Today’s the day that T-Mobile’s 5G network goes live, and so some folks have put it to the test using the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G (which also launches at T-Mo today) to see what the T-Mobile’s early 5G network is capable of.
In speed tests taken in New York City today, the T-Mobile 5G network put up peak download speeds of nearly 600Mbps. CNET reports that its tests topped out at 583Mbps while Tom’s Guide says its top download speed was 579Mbps. Uploads are still going over 4G LTE, so they weren’t nearly as fast, topping out at around 50Mbps.
Not all of the speed tests resulted in near-600Mbps speeds, with some clocking in around 326Mbps, which is slower but still faster than 4G LTE in most places. For example, CNET found one spot where the 5G download speed was 462Mbps while the 4G LTE speed was 83.3Mbps.
One of the perks of 5G is that it’ll enable you to download games, apps, and movies much faster, and these speed tests today proved that. The game PUBG comes in at around 2GB in size, but it downloaded from Google Play in 2 minutes and 12 seconds over T-Mobile 5G, while a 555MB movie downloaded from Netflix in just 40 seconds.
While the speeds T-Mobile’s 5G network is posting are quite as fast as some of the tests on Verizon and AT&T’s 5G networks, Tom’s Guide notes that T-Mobile’s 5G coverage in New York City is “impressively broad compared to Verizon’s network in Chicago” and CNET says that “coverage was better than what we’ve experienced on other mmWave networks.” T-Mobile’s coverage definitely isn’t widespread yet, and it’s only using millimeter wave spectrum that isn’t known for having long reach, but these early tests are encouraging for dedicated to being an early adopter and getting on T-Mo’s 5G network in New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, or Cleveland.
Sources: Tom’s Guide, CNET