What Are Verizon Wireless Upload and Download Speeds on Their Cell Phone Plans?

Fastest wireless network 2020: Information technology's not even shut

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Fastest Wireless Network in 2020: We Tested 8 Carriers to Crown a Winner

Fastest Wireless Carrier of 2020: It's Withal Verizon

When it comes to LTE, how fast your smartphone tin can download and upload data often depends on where you are. But if your telephone is tied to Verizon'southward LTE network, in that location'southward a pretty good chance your data speeds are going to trounce everyone else's.

5G may exist the future of wireless service, but LTE remains the present. (See the section at the end of this folio for the latest on the status of 5G.) For those of united states who don't alive in the specific areas where 5G coverage has launched, LTE is going to remain the manner well-nigh of us get our loftier-speed data. And when information technology comes to LTE, Verizon is still tops.

After testing wireless network speeds at multiple locations in eight U.S. cities, we found that Verizon consistently delivered the fastest LTE. The carrier swept all iii categories nosotros measured — average download speed, average upload speed and the time it takes to download an app from Google Play. This is the third consecutive time Verizon has topped our network speed rankings. (Those rankings reflect our tests from 2018, but stay tuned — nosotros'll be updating in the coming months with new LTE numbers too as 5G testing.)

Which carrier is the runner-up depends on what metric you value. AT&T had the second-fastest boilerplate download speed in our testing, a little less than 4 Mbps faster than T-Mobile. But T-Mobile posted the second-fastest average upload time later on Verizon, finishing alee of AT&T. Ultimately, the runner-up nod goes to AT&T, which finished second in our app download test with an average fourth dimension of 35 seconds; T-Mobile finished third with a l-second average.

While Sprint may have placed final among the Big Four carriers, it posted the biggest improvement, doubling its average download speed from the terminal time we tested. It besides performed dramatically better in our app download test, narrowing downward the gap with T-Mobile to 7 seconds. It's clear that Sprint'south efforts to better its 4G capabilities ahead of its planned merger with T-Mobile are paying off.

National Results

	Boilerplate Download Speed	Average Upload Speed	Boilerplate App Download Time (Min: Sec)
Verizon	53.iii Mbps	17.v Mbps	0:28
AT&T	37.1 Mbps	12.nine Mbps	0:35
T-Mobile	36.3 Mbps	sixteen.4 Mbps	0:l
Metro by T-Mobile	32.8 Mbps	13 mbps	1:22
Sprint	32.5 Mbps	4 Mbps	0:57
Straight Talk	31.1 Mbps	xv.6 Mbps	1:06
Cricket	6.5 Mbps	five.8 Mbps	one:00
Boost	29.iv Mbps	3.7 Mbps	1:29

Outside the Big Iv, Metro past T-Mobile (formerly Metro PCS) remains the fastest disbelieve carrier, riding the strength of T-Mobile'due south network to the fourth-fastest average download speed. Simply Straight Talk, which lagged other carriers in previous tests, turned in a stellar functioning when using a SIM card tied to Verizon'south leading network. (Directly Talk uses other carriers' networks, too, and when we tested with different SIMs, the speeds weren't as fast.)

How They Finished: Metropolis-By-City Results

New York: Verizon (Runner-upward: Directly Talk)
Philadelphia: Sprint (Runner-up: AT&T)
Houston: Verizon (Runner-up: T-Mobile)
Dallas: T-Mobile (Runner-upward: Verizon)
San Francisco: AT&T (Runner-up: Verizon)
Seattle: Verizon (Runner-up: T-Mobile)
Los Angeles: Verizon (Runner-up: T-Mobile)
Chicago: Verizon (Runner-up: AT&T/Sprint)

How We Tested LTE Networks

We tested eight pop carriers. In addition to the Large Iv wireless providers — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon — nosotros also looked at four discount carriers: Boost Mobile, Cricket Wireless, Metro and Directly Talk. (In our past tests, we've included Virgin Mobile, but during our test menstruum, Virgin was positioning itself equally an iPhone-focused carrier, and we apply Samsung Galaxy phones in our testing to ensure a level playing field — iPhones employ dissimilar modems, depending on the carrier yous select.)

Nosotros conducted our testing using the Galaxy S9. 7 of the carriers we tested supplied us with a exam unit of measurement tied to their network. In the case of Heave, nosotros bought an S9 direct from the company tied to its network.

