Two new studies on network carrier performance through the first half of 2024 have been released by mobile analytics firm RootMetrics.

The first study looks at the state of 5G connectivity in the U.S. In a speed study by Ookla, T-Mobile took the top spot for speed and coverage; in RootMetrics' 5G test, surprisingly and for the first time in a while, another network carrier took the top spot.

Of the three key metrics examined, Verizon won on two of them, speed and reliability; T-Mobile won on availability, confirming data from the previous Ookla report; AT&T was generally in third place; and the other two networks, T-Mobile and AT&T, were in third place.

This is a fairly significant change from the 2023 report released earlier this year. In that study, T-Mobile was the leader in availability and speed. Verizon still wins in reliability.

Throughout, it seems that what separated Verizon from its competitors was network speed outside of metropolitan areas. At first glance, all three major carriers have very similar performance in urban areas, but they are more dispersed away from populated centers.

According to the latest study and the earlier 2023 study, the difference lies in the data used by Rootmetrics. Most of the earlier studies seemed to look only at metropolitan areas or combined urban and rural statistics.

The new study isolates rural data and shows that there are marked differences between carriers as they move away from urban areas.

Thus, Verizon received the “Most Reliable 5G” award from Root Metrics for the seventh year in a row, which was bolstered by the new inclusion of rural scores in this year's study.

Perhaps T-Mobile will catch up as it demonstrates its commitment to making it available everywhere.

The second survey by the company was on the state of mobile in the first half of this year.

Most of it is a “awards” summary of how each carrier performed in various markets across the country. However, there are some insights that can be gleaned from it.

T-Mobile continued to have the highest download speeds across all major markets, capable of achieving 100 Mbps in all markets.

In general, all companies were able to improve their download speeds, but AT&T was well ahead of the other two companies in most tests. The report claims that AT&T is better in categories such as call and text performance, though.

If these numbers resonate with you, should you consider switching carriers?

Maybe so; Verizon seems to have the most consistent performance overall, AT&T is decent at everything, and T-Mobile seems to have the coverage and speed.

Neither guarantees that you will be able to connect to the network and receive service; Mark Spoonauer, editor of Tom's Guide, recently switched from Verizon to T-Mobile, but his device seems to offer the network found that his device did not enjoy the speed and coverage that the network is supposed to provide.

Also, T-Mobile and Verizon are close in score, so he should be able to get fairly good service everywhere, especially in metropolitan areas.

If a network doesn't work, you can also check out the best carriers outside of the big three.