T-Mobile had the best U.S. wireless network during the first half of 2025 says new report
According to Ookla, the Speedtest Connectivity Score reliably measures a carrier's overall mobile network connected experience using a combination of scores based on speed, web browsing, and video streaming. It wasn't close when deciding which carrier was fastest in the U.S. during the first half of this year. With a score of 74.45, T-Mobile trounced Verizon (65.72) and AT&T (63.16). The order was the same for 5G speeds, with a leading 58.02 for T-Mobile , 52.57 for Verizon , and 44.36 for AT&T .
T-Mobile had the fastest 5G wireless speeds in the U.S during the first half of the year. | Image credit-Ookla When it comes to video streaming, Verizon scored the best with a result of 76.53. T-Mobile was thisclose to Verizon at 76.38. AT&T 's streaming video score came in at 71.91. Verizon had a bigger lead over T-Mobile in 5G video streaming as the latter's 79.95 5G video streaming tally trailed Verizon 's leading 82.57 score by a larger margin. AT&T was third as its 5G video streaming score was 76.05.
If Verizon is the network for those who love to stream videos, T-Mobile is the carrier for gamers, according to Ookla's numbers. The wireless provider had leading scores of 86.61 for gaming (and 87.31 for 5G gaming). Verizon and AT&T were 2nd and 3rd with scores of 84.10 (86.33 for 5G gaming) and 82.81 (83.71 for 5G gaming), respectively.
A lot of consumers in the U.S. subscribe to Verizon because they believe that the carrier has superior coverage. The Speedtest numbers show that Americans have this one right, as Verizon 's Coverage Score was 29.9% with AT&T second at 24.9%. T-Mobile was third at 22.9%.
U.S. consumers consider T-Mobile to be the best wireless carrier in the U.S. | Image credit-Ookla
When you must have a 5G connection, the T-Mobile network is your best bet as the wireless provider had a leading 90.8% 5G Availability Score. This means that nearly 91% of the time they were connected to T-Mobile , subscribers had an active connection to a 5G signal. That occurred 87.5% of the time for AT&T subscribers, and only 54.2% of the time for Verizon customers.
When ranking carrier consistency, Ookla measures the percentage of time each carrier met or exceeded 5 Mbps with its download speed and 1Mbps with its upload speed. T-Mobile met these thresholds 87.6% of the time (77.6% for 5G). Verizon was next with a score of 84.7% (75.8% 5G), followed by AT&T 's 80.9% (66.6% 5G).
15 years ago, if you asked the average wireless user in the U.S. to rank the top carriers, the results might have been in this order: Verizon , AT&T , Sprint, T-Mobile . We've often discussed T-Mobile 's amazing turnaround, and I feel honored to have chronicled one of the most incredible worst-to-first stories that the business world has ever seen. The latest Consumer Sentiment scores have T-Mobile with a leading 3.78 out of 5 reading. Verizon placed second with a 3.40 score, and AT&T was third with a 3.12 tally.
The fastest region in the U.S. was the District of Columbia, with a median mobile download speed of 200.29 Mbps. T-Mobile was the fastest carrier in that region. Among the U.S. cities with the largest populations, San Antonio had the fastest median mobile download speed at 249.15 Mbps. T-Mobile was the fastest carrier in that city.
The carrier with the largest number of trophies received was T-Mobile .
T-Mobile
Best Mobile Network
Best 5G Network
Fastest Mobile Network
Fastest 5G Network
Game Score
5G Game Score
Top Rated
Verizon
Video Streaming Score
5G Video Streaming Score
AT&T was not at the top of any category measured by Ookla. To be clear, the data covered the first six months of this year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Phone Arena
8 hours ago
- Phone Arena
With Helium Plus. businesses get paid for using their routers to deliver Wi-Fi connectivity
Helium Mobile today has announced Helium Plus. This service allows any business or public Wi-Fi provider to help expand reliable, community-driven wireless service in the U.S. and Mexico. Helium's people-powered networks have traditionally been set up through the creation of physical Hotspots. With Helium Plus, businesses and public Wi-Fi providers can do a software update on the routers they have now and join the network with no additional hardware required. With Helium Plus, hundreds of thousands of new contributors can help drive the expansion of the Helium network. Cafes, shopping malls, and others can help support this decentralized wireless system, provide connectivity, and earn HNT Tokens. Helium Network Tokens are the native cryptocurrency of the Helium Network. This past June, Helium paid out more than $300,000 to those hosting Hotspots for carrier offload data. This is when Mobile Network Operators like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, and MVNOs like Helium Mobile, shift data from their primary network (like 4G or 5G) to alternative, less costly wireless networks like Wi-Fi. Let's say you're carrying your phone and you walk into an area with a strong, trusted Wi-Fi signal that is partnering with Helium Mobile. Your phone will automatically and seamlessly connect to the Wi-Fi connection, switching from cellular without requiring you to connect to Wi-Fi manually. Heck, you won't even need a type in a password to make the switch. Once offloaded,your phone's data traffic (browsing, streaming, using an app, etc.) is routed through the Wi-Fi network's internet connection instead of using bandwidth on the cellular towers. How Helium Plus works. | Image credit-Helium Mario Di Dio, Network General Manager at Helium, says, "Helium Plus represents a major leap forward in how businesses can contribute to the Helium Network. It offers instant, low-cost wireless integration, reducing infrastructure costs while creating new revenue streams and improving connectivity. The simplicity of our process is key to unlocking the full potential of this expansion." As we've said before in an attempt to get the point across, the incentive in Helium's program is that the individuals or businesses hosting the Wi-Fi Hotspots that allow the offload (like the aforementioned cafes or malls) earn cryptocurrency, Helium Network Tokens, as a reward for providing this service. With Helium Plus, instead of setting up the Hotspot, a company or organization can simply use a software update to use their routers to deliver Wi-Fi and get paid for doing so. The carriers don't mind offloading data if network traffic is too congested and demand for data is heavy. Think of the cell traffic at the Super Bowl, for example. By offloading some of the data to Wi-Fi, it opens up cellular bandwidth, delivering better performance to those who stay on the carrier's cellular network. Imagine generating revenue from your routers. You can see how this might be an opportunity for your business by visiting the Helium website.