We used the same phones to test the unlike networks in eight cities. Adam Ismail conducted testing in New York and Philadelphia; Jorge Jimenez ran tests in Houston and Dallas; Philip Michaels tested in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle; and Meghan McDonough conducted testing in Chicago. Nosotros conducted our testing from June to August 2018.

In each of the cities, we selected six test sites based on geographic diversity and popularity. Those test sites included an equal mix of outdoor and indoor testing. Nosotros ran Ookla's Speedtest.internet app five times at each location to tape an average download and upload speed for each carrier. We also downloaded Discord (a 40MB file) from Google Play and timed how long the app took to install; if the app didn't download afterward 5 minutes, nosotros stopped the test and listed its download fourth dimension at 5:00 for that location.

More than: The All-time and Worst Phone Carriers

After determining average download and upload speeds for each location in each city, nosotros used those results to come up with an average functioning number for all six cities. To determine our concluding rankings, we looked at both download and upload averages as well how shut the gap was between different carriers; we also considered how carriers fared when downloading mobile apps.

Here'south how the different carriers rank in our tests.

1. Verizon

Average Download: 53.iii Mbps
Average Upload: 17.five Mbps
Average App Download Time: 28 seconds

It's no mystery why Verizon has tightened its grip on the elevation rank in our network testing. Information technology had both the fastest download and upload averages across our eight examination cities. Information technology also turned in the fastest average time on our app download exam, with a blazing-fast 28-second boilerplate. In fact, in only ane urban center did it take longer than a minute to download Discord on Verizon's network.

Verizon was the pinnacle-performing network in more than half of the cities where nosotros tested. In three of the cities where Verizon didn't take the elevation spot (Dallas and San Francisco), it was the runner-up. The only city where Big Cherry missed the mark was Philadelphia, where it had the worst download speeds of whatsoever of the Big 4 carriers.

Verizon's best performances were recorded in New York and Chicago, the country's two largest cities. The carrier non only had the best download speeds in both those cities merely too finished well ahead of the next-fastest carrier.

MORE: Verizon Information Plans: What's Right for You?

In New York, Verizon's 84.vi-Mbps average was 54 percent faster than the 54.8-Mbps average Directly Talk recorded (using Verizon's network, too). In Chicago, Verizon's 85.8-Mbps download speed was 33 percent faster than runner-upwards Dart's.

2. AT&T

Average Download: 37.ane Mbps
Average Upload: 12.nine Mbps
Average App Download Time: 35 seconds

AT&T had the second-fastest average download speed at 37.1 Mbps, just edging out T-Mobile. While AT&T'southward average upload speed of 12.9 Mbps was only fifth-best among the wireless services we tested, it had the second-best score on our app download test, which in our volume puts it just ahead of T-Mobile.

AT&T can claim 1 city win in San Francisco, where it enjoyed a home-field reward when nosotros tested exterior the San Francisco Giants' ballpark (which simply happens to take AT&T'due south name on its sign).

But AT&T is more than a one-flim-flam pony in the City by the Bay. Information technology was the only carrier non to struggle when nosotros tested in the Haight-Ashbury district, where it trounced the competition; and it besides fared well at tests in Golden Gate Park and the Duboce Triangle neighborhood.

MORE: AT&T Information Plans: What's All-time for You?

We likewise saw strong performance for AT&T in Philadelphia and Chicago, where information technology was the runner-up in our tests. (It carve up that honor with Dart in the Windy City.) The carrier'south third-place cease backside Verizon and T-Mobile in Los Angeles was also respectable.

3. T-Mobile

Average Download: 36.3 Mbps
Average Upload: 16.iv Mbps
Average App Download Fourth dimension: 50 seconds

T-Mobile just missed out on finishing second in our rankings. Its average download speed of 36.three was simply behind AT&T'due south, though information technology had the 2nd-best average upload speed at 16.4, trailing only Verizon.

In the terminate, information technology came down to our app download test: T-Mobile's average fourth dimension of 50 seconds was good enough for tertiary, merely 15 seconds behind AT&T'south average.

If you live in Dallas, T-Mobile has the acme network with the best download speeds in that urban center. The Uncarrier also fared well in Seattle, Houston and Los Angeles, where information technology was runner-up to Verizon.

