Understanding and Measuring 5G

Latest insights on 5G

The promise of 5G to revolutionize the mobile industry started years before the first commercial networks even launched. Download speeds measured in Gbps. Latencies reduced to single digit milliseconds. Bandwidths capable of serving an ever-growing mobile-first population. How much of the promise of 5G is reality now that the first commercial networks have begun rolling out?

Opensignal seeks to answer that question, using real-world 5G measurements from actual users to reality-check the hype. We are tracking the 5G rollouts around the world and aim to be the single source of truth on the true 5G experience users receive as adoption grows in markets around the world.

5G in USA is here, but in need of fresh spectrum to thrive

While operators have launched commercial 5G services in a number of countries in 2019, the experience of 5G users is still extremely uneven.

5G users now experience max download speeds over 1000 Mbps in 4 countries

The 5G experience is evolving quickly – we are already seeing increases in maximum speeds after just two months.

5G smartphone users experience 111.8 Mbps average download speed

The first commercial 5G networks have gone live earlier this year in South Korea. But does the experience of smartphone users live up to the 5G hype?

The State of Mobile Games Experience in the 5G era

With video games now the biggest form of entertainment (thanks in part to breakout games like Fortnite) and the smartphone becoming increasing the device of choice, gamers’ mobile connections have a great deal of impact on their playing experience.

Quantifying the real-world experience of 5G E

Some AT&T users in the U.S. have recently seen “5G E” appear on the status bar of their existing smartphones. But are they getting faster speeds than mobile users with less capable smartphone models?

The 5G Opportunity

Congestion on current 4G networks is holding back speeds highlighting the need for new 5G capacity to relieve the pressure.

Latency is the new 5G speed battleground which will enable XR and AR

For many kinds of immersive interactive media, mobile download speed is not the only important measure of speed.

5G boosts the maximum real-world download speed by up to 2.7 times 4G users’ top speeds

Even in these early days, 5G users are experiencing dramatically faster download speeds than 4G users in most countries, with one notable exception.

Test your 5G speed

Want to know the true download speed on your 5G network? Download one of our apps to get a real-time measure of your speed. When you share your measurements with us, you help us analyze exactly what everyday users experience on the network. Our analysis is used across the industry to help improve mobile network connectivity.

OpenSignal and Meteor apps are available on Android and iOS. Learn more.

Looking for more images of 5G testing in action? Visit the image gallery in our newsroom.