Rural FWA users across all three providers —T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T— have lower median download speeds and higher multi-server latency than urban FWA users. 

U.S. 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) connections from Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T topped 17 million in Q1 2026—capturing 13.74% of the nation’s 123.75 million home broadband subscriptions, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s January 2026 American Community Survey. 

While initially envisioned as a cost-effective fix for rural connectivity gaps, FWA is gaining traction in urban markets. According to Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data, which used the U.S. Census Bureau’s urban-rural classifications to categorize user data, roughly 70% of Q2 2026 FWA test samples originated from urban users, compared to 30% from rural areas. While Speedtest sample volume does not directly equate to subscriber counts, it can act as a proxy for overall market distribution. 

We analyzed FWA performance trends throughout the first half of 2026 and found steady progress in speeds and latency. In addition, for the first time we looked at state-level FWA data and found that the percentage of FWA Speedtest users that were able to experience the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) minimum standard for broadband speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload was less than 40% in 48 states. 

• T-Mobile dominated its competitors in Q2 2026 with a median download speed of 222.7 Mbps, 38.4% higher than AT&T Internet Air and 76% higher than Verizon 5G Home. Similarly, T-Mobile’s Q2 2026 median upload speed of 18.1 Mbps was 80.1% higher than AT&T and 48.5% higher than Verizon. 
  
• All three providers experienced a performance drop in both download and upload speeds between Q1 2026 to Q2 2026, which is likely due to the seasonal impact of foliage —dense leaves on trees can weaken FWA signals.

• AT&T’s Q1 2026 median download speed of 167.34 Mbps was nearly 60% higher than its median download speed of 104.61 Mbps logged in Q3 2025. This is likely the result of the company’s deployment of 50 MHz of low- and mid-band spectrum that it purchased from EchoStar in July 2026 for $23 billion, but started implementing after the deal was first announced in August 2025. 

• Rural FWA users across all three providers nationwide have lower median download speeds and higher multi-server latency than urban FWA users.  Speedtest data indicates that urban users receive a median multi-server latency anywhere from 7 ms to 13 ms lower than their rural counterparts. 

• In two states —Hawaii, New York—and the District of Columbia, 40% or more of FWA Speedtest samples met the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband speed (100 Mbps download/20 Mbps upload). 

In Q1 and Q2 of 2026, T-Mobile outperformed the competition in median download and upload speeds. With a median download speed of 222.7 Mbps in Q2 2026, T-Mobile’s speed was 38.4% higher than AT&T Internet Air and 76% higher than Verizon 5G Home.  

T-Mobile was also the speed leader in our December 2025 report and in our March 2025 report and it continues to surpass its competition in FWA speed and latency in our latest Q1 2026 and Q2 2026 data. 

AT&T Internet Air is now ranked No. 2 in median download speeds with speeds of 167.34 Mbps in Q1 2026 and 160.43 Mbps in Q2 2026.  AT&T’s Q1 2026 median download speed of 167.34 Mbps is nearly 60% higher than its median download speed of 104.61 Mbps that was logged in Q3 2025. 

This uplift in median download speeds is likely due to the company’s deployment of $23 billion in additional 50 MHz of low-band and mid-band spectrum that it purchased from EchoStar. AT&T announced the deal in August 2025 and said in November 2025 that it had implemented that new spectrum and was already seeing improved network performance. 

AT&T’s additional spectrum also produced an uplift in its median upload speeds. AT&T had a median upload speed of 9.23 Mbps in Q3 2025 which increased to 12.55 Mbps in Q1 2026. 

Nevertheless, T-Mobile still has the highest median upload speeds of the three providers. T-Mobile’s median upload speed of 18.12 Mbps in Q2 2026 was 48.5% higher than Verizon’s median upload speed of 12.2 Mbps and 80.1% higher than AT&T’s median upload speed of 10.06 Mbps. 

All three providers experienced a performance drop in download and upload speeds from Q1 to Q2 2026, Verizon FWA users saw the biggest decline with a drop in median download speeds from 143.64 Mbps in Q1 2026  to 126.53 Mbps in Q2 2026.

It’s important to note that our Verizon FWA analysis in this report does not include Starry, the FWA provider that Verizon acquired in March 2026. Starry’s FWA service is still operated and sold separately from Verizon. 

Median Download Speed Decline Q1 2026 to Q2 2026

Median multi-server latency also increased slightly from Q1 2026 to Q2 2026, which represents a slightly higher delay for FWA users. However, T-Mobile still maintained the lowest median multi-server latency at 46 ms in Q2 2026. 

Median Multi-Server Latency Increases Q1 2026 to Q2 2026

The performance decline from Q1 2026 to Q2 2026 is likely due to a seasonal pattern that we have recognized over time. These declines occur in the spring and summer months when deciduous trees are filled with dense leaves that can weaken the FWA signals. In addition, hotter temperatures can also slow down data speeds because the increase in thermal noise within electronic components causes networks to default to slower modulation schemes in order to maintain a stable connection. 

We first wrote about these seasonal changes in our December 2025 report. At the time we noted that the declines may also be a result of network congestion but it’s evident that this is an ongoing pattern as it impacts all three FWA providers. 

Not surprisingly, FWA speeds are highest in the late evening/early morning hours when traffic is lowest. Speeds drop continuously during the afternoon and early evening as network congestion increases. During this time of peak demand, mobile operators typically use network management techniques to optimize capacity.  

Although T-Mobile’s speeds drop during this time period, it still maintains a significant speed advantage over its competitors. T-Mobile’s lowest median download speed during the 24 hour period is 165 Mbps, which is just slightly lower than Verizon’s peak median download speed of 170 Mbps. 

