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 had been combating for his or her playoff lives, I made a decision to see how speeds had been doing on the three largest 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 had been offered two massive guarantees about 5G — pace and capability. For pace, the largest instance we got was “You’ll be able to obtain a whole film whilst you sit on the tarmac ready to take off! Nicely, considerations surrounding 5G and airport safety shortly quashed these desires. 

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. To this point, 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 cellphone turns into a pleasant digital camera, so long as I do not attempt to ship images to anybody. It has been some time since I’ve run into that scenario, so I wished to take the temperature nowadays.

When the Cubs superior to the Wild Card playoffs, I noticed a possibility. 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 wished to see how these networks dealt with me hanging round with 41,000 of my closest buddies. Packing three similar Pixel 10 Pros, I headed down for some enjoyable on the previous ballpark — from the surface as a result of getting tickets was not possible.

The sport plan

Since visitors round Wrigley Discipline (and wherever inside a three-mile radius) is perilous at the perfect of occasions, I headed over to Wrigley Discipline from 10 miles away (hello, mother) on my Engwe LE 20 electrical bike — facet notice: I journey this bike greater than my automotive through the summer time months. 

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

Happily (or sadly), I bought 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 truly OK, as a result of I wished 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 sport, so there was much less socializing outdoors the park. Past foot visitors, the largest obstacles I anticipated which may affect connectivity had been the stadium itself and all of the folks inside it attempting to livestream or share movies of their views from the seats.

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

Location 1: Lawrence and Pulaski

San Diego bought off to a sizzling begin with a Jackson Merrill sacrifice fly within the first inning to drive in Fernando Tatis Jr. The Cubs couldn’t retaliate in opposition to Dylan Stop, so I used to be nonetheless 2.3 miles from Wrigley Discipline 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 function of “opener” completed, and Japanese star pitcher Shota Iminaga had entered because the precise starter for the sport. For the file, 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 Discipline for my first checks on web site, and holy Toledo!

Location 3: Entrance gate

These are not 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 best discipline gate.

Location 4: Proper-field gate

At this gate, T-Cellular refused to run a pace take a look at 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 sport. 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

Happily. On the left discipline gate, there was a TV on in a bar that I might see from the place I used to be standing. Additionally, that is the place I ran my first obtain take a look at. 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 wished to get another 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 collaborating, so I made a decision to go again to the best 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 — nicely, second thriller, truly. The primary thriller is how Eddie Vedder (sure, Pearl Jam Eddie Vedder) talked his manner 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 take a look at, I headed to Gallagher Approach, which is a kind of leisure spot for Cubs ticket holders outdoors of the park. Gallagher Approach can also 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 take a look at, which took two innings for a selected cause I am going to get to in a second. Listed below are the pace take a look at outcomes:

Location 9: Gallagher Approach

I spent a lot time at Gallagher Approach as a result of I additionally ran my second obtain pace take a look at there, and AT&T determined it did not actually really feel like engaged on something. I needed to cease the obtain take a look at 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 had been all unhappy. 

Extra importantly, although, folks had 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 wished to get one final baseline, so as soon as I bought to the nook of Lawrence and Clark, about 2.5 miles away, I ran one final pace take a look at and one final obtain take a look at. Listed below are the outcomes:

Location 10: Lawrence and Clark

ZDNET’s key takeaways

Nicely, to begin with, mobile networks are finicky issues. There are dozens, if not tons of, of things that may decide how briskly your cellphone will probably 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 folks all determined to place down their telephones and sing a tune collectively? In all probability not.

The truth is, although, that community congestion completely generally is a main consider slowing down your cellphone. Each time I drifted away from the park, issues bought lots higher. So congestion is definitely an element, but it surely’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 pace at 2,666 Mbps, and it wasn’t even shut. AT&T was the second quickest on the similar location with 1,299 Mbps. T-Cellular’s pace 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 provider most affected by the group — and that tracks with my very own expertise. Away from the park, the provider managed speeds within the 300s, 400s, and even 800s, however as soon as I bought outdoors the park, that dropped to single or double digits. Talking of which, this is how usually every provider hit single, double, and triple digits:

Verizon by no means hit single digits and hit triple digits probably the most than any the provider. 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. Usually, it is essential to acknowledge that it is a small pattern dimension. That is community efficiency in a confined space throughout a selected three-hour stretch, and it is not indicative of general community efficiency. 

However it paints an image, one that’s in keeping with my expertise as a T-Cellular buyer. Put merely, when lots of people collect in a single place — ball video games, amusement parks, live shows — networks can battle. That is nonetheless a factor regardless of the guarantees of 5G which can be nearly seven years previous. Possibly the Cubs may have higher luck than the networks to this point.