MORE: A Closer Look at T-Mobile's Unlimited Data Plan

4. Metro by T-Mobile

Boilerplate Download: 32.8 Mbps
Boilerplate Upload: 13 Mbps
Average App Download Time: 1 infinitesimal and 22 seconds

Metro by T-Mobile, known as MetroPCS when nosotros ran our tests, benefits from the strong network of its parent company. Metro's average download speed of 32.8 Mbps was less than 4 Mbps unlike from T-Mobile 36.3-Mbps boilerplate, and the difference in upload speed (16.four for T-Mobile, xiii Mbps for Metro) was similarly narrow.

If there's a gap betwixt Metro and T-Mobile, we found information technology in our app download test. Metro's average time of ane minute and 22 seconds was more than 30 seconds off T-Mobile's pace. Arraign bad results in Houston and Chicago, where Metro's app download performance was significantly slower than T-Mobile's. (In Los Angeles and Philadelphia, our download times on Metro were slightly faster than they were on T-Mobile.)

1 of the risks of using a wireless provider that relies on some other carrier'southward network is that your data may go slowed downwardly when there'south a lot of traffic. That seems to accept been the instance in Houston when we tested and to a bottom extent to Chicago. For the most part, though, Metro's results were closely aligned with T-Mobile's upload and download speeds, with Metro actually finishing alee of its parent company in some test locations.

five. Sprint

Average Download: 32.5 Mbps
Average Upload: 4 Mbps
Average App Download Time: 57 seconds

Sprint still lags its other Large Iv rivals in our speed testing, as it has the previous two years nosotros've tested LTE networks. Its average download speed of 32.v Mbps fell only behind the average for Metro by T-Mobile, while its 4-Mbps average upload speed was the 2d-worst speed nosotros recorded. (Only Sprint subsidiary Boost was slower.)

Simply Sprint was noticeably more competitive in this round of testing. The carrier turned in the peak performance in Philadelphia, winning our app download tests and turning in the best boilerplate download speed. (Simply Boost had a better average in Philly, and it uses Dart's network.) Sprint was also runner-upward in Chicago (where it carve up that award with AT&T) and turned in decent 3rd-place finishes in New York and Seattle.

On our app download test, Sprint finished with the fourth-all-time boilerplate fourth dimension, taking 57 seconds to download Discord. That's 7 seconds slower than T-Mobile.

vi. Straight Talk

Average Download: 31.i Mbps
Average Upload: 15.6 Mbps
Average App Download Fourth dimension: 1 minute and 6 seconds

Directly Talk has brought up the rear when we've previously tested speeds on wireless carriers. That wasn't the instance this time effectually, however: Its download speeds were within shouting distance of Metro and Dart, and its boilerplate upload speed of fifteen.eight Mbps was actually the third-all-time nosotros recorded. We think Verizon'southward network deserves much of the credit, though.

When yous sign upward with Direct Talk, you become a choice of SIMs tied to each of the Big Iv carriers' networks. For our testing, we used a Verizon-tied SIM card. Straight Talk's numbers never quite matched Verizon'due south — download averages were off anywhere from 29 percentage to 386 per centum, depending on the city we tested in — merely rarely did Straight Talk bring upwards the rear in testing.

To see if our theory that the network y'all apply with Directly Talk plays a major part in how strong your performance is, we went back to some test sites in New York, replacing our Verizon-tied SIM card in our Straight Talk-supplied Galaxy S9 with a T-Mobile ane. T-Mobile had the slowest download speeds of the Big Four Carriers in New York, and sure plenty, the Straight Talk numbers weren't as good using that network as they were with the Verizon SIM. If you opt for Directly Talk, pay shut attention to which Large Four carrier has the all-time performance in your area.

vii. Cricket

Average Download: 6.v Mbps
Average Upload: 5.8 Mbps
Average App Download Time: 1 minute

Cricket uses AT&T's network, so you'd recollect that it would benefit from AT&T's fast speeds in the same manner that Metro rides T-Mobile'southward LTE coattails. But that'south not the case, and it'southward no secret why: Cricket warns you that it's going to cap your download speeds at viii Mbps on all but i of its monthly data plans, and nosotros tin verify that the carrier isn't lying. Nosotros recorded an average download speed of half-dozen.v Mbps — past far the worst of whatsoever carrier.

If there'due south any consolation for Cricket, information technology's that the speed cap didn't bear upon our real-world test. Cricket downloaded Discord in an average of one infinitesimal apartment. That's about twice as long every bit AT&T took, but it beat out the average results for Metro, Straight Talk and Boost.