Phone Arena
13 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Samsung reports its Galaxy Z Fold 7 sets preorder record in the US with the Flip 7 close behind
Image credit — PhoneArena Samsung's seventh-generation foldables are off to a strong start, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 achieving the highest preorder numbers of any Z Fold model in the United States. According to the company, Fold 7 and Flip 7 preorders rose more than 25% compared to last year, with Fold 7 specifically beating its predecessor by nearly 50% since general availability began on July 25. Carrier partners also saw a notable boost, reporting a 60% jump in preorders for both foldables combined. Samsung credits these gains to improved designs, thinner form factors, upgraded camera systems, and added AI tools like Gemini Live and Now Bar. In-person demo experiences also appear to be helping, as more customers opt to try out the devices in retail stores before committing. This momentum appears to reflect changes in how users perceive foldables. We have seen this shift firsthand over the past few generations. Today's foldables are thinner, stronger, and more versatile. While the $1,800 price tag still limits mass adoption, the Fold 7 's early success shows that premium users are finding enough value in the form factor to take the plunge. Once considered a niche or experimental product, the Z series has gradually gained mainstream appeal. Drew Blackard, Senior VP of Mobile Product Management at Samsung Electronics America, said the company has "addressed consumer feedback year after year" to arrive at a compelling, polished experience. According to him, for many new users, their first hands-on moment with a Z Fold or Z Flip is all it takes to convert them. Another surprising trend is the rising popularity of non-traditional colors. While black has long been the go-to for Fold buyers, the new Blue Shadow option accounted for nearly half of Fold 7 preorders. On the Flip 7 side, Coral Red made up 25% of orders, suggesting users are now more open to bolder designs. This generation of foldables has seen a shift in preferred colors: Blue Shadow for the Z Fold 7 and Coral Red for the Z Flip 7 . | Images credit — PhoneArena As Samsung sees strong early demand for its latest foldables, its closest competition in the U.S. market, Google, is expected to respond with a new Pixel Pro Fold this year. While definitely not as big in popularity as Samsung's offerings, the original Pixel Fold (and even its second generation) was praised for its notebook-like wide outer screen — something many believe inspired Samsung to tweak the outer screen dimensions of its own Z Fold 7 .
Phone Arena
17 hours ago
- Phone Arena
The First Phone Pact just went live and it's open to all – yes, including Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T users
The digital world comes with tons of perks, like the fact that you are probably reading this right now on your phone. But it also brings its fair share of downsides and one of the biggest ones is screen addiction. Carriers like Verizon have been addressing this for a while, and now its prepaid brand, Straight Talk, is stepping in with something new that might help make things easier for both parents and kids. Just in time for back-to-school season, Straight Talk Wireless – powered by Verizon 's 5G network – is introducing something called The First Phone Pact . It is a new resource made in collaboration with psychologist Dr. Jacqueline Nesi, who specializes in how tech affects kids' mental health. The idea? Help parents and kids agree on healthy phone habits before that first device is handed is basically a customizable agreement where families can set boundaries together and because it is presented as a real document, it gives kids something to take seriously right from the start. You get to define the rules yourself and it is all designed to be super easy to work with. Want to declare the dinner table a phone-free zone? Done. Limit app usage or set bedtime screen cutoffs? Also better, this isn't just a list of rules for the kid – parents are expected to join in, too. The pact encourages adults to commit to good habits like no phones while driving or during meals, showing kids that the whole family is in it together. Some of the key areas the pact helps with include: Screen time and phone-free areas Which apps are okay and what content's off-limits What happens if the rules get broken Online behavior and digital etiquette Setting milestones for more privileges as kids get older – Nancy Clark, President at Verizon Value, July 30, 2025 This whole thing taps into growing concerns about when kids get their first phone and how it ends up shaping their behavior. Around 70% of kids get their first smartphone in middle school. That's a lot of power and it comes at a time when kids are still figuring out boundaries. So the moment that phone lands in their hands is a key opportunity for parents to step in. These days, younger folks have constant access to all kinds of tech – smartphones, laptops, tablets – you name it. Also nice: The First Phone Pact is free and open to everyone, no matter what carrier you are using. So if you are on T-Mobile, AT&T or someone else, you can still use it. And naturally, Straight Talk is also tying it to some back-to-school promos. Right now, you can get the Galaxy A26 for just $99 (down from $199) when bundled with a $55+ plan. Or you can knock $50 off select iPhone models – including the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 series and the iPhone 16e – with the same plan. There is also a Moto G 5G (128GB) deal going for free. Now, sure, signing a "contract" with your kid might sound a bit much. But honestly, we are at a point where it is probably needed – screen addiction is real and once it sets in, it is tough to beat. The good news is more apps are starting to take it seriously too, which is at least a step in the right direction. TikTok, for instance – arguably one of the biggest culprits behind endless screen time for kids and teens – is introducing new safety features to help parents set limits. Meta also has its own tools aimed at keeping teens safer online. But in the end, these rules only work if there is an actual conversation behind them.
