T-Mobile retains 5G crown as AT&T falls massively behind Verizon in standalone access

All three major US carriers have true 5G nationwide coverage as of last year.

T-Mobile customers have access 71.2% of the time, while Verizon and AT&T lag behind.

T-Mobile leads in lower latency and is fairly strong, though not the top, when it comes to quality.

While we’re used to seeing the little 5G at the top of our phone screens, getting to this point was anything but smooth. At the start of 5G, coverage often relied on a retrofit of LTE. T-Mobile managed to make it to market with the first true 5G. Verizon and AT&T lagged behind, but now we’re a year into all three major US carriers offering nationwide networks. Just as this anniversary hits, a report has come out that compares all three.

First, let’s establish what is meant by true 5G or, as it’s often referred to, 5G standalone (5G SA). …