Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility have been behind the eight-ball with regards to their C-band deployments, especially compared to T-Mobile US. After a painful delay in a competitive sense, both Verizon and AT&T have now turned on their 5G C-band networks and they are turning up the heat as they expand its coverage. This should let them quickly close the gap with T-Mobile.
That’s the way wireless expansion to the next generation always works. While 5G is the next generation of the wireless battleground and while every carrier likes to have bragging rights, the actual difference is not really that big a deal in these early stages.
We’ve been going through this network upgrade from 4G to 5G for a while now and there is still so much ground to cover. That upgrade will continue for years to come.
This is not a quick, overnight process. It never is. Instead, it is a longer-term process of continuously upgrading wireless towers one-by-one over years.
Opensignal tested and compared 5G speeds of Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T
Opensignal tests the wireless industry on an ongoing basis. This is good because it gives us the chance to measure the progress of each over time. Over time, leadership often changes.
Today, the early benefits of 5G do not yet impact most users in the marketplace.
It is one thing if you happen to need 5G speed today and if you happen to be in an area which has been upgraded. It is quite another if you are in the vast majority of users today.
There are three areas every wireless carrier and every wireless user must accomplish in order to get 5G.
5G wireless speeds don’t matter yet, but will get faster over time
First, most users have not upgraded their smartphones and tablets to 5G devices, so even if they are in the right area, they won’t get faster speeds.
Second, if users have new 5G capable smartphones and tablets, they can only get 5G speeds if they are in the more limited footprint of their carrier. Spreading the 5G signal is a multi-year process for most networks. Today, most wireless towers have not been upgraded yet.
Third, even if users have a new 5G device and are in a 5G area, the faster connection really doesn’t do much for the average customer. Sure, downloads can be faster, but that doesn’t matter as much at this early stage. Not yet anyway. However, demand will grow going forward.
Many users say T-Mobile has the fastest 5G speed today
You see, today we are in the early stages of 5G. While faster, it is often not much faster than the upgraded 4G technology most users already get.
As we upgrade from generation to generation, each “G” also gets better and faster. 4G today is much faster and better than it was when it first arrived years ago. This is the same thing that is happening with 5G.
We have all learned that while the name 5G is great for marketing purposes, the early versions are not as fast as they will ultimately become.
5G wireless marketing claims vs. actual performance
5G several years from now will be much faster than it is today. So, the bottom line is this. 5G, while important in the evolution of the wireless networks, is not as big a deal in the early years of its rollout.
The fact is most users do not need fast 5G speeds today. It will take time for demand to grow.
The wireless networks will continuously get faster, stronger, more immediate and get even better as time passes.
So, even though T-Mobile has been the fastest recently as the C-band issues was working itself out, a faster signal does not really do much for the user at this early stage.
When 5G wireless matters, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T will all be there
When it really matters, over the next few years Verizon and AT&T will catch up to the early lead T-Mobile has achieved.
So, by the time new apps are created that need 5G speeds, and users demand heats up, all three wireless carriers in the United States will most likely be up to speed.
Today it’s all about bragging rights. And the carriers use their marketing, public relations and advertising teams to squeeze out as much value as they can.
5G will continue to get better, stronger and faster as the next few years pass. That’s the way the wireless world has always worked. That’s the way it will continue to work going forward.
Nevertheless, there is a marketing battle being fought today and all wireless carriers are always trying to one-up the competition making claims how they are the leaders in 5G.
That’s how the wireless industry works, love it or leave it.
