Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are spending tens of billions of dollars to add 5G. But it will take several more years before the superfast technology, which can theoretically offer download speeds 10 to 100 times faster than an average 4G connection, are widely available.
Additionally, customers must upgrade to 5G compatible phones, which currently cost at least $1,000, though lower-priced models should hit stores in coming months. The faster connections will also eventually bring new applications, like mobile virtual reality games and multi-angle live sports broadcasts.
In Opensignal's report, actual results depended on the type of 5G that each carrier has deployed in their networks. Verizon is currently relying on 5G in high-frequency bands, known as millimeter wave, that carry vast amounts of data but don't travel too far. Meanwhile, for consumers, AT&T is using lower bands, just like those used for 4G, that travel farther but carry less data (AT&T says it will add millimeter wave for consumers next month when some new Samsung phones become available). T-Mobile is using both approaches.
The bottom line is that Verizon provides the fastest average download speeds but the smallest coverage area, according to Opensignal. Connections on Verizon's 5G network averaged 723 megabits per second, fast enough to download a high-definition movie in a few seconds, the report says. But such coverage was found only 5% of the time—even in the downtown areas of the 31 cities where Verizon installed the new technology, Opensignal says. Verizon says it will reach 60 cities by year end.
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