AT&T, which in our December 2025 report was ranked No. 3 in FWA median download speeds in Q1 2025, Q2 2025 and Q3 2025 below T-Mobile and Verizon, is consistently in the No. 2 spot. 

During peak congestion hours between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., the performance gap between AT&T and Verizon disappears with both holding steady at around 125 Mbps. 

The blazing-fast speed experienced by the fastest 10% of T-Mobile FWA tests, or the 90th percentile, often exceeds 600 Mbps.  In addition, the speeds experienced by the fastest 10% of AT&T Internet Air tests, also the 90th percentile, are close to 500 Mbps during periods of low congestion.

However, it’s also evident that Verizon continues to enforce speed caps on its FWA service around 300 Mbps, which prevents its top-tier speeds from rising even during off-peak hours when the network has idle capacity. 

The 10th percentile FWA samples, which are those that experience the slowest speeds, further demonstrates how the networks perform during times of peak usage. While T-Mobile is able to consistently deliver the highest download speeds of the three providers, the 10th percentile samples peak around 5 a.m. with download speeds of 59.65 Mbps but decline 62.4% to 22.43 Mbps during prime evening hours. 

AT&T Internet Air FWA 10th percentile samples also declined dramatically (67.84%) from 46.86 Mbps in the early morning hours to 15.07 Mbps at 8 p.m.

Verizon, however, shows the most stability with its 10th percentile FWA samples holding steady between 21.09 Mbps and 24.75 Mbps regardless of the network load or the hour. 

As mentioned above, FWA was initially envisioned as a solution to deliver broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities where fiber was either economically unfeasible or being slowly deployed. For T-Mobile, expanding rural broadband was a key selling point to federal regulators when it was trying to get its acquisition of Sprint approved in 2020. The carrier promised regulators that its expanded mid-band 5G network would reach 97% of rural Americans.  

In addition, both Verizon and AT&T have positioned their FWA services as an alternative for households with limited options beyond DSL. AT&T, in particular, promotes Internet Air as a speed upgrade over its aging, copper-based DSL service. The company uses Internet Air to retain residential broadband customers in areas where it is shutting down copper wireline networks and AT&T Fiber is not available. The company has said that its copper infrastructure is becoming too difficult to support due to its age, frequent outages, and issues like copper theft. It plans to fully phase out its copper network by 2029. 

Still, the technology shines in dense urban areas where short signal distances between close-together small cells and cell towers maximize performance. Providers like Verizon leverage millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum to push massive amounts of data over these short distances. In addition, FWA is much easier to deploy and eliminates the headaches associated with urban fiber deployment such as costly trenching, expensive municipal permits, and heavy construction fees.

On a nationwide scale, Speedtest data shows that during both Q1 2026 and Q2 2026, urban download speeds across all three providers consistently exceed rural download speeds, though T-Mobile maintains the smallest gap between urban and rural performance. 

The urban advantage also exists for median upload speeds for T-Mobile and Verizon users, but not for AT&T.  According to Speedtest data, AT&T Internet Air users in rural markets have an upload speed advantage over those in urban markets in both Q1 2026 and Q2 2026. 

Urban subscribers also consistently enjoy 7 to 13 ms lower latency than rural subscribers across all providers and quarters.

Two states —Hawaii, New York—and the District of Columbia delivered the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband speed (100 Mbps download/20 Mbps upload) to 40% or more of Speedtest users in Q2 2026. The majority of the states (38) were able to deliver the FCC’s minimum standard of 100/20 Mbps to between 30-39% of FWA Speedtest users. However, there were 10 states where 29% or fewer of the FWA Speedtest users experienced the FCC’s minimum standard of broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps. 

FWA users in Hawaii may benefit from having populations clustered around coastal areas that providers can target with well-placed antennas. 

In addition, T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home are prominent players in New York and have heavily deployed their mid-band 5G (C-band and 2.5 GHz) in the state, particularly in urban and suburban hubs such as Long Island, Westchester, Rochester and Buffalo. 

Maine is the lowest ranking state in the continental U.S. with just 23.3% of FWA Speedtest users able to get the FCC’s minimum standard of broadband speeds. Maine is the most heavily forested state in the U.S. with roughly 80% of it covered with trees. This makes it difficult for signals to penetrate and can cause severe signal degradation. 

Alaska is ranked lowest of all the 50 states and the District of Columbia with just 4.8% of FWA users able to get 100/20 Mbps but the sample size in Alaska is too low to be considered statistically viable. With its enormous size and diverse terrain, Alaska has difficulty delivering the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband to its residents. However, fixed broadband providers and satellite provider Starlink have been making progress over the past 18 months. 

California and Texas, both large states that cover a large geographic area, accounted for nearly 25% of all Speedtest samples, indicating these two states host the largest number of FWA subscribers compared to the other 48 states. 

While FWA was originally envisioned as a way to deliver broadband to rural communities where providers had excess network capacity, the service has evolved into a formidable alternative to fixed broadband.  However, this latest Speedtest data indicates that despite its intended role, rural users are facing trade-offs in terms of lower median download speeds and higher latency. 

In addition, seasonal factors—such as foliage interference during spring and summer—along with daily peak-hour network congestion, present some challenges for all major carriers.

T-Mobile maintains a clear lead across overall speeds and latency, while AT&T’s recent spectrum acquisitions have resulted in performance gains.

Looking forward, we’ll continue to monitor the performance gap between urban and rural FWA users and see how service providers balance the demands of their FWA user base while also expanding the service to potential new subscribers. 

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