Catenaa, Monday, February 02, 2026- Verizon led US mobile network rankings in the second half of 2025, claiming top spots in seven of eight national categories in a RootMetrics study, including the overall performance award.
AT&T earned three awards, all shared with rivals, while T-Mobile US took first place only in network speed.
T-Mobile recorded the highest median download speed at 374.5 Mbps, slightly up from 371.4 Mbps six months earlier.
Verizon showed notable improvement, rising to 226.5 Mbps from 192.1 Mbps, and AT&T increased to 193 Mbps. RootMetrics noted that speeds above 100 Mbps allow users to handle typical mobile activities with ease.
Analysts emphasized that performance gaps among the three major U.S. carriers continue to narrow as all complete 5G network buildouts and refine systems through upgrades.
Verizon’s advantage stems from consistent reliability, responsiveness, and data and video performance, particularly in rural areas where it leveraged LTE infrastructure effectively.
The operator expanded its 5G standalone (SA) coverage to 59.7% of metro test samples, up from 24.5% in the first half of 2025. Midband C-band spectrum use also rose to 81.3%, alongside higher-order QAM and MIMO upgrades, boosting capacity and signal reach.
These improvements contributed to Verizon’s strong showing in both urban and rural markets, validating investments in network expansion.
RootMetrics highlighted that Verizon’s performance reflects a combination of 4G and 5G consistency, efficient spectrum use, and advanced 5G SA deployment. Analysts noted that incremental network refinements across all major US carriers are increasingly focusing competition on service quality and coverage rather than raw speeds.
