T-Mobile changed its online coverage map to reveal its "ultra capacity" mid-band 5G network today, finally showing the places where 5G customers will get a noticeably different experience from decent 4G.
The map shows clusters of mid-band 5G around many cities and towns, including midsized cities in the 10,000-50,000-population range such as Ithaca, NY; Medina, OH; and Tahlequa, OK. It's a rough estimate rather than a precise, tested assessment. You can tell by the shape of some of the coverage areas that they're at least sometimes drawing radius circles from the location of their cell sectors.
By and large, the mid-band network follows a real pattern of circles blooming around any kind of significant population center, with occasional patchiness across larger metro areas.
T-Mobile's mid-band 5G is one of three forms of 5G the carrier uses. The broadest one, low-band, has nationwide coverage but doesn't offer better performance than a good 4G network. The fastest one, millimeter-wave, has extremely limited coverage.
Mid-band splits the difference, with speeds in the hundreds of megabits but broad enough coverage to light up whole towns. The carrier's mid-band 5G network is based on airwaves it acquired from Sprint, which had been used for 4G since 2008 but nowhere near as comprehensively or efficiently as T-Mobile is using it now. T-Mobile says the mid-band network now covers 150 million people.
The map we're seeing now comports with T-Mobile's stated plans over the past two years: to give rural areas low-band 5G, which has long range and is a better experience than they currently have with weak 4G or even 3G, and to devote mid-band to more populated areas.
Over the past year or so I've been going frequently to Ithaca, NY, where T-Mobile's map (shown above) now clearly shows its strengths and weaknesses. There's comprehensive mid-band 5G all around this college town now, and in surrounding towns including Elmira and Auburn. It's fast enough that T-Mobile has started to offer wireless home internet service in Ithaca. But drive the rural roads up between Ithaca and Auburn, and T-Mobile coverage still struggles along the way.
Verizon and AT&T do not currently have dedicated mid-band 5G networks. Verizon's 5G coverage map shows its "nationwide" low-speed DSS 5G and its very fast, but limited high-band "ultra wideband." AT&T's coverage map shows its low-band 5G and limited information about its high-band venues. (For what it's worth, I know AT&T high-band locations that aren't on its map.) Both carriers intend to launch mid-band 5G next year, based on C-band airwaves they purchased this year.
We just finished up driving to 30 US cities for our annual Fastest Mobile Networks 2021 project, and we'll have full results soon to show whether T-Mobile's mid-band 5G has vaulted it into becoming America's network leader. For now, though, check out its coverage on the new map.