Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
For the second report in a row, T-Mobile wins outright for both Reliability Experience and Consistent Quality. Consistent Quality is our measure of network capability to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to complete various typical demanding tasks. Meanwhile Reliability represents the overall connectivity experience – encompassing both when users are able to connect and also complete a range of every-day tasks.
Verizon leads in this report for both 5G Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience, with scores of 71.4 and 73.4 out of 100 respectively. In practice, this means our users on Verizon can, on average, stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling — and in the case of live video, a satisfactory live offset.
Our 5G users on T-Mobile have access to a 5G signal the most often, and as such T-Mobile leads for 5G Availability. Our revised 5G Availability metric considers whether a user has access to a 5G connection, regardless of whether or not 5G is actively being used. Our T-Mobile users also have access to 5G in the most places, and T-Mobile achieves a 5G Coverage Experience score of 8.3 on a 0-10 point scale.
As in our last report, our users on AT&T spend the most time with a mobile broadband connection. AT&T users have access to a 3G or better connection 99.6% of the time, meaning AT&T retains its narrow lead over second-placed Verizon — where users spend 99.5% of time on a 3G or better connection.
T-Mobile dominates the leaderboard in our latest Mobile Network Experience report on the United States of America. Since the last report, T-Mobile now picks up wins for 5G Games Experience and 5G Upload Speed Experience. T-Mobile also wins in our revised 5G Availability metric, bringing its total to 12 award wins in this latest report. Meanwhile, AT&T defends its win for overall Time on Network, and Verizon leads for 5G Video Experience, 5G Live Video Experience, and Coverage Experience.
Since our last report, T-Mobile has completed its acquisition of UScellular in August 2025. As a result, we have now removed UScellular from our regional results in this report as new customers will now purchase T-Mobile rather than UScellular service. However, we have not incorporated its performance into T-Mobile’s scores as consumers could still purchase UScellular plans during the reporting period.
Beyond acquisitions, T-Mobile also launched its T-Satellite offering in earnest. It moved out of beta for SMS messaging in July 2025, and expanded into some applications in October 2025. While uptake figures are not yet public, the service is included in select plans or offered as a $10 monthly add-on, suggesting broad potential access.
Direct to device (D2D) service only takes effect when a user is outside the range of traditional terrestrial networks. As a result, it has minimal impact on our nationwide experience metrics, which primarily reflect everyday on-network usage. Satellite connectivity is also not limited to just operator-led initiatives, with OEM-driven services — such as Apple’s partnership with Globalstar — also shaping how users access emergency and off-network connectivity.
Verizon’s second half of 2026 has been characterized by a commitment to reinvention. A new CEO was appointed in October 2025, and Verizon has been vocal on future-looking initiatives like its Verizon 6G Innovation Forum, and investing in ‘AI powered customer experience capabilities’ (using AI for customer experience management). While the impact of these efforts on network experience is still emerging, they signal a proactive approach to long-term transformation.
Both Verizon and AT&T also announced that they now had nationwide 5G SA networks. T-Mobile, which first launched this service in 2020. While nationwide 5G SA availability is a necessary foundation for advanced services, it has a more limited impact on user experience metrics than gains in spectrum depth or network capacity.
Launching nationwide 5G SA is just part of the wider moves AT&T has been making on improving its network. In addition, the operator has focused on expanding its network capacity. Its purchase and subsequent deployment of new spectrum from EchoStar has already begun to show results for its customers. As noted at the end of 2025, this already shows a lift in peak speeds for AT&T users in our panel, thanks to the use of mid-3GHz band spectrum. The operator has been vocal about its investment in AI-driven network optimization, which may also help improve consistency and resilience as additional capacity comes online.
The FCC, the US telecoms regulator, is also progressing plans for auctions. In 2026, it plans to auction off spectrum in the AWS-3 band. Meanwhile, on the horizon are plans to release additional upper C-band spectrum for U.S. operators, with bidding targeted for completion by mid-2027. While this spectrum will not affect current results, it enables longer-term capacity planning
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in the United States of America — AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon — over a period of 90 days starting on September 1, 2025, and ending on November 29, 2025, to see how they fared. We also include GCI (G) in regional results for Alaska.
T-Mobile’s Overall Video Experience continues to top the leaderboard; as in the previous report, it holds the top spot outright with a score of 66.5 points on a 100-point scale. However, its lead is shrinking slightly to just one point over second-placed Verizon.
All operators place in the Good (58-68) category.
A Good (58-68) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
T-Mobile also wins the Live Video Experience award with a score of 67.8 points on a 100-point scale. However, there has been a shake up for second place. AT&T has moved from third in the last report to second in this one, and scores just 0.7 points less than T-Mobile.
All operators place in the Excellent (58 or above) category.
An Excellent (58 or above) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
Operators’ Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time, and stall rate, but also live playback offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
T-Mobile wins the Games Experience award outright with a score of 77.1 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of three points over second-placed Verizon's 74 points. AT&T comes third with a score of 72.2 points.
T-Mobile places in the Good (75-85) category, while Verizon and AT&T place one category lower, in Fair (65-75).
A Good (75-85) rating means that most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and the game. A Fair (65-75) rating means that users find the experience to be ‘average’. In most cases the game is responsive to the actions of the player with most users feeling like they have control over the game. The majority of players notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
T-Mobile retains its lead for Download Speed Experience, winning the award outright with a score of 184.7Mbps and a lead of 110Mbps over second-placed AT&T's 74.9Mbps. Verizon comes third with a score of 73.8Mbps.
