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Whether you're thinking of switching to a new mobile network operator or you've already decided to do precisely that, choosing the right wireless plan for your budget and speed needs can be quite the daunting task. That's because T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T all have far too many (and far too similar) service options, and understanding exactly how they differ is rarely made easy.
That's where the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has come in a couple of years ago, imposing for the first time clear rules on what broadband providers have to display "at the point of sale" about all of their plans. The only problem is... America's top three mobile carriers haven't exactly been quick to comply with the FCC's guidelines on this matter.
But now T-Mobile is finally listing the "broadband facts" of its (postpaid and prepaid) plans on its official website, making us hopeful that Verizon and AT&T will soon follow suit.
This is what we call transparency!
Have you ever wondered what are the typical speeds provided by T-Mo for different consumers on different budgets? Well, now you don't need to wonder any longer or dig very deep into the fine print of every individual plan to compare the official numbers.
Said numbers are front and center on the operator's website, ranging from 79 to 357 Mbps as far as download speeds are concerned on Magenta's Essentials and Essentials Saver plans and from 89 to 418 Mbps for pricier Go5G Next and Go5G Plus options.
These are just a few of the key details of T-Mobile's Essentials Saver, Go5G Next, and Go5G Plus plans (from left to right).
That may not sound like a huge gap, but it's definitely important to know about it before choosing a lower or higher-cost postpaid plan. The "typical" upload speed difference is even smaller, with Go5G options capable of reaching 31 Mbps and their Essentials counterparts capped at 30 Mbps.
Then you have identical "typical latency" of 17 to 32 ms across the board, which is another factor worth taking into consideration when making a new smartphone purchase or bringing an existing device to T-Mobile. Magenta is equally transparent about its own-brand prepaid plans and those offered by daughter operator Metro, which reveals a couple of very interesting things you may not have previously realized.
While all T-Mobile Prepaid plans are made to be equal to the operator's premium postpaid options in terms of both 5G download and 5G upload speeds, those "typical" numbers are reduced to Essentials levels for Metro by T-Mobile's Unlimited plans.
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The "Un-carrier's" broadband facts also make it clear right off the bat that new subscribers need to pay a one-time "device connection charge"... without really going into all the other taxes and fees introduced or increased over the last couple of years. The FCC might want to make a note of that, although T-Mobile is obviously more honest about... pretty much everything now than its competitors.
Surprisingly (or not), we were not able to find a single mention of that term on AT&T's website, while Verizon does have a (buried) section dedicated to this topic that requires you enter your address to "get broadband fact labels" relevant to said location.
Verizon's plans still don't have easily accessible broadband fact labels.
That's definitely not what the FCC had in mind when drafting this consumer-informing rule, and apart from government taxes (which are said to "vary by location" for T-Mobile's entry-level postpaid plans), it's not clear to us what Big Red could revise in its own broadband fact labels by location.
Simply put, Verizon is clearly not following the FCC's recommendations for the implementation of these labels, although it remains to be seen if the operator will receive any form of punishment in this matter.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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