5G analysis shows C-band is helping Verizon, but it and AT&T still trail T-Mobile

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

According to data from Opensignal, the recent 5G roll out by AT&T and Verizon could put them in a better position to compete with T-Mobile, which has had similar tech rolled out for years. The company's analysis showed that when the C-band equipment was turned on, its average 5G speeds jumped, and where carriers have their new tech rolled out, they're all achieving the same speeds.

When looking at the average download speeds for each carrier, there is a clear increase in the number of carriers with a decrease in the number of carriers with an increase in the number of carriers. The average speed was increased by 15 megabits per second, according to Opensignal. The launch of AT&T's C-band didn't see the same boost as the launch of the other bands, according to the carrier.

Chart: Opensignal

T-Mobile is ahead. The average speeds for those with fast mid-band and those without are calculated by Opensignal. Over 100 million people will have access to the C-band service by the end of the year. There are fewer people without mid-band coverage bringing the average speeds down.

Chart: Opensignal

The speed differences between carriers became much smaller when Opensignal narrowed the scope to just mid-band 5G download speeds. T-Mobile has a network that delivers 225.5 Mbps on average, but it's not as fast as the one from Verizon. Even on C-band, AT&T only averages around 160 Mbps. The upload speeds of AT&T and T-Mobile are in the 18 to 21 Mbps range, while the average upload speed of the other two companies is 21 to 21 Mbps. The improvements are significant over what the average customer was getting before the C-band rollouts.

Image: Opensignal

T-Mobile's 5G roll out has been based around mid-band 5G, but its competitors spent billions to get rights to the C-band spectrum so they could do their own. They started broadcasting mid-band signals to consumers in January after several delays due to the possibility that C-band signals could interfere with vital equipment on airplanes.

T-Mobile probably won't be able to rest on its laurels. AT&T has shown that their C-band acquisitions allow them to compete at a faster pace where they have rolled out the equipment. T-Mobile only plans to add 50 million more people by the end of the year, while Verizon is planning to add 75 million more people by the end of the year. Once again, the carriers will have to race for some way to differentiate themselves that they can brag about, as soon as they catch up to Verizon.