Here’s how 5G C-band deployment has changed Verizon and AT&T performance

October 12, 2022

3 min read

After deploying a round of C-band 5G coverage at the beginning of the year, AT&T and Verizon have continued those efforts across 2022 as they look to catch up with T-Mobile. Now a new report from Opensignal shows how much of a difference the new mid-band 5G coverage has made for real-world performance and where the carriers stand.

The new study includes measurements taken between March and September this year. Here’s how C-band has improved AT&T and Verizon’s 5G performance:

“Since March, AT&T users’ 5G Download Speed has increased by 34.6% which has been powered by a rising share of 5G readings that use C-band — it has increased from 4.6% to over 30% in the same time frame. On Verizon we see a similar upward trend — our users’ average 5G Download Speed has increased by 15.8%, with the share of 5G readings growing from 16.2% to nearly 50%, but AT&T is narrowing the gap.”

For context, T-Mobile’s average 5G download speed this past summer was 171 Mbps in Opensignal’s report.

5G C-band difference performance Verizon AT&T

Opensignal also split out performance based on the 5G bands being used to better highlight how much of a difference the mid-C-band spectrum makes.

For AT&T, C-band 5G download speeds were 2.7 to 3.4 times faster than lower spectrum bands.

For Verizon, C-band 5G download speeds were 3.1 to 4.3 times faster than its lower spectrum bands.

While AT&T and Verizon have made progress, they are still heavily reliant on the slower low-bands than T-Mobile.

T-Mobile has over 70% of its 5G coverage coming from mid-C-bands while Verizon has a 45%, and AT&T just under 30%.

But here’s a look at the progress AT&T and Verizon have made in just over half a year with the teal green showing growth in C-band coverage.

Opensignal notes that while Verizon’s C-band rollout “is more mature than AT&T’s, it cannot be complacent as it remains a long way behind T-Mobile in the use of mid-band 5G spectrum to boost its users’ experience — and our users on T-Mobile’s network have experienced faster speeds than those on AT&T or Verizon’s networks.”

You can check out the full report on Opensignal’s website.

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