T-Mobile hasn’t officially launched its 5G network yet, and we don’t really know when that launch is going to happen. One thing we do know is that T-Mo has a 5G network up and running, though, and we know that because one person managed to get on it and run some speed tests.
Milan Milanovic managed to hop onto T-Mobile’s 5G network in New York City using an unlocked Verizon Galaxy S10 5G. According to Milanovic, who works for Speedtest app maker Ookla, T-Mobile is “blanketing” Manhattan with 5G coverage, even though its 5G network hasn’t officially launched yet.
PCMag notes that T-Mo is using 100MHz of 28GHz spectrum in New York City right now, which would be good for a max download speed of 625Mbps. To compare, Verizon is using 400MHz of 28GHz spectrum in Chicago and it achieved speeds greater than 1Gbps in tests.
— Milan Milanović (@milanmilanovic) May 28, 2019
So how did T-Mobile 5G fare? In Milanovic’s tests, T-Mo put up download speeds nearing 500Mbps, with one test in particular topping out at 493Mbps. One thing to keep in mind, of course, is that Milanovic was probably the only person using the network since he was using an unlocked phone that T-Mo doesn’t currently sell on a network that T-Mo hasn’t officially launched.
Looking ahead, T-Mobile has said it’ll launch the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G this summer after a Verizon exclusivity period that PCMag claims will end on June 15th. That device will only access T-Mobile’s millimeter wave (mmWave) 5G coverage, which will be in cities like New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. T-Mobile also plans to use 600MHz coverage for its 5G network, which will be better at reaching longer distances. The S10 5G won’t be able to connect to that coverage, though, which is why its launch may be more of a soft rollout for T-Mobile’s 5G network for those early adopters who want to be the first person they know on 5G.
Do you plan to be a 5G early adopter? Or are you going to wait a bit before jumping to the next G?