Measured in Mbps, Download Speed Experience represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across an operator’s mobile data networks.
In addition to Download Speed Experience, we report on the following metrics related to download speeds:
T-Mobile also continues to lead for Upload Speed Experience at 14.5Mbps. Verizon is in second at 9.3Mbps, while AT&T places third at 7.9Mbps.
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
5G Video Experience is a close-fought race, however Verizon wins the 5G Video Experience award outright with a score of 71.4 points on a 100-point scale. It has a lead of two points over second-placed T-Mobile's 69.7 points. AT&T comes third with a score of 68.9 points.
All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category for this metric, meaning that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
As with 5G Video Experience, the 5G Live Video Experience award is also won by Verizon. It wins with a score of 73.4 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of one point over second-placed T-Mobile's 72.3 points. AT&T comes third with a score of 72 points.
All operators place in the Excellent (58 or above) category. For our users, this means that on average, they are able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
Operators’ 5G Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time, and stall rate, but also live playback offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike 5G Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, 5G Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
5G Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world live video streams when they were connected to 5G.
The winner for 5G Games Experience has changed since our last report. Previously held by Verizon, T-Mobile is the new winner for 5G Games Experience award with a score of 84.1 points on a 100-point scale. It narrowly overtakes Verizon with a lead of just half a point. AT&T comes third with a score of 77.9 points.
All operators place in the Good (75-85) category. This rating means that most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
Our users on T-Mobile’s 5G network continue to experience the fastest 5G connections in the US. As a result, T-Mobile wins the 5G Download Speed award outright with a score of 249.0Mbps and a lead of 65Mbps over second-placed AT&T's 184.3Mbps. Verizon comes third with a score of 176.6Mbps.
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
T-Mobile also now takes the win for 5G Upload Speed. In the previous report, the award was won by Verizon, but now T-Mobile narrowly leads with a score of 17.6Mbps. This is less than one Mbps faster than second-placed Verizon's 17.1Mbps. AT&T comes third with a score of 14.1Mbps.
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Verizon maintains its lead for Coverage Experience, winning the award outright with a score of 9.7 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of less than one point over second-placed AT&T's 9.3 points. T-Mobile comes third with a score of 9.0 points.
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
T-Mobile leads for 5G Coverage Experience, scoring 8.3 on a 0-10 point scale. Verizon now places second at 7.6, while AT&T is third at 7.4.
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
5G Coverage Experience shows the proportion of places Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Beyond a refinement to this metrics name, there has been little change in Time on Network since our last report. As before, AT&T continues to lead, with a result of 99.6%. This means that over 99% of the time, our users on AT&T have a 4G or better connection. However, it’s a tight-run race. Just half a percentage point separates first and third place.
Our time on network and availability metrics are not measures of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our time on network data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our time on network and availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Time on Network shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
In this report, we introduce an enhanced definition of 5G Availability. This metric now measures the proportion of time that 5G users have access to a 5G signal, regardless of whether they are actively using a 5G connection.
Here, T-Mobile comes out ahead with a score of 91.2%. This means that 91.2% of the time, our users on T-Mobile have access to 5G. AT&T places second at 88.7%, while Verizon is third at 59.3%.
Our time on network and availability metrics are not measures of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our time on network data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our time on network and availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had a 5G connection, whether or not it was used.
T-Mobile retains its award for Consistent Quality for the sixth report in a row. It scores 82.2%, less than two percentage points ahead of second-placed Verizon. AT&T places third with a result of 79.7%
This metric measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
Consistent Quality measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices.
We combine different experience indicators such as download throughput, upload throughput, latency, jitter, packet discard, and time to first byte to calculate Consistent Quality. These components are evaluated against thresholds recommended by various more demanding common applications used for a range of common tasks.
To calculate the metric value, the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality is multiplied by the test success ratio, which is the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted. Tests that pass indicate that activities such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.
T-Mobile retains its lead for Reliability Experience, with a score of 937 on a 100-1000 point scale. However, it’s a close result — Verizon and AT&T now tie for second place with a statistically equivalent score of 932-933.
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on operators’ networks. It consists of the following components:
% time connected — The proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully connect to a mobile network
Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the network is available and the device can connect to the internet
Task completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed
Sufficiency — The probability that (basic) tasks will be executed sufficiently well for the user
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of Opensignal users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on communication service providers’ (CSP) networks. It analyzes how much Opensignal users’ experience is affected by the radio access and core network, along with issues that prevent them from connecting to the internet even if they have a connection to their CSP’s network. It also factors in users’ ability to successfully use lower performance applications including SD video, over-the-top voice calls and web browsing.
Collecting billions of individual measurements daily from over 100 million devices globally, Opensignal independently analyzes mobile and broadband user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
Opensignal is the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier. Our proprietary insights into mobile and broadband networks give operators the solutions they need to profitably compete and win, from executive level scorecards and public validation to pin-point level engineering analytics and consumer decision dynamics.
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For every metric we calculate statistical confidence intervals indicated on our graphs. When confidence intervals overlap, our measured results are too close to declare a winner. In those cases, we show a statistical draw. For this reason, some metrics have multiple operator winners.
In our bar graphs we represent confidence intervals as boundaries on either sides of graph bars.
In our supporting-metric charts we show confidence intervals as +/- numerical values.
Why confidence intervals are vital in analyzing mobile network experience