I compared 5G network signals of Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T at a baseball stadium – here’s the winner

Observe ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Final week, whereas my beloved Cubbies have been combating for his or her playoff lives, I made a decision to see how speeds have been doing on the three greatest carriers within the US. Since my hometown of Chicago was one of the first test beds for 5G, I have been sustaining an curiosity in it all through my profession.

You see, again when 5G was nonetheless in its infancy, we have been bought two large guarantees about 5G — velocity and capability. For velocity, the most important instance we got was “You may obtain a whole film whilst you sit on the tarmac ready to take off! Nicely, considerations surrounding 5G and airport safety shortly quashed these goals. 

Additionally: The best 5G phones in 2025: Where does the iPhone 17 rank?

The opposite promise was capability. The promise was “you possibly can go to a live performance and nonetheless stream to your pals again dwelling” and yadda yadda. Thus far, in my expertise, that has very a lot not been the case. Any time I discover myself in an amusement park or a ballgame, my telephone turns into a pleasant digicam, so long as I do not attempt to ship pictures to anybody. It has been some time since I’ve run into that scenario, so I needed to take the temperature nowadays.

When the Cubs superior to the Wild Card playoffs, I noticed a chance. Cubs video games are usually well-represented, however contemplating the final time they performed in entrance of a house crowd within the playoffs was again in 2017, I needed to see how these networks dealt with me hanging round with 41,000 of my closest pals. Packing three equivalent Pixel 10 Pros, I headed down for some enjoyable on the outdated ballpark — from the surface as a result of getting tickets was not possible.

The sport plan

Since visitors round Wrigley Area (and anyplace inside a three-mile radius) is perilous at the very best of occasions, I headed over to Wrigley Area from 10 miles away (hello, mother) on my Engwe LE 20 electrical bike — facet observe: I trip this bike greater than my automotive through the summer season months. 

Additionally: Your iPhone wants to track every place you visit – here’s how to stop it

Fortuitously (or sadly), I acquired a little bit of a late begin, so when the primary pitch arrived at 2:08, I discovered myself about 4.8 miles away. That is really OK, as a result of I needed to get a baseline for the networks earlier than I moved inside vary of the park. 

As soon as I used to be on the park, I used to be stunned on the lack of foot visitors outdoors the stadium. Granted, this was a day recreation, so there was much less socializing outdoors the park. Past foot visitors, the most important obstacles I anticipated that may affect connectivity have been the stadium itself and all of the individuals inside it making an attempt to livestream or share movies of their views from the seats.

So on the nook of Lawrence and Pulaski, I ran my first exams.

Location 1: Lawrence and Pulaski

San Diego acquired off to a scorching begin with a Jackson Merrill sacrifice fly within the first inning to drive in Fernando Tatis Jr. The Cubs couldn’t retaliate towards Dylan Stop, so I used to be nonetheless 2.3 miles from Wrigley Area on the nook of Lincoln and Wilson when the second inning began.

Location 2: Lincoln and Wilson

By then, Andrew Kittredge had left the sport, his position of “opener” completed, and Japanese star pitcher Shota Iminaga had entered because the precise starter for the sport. For the document, I do not like openers, however I am additionally not a Main League supervisor, so I do not get a vote. Nothing occurred within the second inning, however by the start of the third inning, I would arrived on the entrance gate of Wrigley Area for my first exams on web site, and holy Toledo!

Location 3: Entrance gate

These aren’t any misplaced decimals — these are four-digit obtain speeds from each Verizon and AT&T. I am going to spare you the remainder of the baseball recaps for right here on out, however from right here I moved to the suitable discipline gate.

Location 4: Proper-field gate

At this gate, T-Cellular refused to run a velocity check in any respect, failing to even connect with the server. That is not nice, however it could have an opportunity at redemption later within the recreation. Nonetheless, you possibly can see the group could have been starting to take a toll. On to the left discipline gate!

Location 5: Left-field gate

Fortuitously. On the left discipline gate, there was a TV on in a bar that I may see from the place I used to be standing. Additionally, that is the place I ran my first obtain check. Utilizing the identical three telephones, I downloaded the identical 2GB file from my private Google Drive. It was a 4K video file from a latest video challenge I shot. Listed below are the occasions, formatted in minutes and seconds.

