However, because Verizon uses the ultra-high-speed but low-area mmWave technology – notably in the 28Ghz and 39Ghz spectrums – its 5G coverage is spotty, so it’s more appropriate to say it’s life in neighborhoods and areas within those cities – at least for now.
We saw this patchiness firsthand and had to wander around the city’s multiple 5G masts to obtain this top speed; however, we were able to get around 1Gbps routinely.
These speeds are likely to rise, as are coverage areas: consult Verizon’s coverage maps to discover which portions of your city should get 5G access.
T-5G Mobile’s network
T-Mobile pursued a different strategy, especially since the business spent much of 2019 negotiating a successful merger with competitor carrier Sprint. While T-Mobile also employs some 28Ghz mmWave frequencies, T-Mobile 5G’s greater rollout also incorporates sub-600Mhz frequencies that reach far farther to serve suburban and rural populations but provide lower speeds.
T-mmWave Mobile’s coverage launched in June 2019 in New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Las Vegas, ambitions to expand to 30 locations by the end of the year. Surprisingly, the only phone capable of harnessing 5G at the moment was the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.
All of this was in preparation for a massive nationwide 5G launch event in December 2019 at lower 600Mhz frequencies. This launch triggered service across 1 million square miles of U.S. territory, reaching 60 percent of Americans, according to the business.
T-5G Mobile’s smartphone portfolio by June 2020 comprised all three Samsung Galaxy S20 phones (including the S20 Plus and S20 Ultra), the LG V60 ThinQ, and the OnePlus 8 5G.
T-Mobile continued to grow during 2020, working with some regional carriers, such as GCI, to piggyback on its network in Anchorage, Alaska, to provide T-Mobile users with 5G connectivity in June. After getting access to Sprint 5G due to the businesses’ merger, this final move delivered T-Mobile 5G to all 50 states, though speeds and coverage area are still not universal.
Sprint’s 5G network
Sprint chose a middle-of-the-road frequency strategy with the so-called mid-band 2.5Ghz, most likely to complement T-high Mobile’s and low bands.
Sprint 5G launched in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Kansas City in May 2019, followed by New York, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, and Los Angeles in August 2019. It is already available in Houston, with additional locations to follow.
The carrier supports the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G, S20 Plus 5G, S20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, LG V50 ThinQ, and the US-exclusive OnePlus 7T 5G, as well as the HTC 5G Hub, which is a 5G hotspot rather than a phone.
Sprint subscribers will have access to T-Mobile 5G starting in April 2020, as the company’s merger with T-Mobile was formally approved in February. After that, the aim is to fully integrate both carrier networks and branding under the New T-Mobile name, but it’s unclear when that will happen; for now, Sprint customers will remain with their carrier but will use T-network Mobile’s in the interim.
AT&T’s 5G network
AT&T has the least amount of money invested in 5G. Following its introduction in late 2018, the carrier went so far as to expand to seven more cities in April 2019, including Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Orlando. However, it still didn’t have a phone, relying on the 5G Netgear Nighthawk mobile hotspot for service.
Instead, AT&T shattered consumer trust by touting ‘5Ge,’ or 5G Evolution, a beefed-up 4G service that AT&T claimed featured 5G technology – statements that were slammed across the tech and telecom spheres.
However, its 5G coverage has recently increased, and the network now offers 5G handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 and LG V60 ThinQ.
AT&T currently offers real 5G in 190’markets’ (meaning locations in specific counties, cities, and towns) across the United States — see AT&T’s latest list to see if it’s available in your region.