AT&T’s speed test results aren’t as fast as they seem

AT&T is the fastest US mobile provider but probably not by as much as first reported, according to new information from speed-test company Ookla. AT&T’s overall mobile speed was artificially inflated in Ookla’s latest speed ratings by the sheer number of people testing their new “5G E” connections, whose icon notificationhas recently started showing up on newer iPhone models. This, along with AT&T’s extensive 5G E advertising, is currently the subject of a Sprint lawsuit against the company for deceptive practices. Thanks to 5G E visibility, owners of newer, faster iPhones in select cities conducted more speed tests than normal. As a result, the data is skewed more in favor of AT&T iPhone users than usual, because a larger share of survey takers were people with new AT&T iPhones than would normally occur on Ookla’s tests. Ookla measures speed on iPhones and Androids through user-initiated speed tests.