PC Magazine July 2017

VERIZON
Verizon doesn’t put out as many press releases and social
blasts as T-Mobile does, but it’s matching T-Mobile
upgrade for upgrade. The carrier has confirmed, often
quietly, that it’s installing all three of the Gigabit LTE
technologies across its network, and our tests bear that
out. We’re seeing better results on the (gigabit) Galaxy S8
than the (non-gigabit) S7, and we think the gap between
those two devices will grow.
Verizon has been building that speed on top of the nation’s most reliable
network, which has the broadest existing LTE coverage. This doesn’t make a
huge difference in highly populated cities any longer, especially where T-Mobile
has installed building-penetrating 700MHz LTE. But out in Wyoming, Verizon
clearly still has a rural advantage.
The next stop for Verizon is 5G. The carrier is taking a detour into home
internet by launching a pre-spec home 5G system later this year. That will give
Verizon the option to sell home-and-mobile internet bundles that may make its
network an even easier choice for subscribers.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER BRANDS?
We tested only the four major nationwide networks. There are smaller carriers
that we didn’t test, as well as many “virtual” operators, or MVNOs, that rent and
resell capacity from the big four networks.
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-place provider in the U.S., with five million customers.
We don’t evaluate it because its primarily rural coverage isn’t compatible with
our metro-centered testing.
Small regional providers also may offer great rates, such as C Spire in the
Southeast, Cellcom in Wisconsin, Appalachian and Bluegrass in Kentucky, and
Union and Viaero in Wyoming and Colorado. These tiny local companies run
their own networks and usually roam on one of the nationwide providers
outside their coverage area.