is still high, RootMetrics found; T-Mobile had 5G availability of 55% or more in 30 of the 45 cities RootMetrics tested This was higher than AT&T's 20 cities and Verizon's 3 cities