From right here, I made a decision I needed to get yet one more baseline, so for the fifth inning, I headed over to the lakefront, which is nearly a mile away from the park. 

Additionally: My phone struggled to get signal: These 5 quick fixes instantly improved its reception

Being separated from the group, the networks behaved as soon as once more, even when the Padres didn’t — they scored one other two runs.

Location 6: Lakefront

As soon as once more, I headed again to the ballpark to see what the group needed to say about these numbers. They didn’t agree. As I stood by the doorway to the bleachers, with the borderline creepy tribute to Harry Carey, I took one other studying on the prime of the sixth inning.

Location 7: Bleachers

As soon as once more, T-Cellular was not taking part, so I made a decision to move again to the suitable discipline entrance to see if it was only a Sheffield Avenue factor. It was not.

Location 8: Sheffield Avenue

Right here lies our first thriller — properly, second thriller, really. The primary thriller is how Eddie Vedder (sure, Pearl Jam Eddie Vedder) talked his method into singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” two days in a row. The second thriller is how T-Cellular determined to not play in any respect on my first go to to this spot, actually half-hour in the past, and now it is beating the pants off of its two opponents.

Additionally: How to clear your Android phone cache (and why it makes such a big difference)

Anyway, for my final check, I headed to Gallagher Method, which is a form of leisure spot for Cubs ticket holders outdoors of the park. Gallagher Method can be a preferred spot for non-ticket holders because of the large Jumbotron that broadcasts the video games. That is the place I stayed for the final check, which took two innings for a specific cause I am going to get to in a second. Listed below are the velocity check outcomes:

Location 9: Gallagher Method

I spent a lot time at Gallagher Method as a result of I additionally ran my second obtain velocity check there, and AT&T determined it did not actually really feel like engaged on something. I needed to cease the obtain check after 12 minutes, throughout which it solely accomplished about 75% of the obtain as a result of by then, the sport had ended, and we have been all unhappy. 

Extra importantly, although, individuals have been beginning to flood out of the park, and I merely couldn’t keep the place I used to be.

After I left the park, I needed to get one final baseline, so as soon as I acquired to the nook of Lawrence and Clark, about 2.5 miles away, I ran one final velocity check and one final obtain check. Listed below are the outcomes:

Location 10: Lawrence and Clark

ZDNET’s key takeaways

Nicely, to start with, mobile networks are finicky issues. There are dozens, if not a whole lot, of things that may decide how briskly your telephone will likely be at any given time. One second, you get no sign. Subsequent, you are rushing by means of the quick lane. Is that as a result of 39,000 different individuals all determined to place down their telephones and sing a music collectively? Most likely not.

The truth is, although, that community congestion completely could be a main consider slowing down your telephone. Each time I drifted away from the park, issues acquired rather a lot higher. So congestion is actually an element, however it’s undoubtedly not the one issue.

Additionally: Your Samsung phone has a hidden Wi-Fi menu that’s seriously useful – how to turn it on

Of the three networks, Verizon had the quickest obtain velocity at 2,666 Mbps, and it wasn’t even shut. AT&T was the second quickest on the identical location with 1,299 Mbps. T-Cellular’s velocity topped out at 835 Mbps away from the park, however within the space across the park, it maxed out at 184 Mbps.

Apparently sufficient, T-Cellular gave the impression to be the service most affected by the group — and that tracks with my very own expertise. Away from the park, the service managed speeds within the 300s, 400s, and even 800s, however as soon as I acquired outdoors the park, that dropped to single or double digits. Talking of which, here is how typically every service hit single, double, and triple digits:

Verizon by no means hit single digits and hit triple digits probably the most than any the service. Does that make Verizon the clear winner? That is an controversial level. Nicely performed, Verizon. 

Additionally: Android’s eSIM transfer comes to more smartphones. Here’s how it works

I contacted all three carriers, and I am going to replace this text when/in the event that they reply. Typically, it is necessary to acknowledge that it is a small pattern dimension. That is community efficiency in a confined space throughout a specific three-hour stretch, and it is not indicative of general community efficiency. 

But it surely paints an image, one that’s according to my expertise as a T-Cellular buyer. Put merely, when lots of people collect in a single place — ball video games, amusement parks, concert events — networks can battle. That is nonetheless a factor regardless of the guarantees of 5G which are virtually seven years outdated. Possibly the Cubs could have higher luck than the networks up to now.