Cricket's average upload speed of v.8 Mbps, while not great, notwithstanding crush out Boost and Sprint.

8. Boost

Average Download: 29.iv Mbps
Average Upload: 3.7 Mbps
Average App Download Fourth dimension: 1 minute and 29 seconds

Boost'due south average download speed of 29.4 Mbps in the 8 cities where we tested is much faster than Cricket'south hampered-past-speed-caps average. And then how come Heave finishes in last place? Because it fares worse than Cricket and other carriers in everything else we tested.

Heave, which is currently owned by Sprint (at least until information technology'south spun off as office of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger) and uses its parent company's network, had an boilerplate upload speed of three.7 Mbps. On our app download exam, Heave averaged one minute and 29 seconds, finishing five seconds behind the next-slowest carrier.

While Boost more often than not matched the performance of its parent carrier Sprint, in a few cities nosotros saw noticeable differences in download speeds — and that hurt Heave'south overall numbers. Boost's download speed was 30 percent slower in Seattle and 61 percent off Dart's stride in Houston. Only in New York did Boost match Dart's fourth dimension for downloading the Discord app; everywhere else, the disbelieve carrier was anywhere from 12 seconds to 1 minute and 59 seconds slower than Dart in that test.

Other Tests

Our LTE testing provides only some of the picture on how wireless networks are performing. Third-political party testing firms, who exercise nothing but evaluate network achieve, speed and latency, periodically publish their own results, and it's worth paying attention to these reports to get a fuller idea of how network functioning is evolving, especially for reports actualization after our tests were conducted, every bit those tin give you a sense of how networks accept connected to improve. With the FCC reporting that wireless carrier maps aren't ever accurate, it'due south more important than always to pay attending to reports from 3rd-party testers.

OpenSignal's January 2020 report reflects data collected between September and Dec final year. AT&T posted the fastest 4G download speeds, pulling alee of T-Mobile (which topped the July 2019 report) and Verizon. T-Mobile had the all-time upload speeds while Verizon took the top prize for 4G availability and video streaming feel.

AT&T also fared well in a July 2019 report by Ookla, where the carrier earned earn the highest speed score for the first half of 2019. T-Mobile placed second while Verizon finished third. Dart, which finished fourth, had the second largest twelvemonth-over-twelvemonth improvement in Ookla'southward numbers.

As for RootMetrics, its January 2020 report on network performance during the second half of last year put Verizon in the top spot for the 13th sequent testing period. AT&T was runner-up in 5 of six categories, and split honors with Verizon for texting operation. AT&T likewise had the best national aggregate median download speed, according to RootMetrics.

5G: The Time to come of Wireless Networks

Nosotros've focused on LTE in our testing because that's the fastest network available for most smartphone users these days. Merely that'southward changing as we speak, now that wireless carriers are launching their 5G networks. Verizon concluded terminal yr with 5G service in 31 cities; it also has coverage in 17 NFL stadiums and a handful of arenas. (Note that Verizon'south 5G coverage only reaches certain sections of stadiums and arenas and not the entire venue.) Sprint's 5G service now available in nine cities, reaching 16 1000000 people.

T-Mobile made its initial 5G network available in six cities last June, and has since launched a nationwide 5G network that covers 5,000 cities. (This network uses sub-600Mhz spectrum, which isn't as fast as some of the 5G networks we've seen to date; see our hands-on with the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren to notice out how T-Mobile's network measures up.) AT&T's 5G Plus service at present reaches 35 cities, just it'southward limited to business customers. Like T-Mobile, AT&T launched a 5G network that uses depression-band spectrum in December — it won't be equally fast as the millimeter-wave-based 5G Plus service, just information technology will reach more people. That's currently in 45 cities.

Wondering what 5G service volition mean for your future smartphone? Now that nosotros've had a chance to exam AT&T's network afterward earlier tests for Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, we've now been able to experience 5G with all four carriers, using the devices that work on their respective networks (the Galaxy S10 5G in the case of AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile and an LG V50 ThinQ for Sprint). RootMetrics has done some testing, likewise, and non surprisingly, it institute that Verizon's high-speed network is the fastest, though other carrier have wider accomplish.

Here's a more detailed look at what carriers are doing with launching 5G networks.

AT&T's 5G status report
Sprint's 5G condition report
T-Mobiles 5G status written report
Verizon's 5G status report

Current folio: Fastest Wireless Network in 2020: We Tested viii Carriers to Crown a Winner

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