Late movers have their advantages. While T-Mobile kicked off its 5G rollout with pure 5G, or 5G Standalone (5G SA), Verizon opted for 5G NSA (Non-Standalone), which relied on its existing LTE core network. Verizon has been moving to 5G SA since late 2025, and it's a big reason customers are noticing improvements.
The 5G SA boost
Verizon customers are enjoying faster speeds. | Image by Reddit user Jackpen7
Michael Thelander, president of Signals Research Group (SRG), last week published a report detailing how 5G SA makes Verizon's network more efficient.
What if an operator knew it could double its uplink capacity overnight? It isn't quite that simple, but the fact of the matter is that 5G SA can deliver more than 2x uplink capacity compared with 5G NSA (LTE + 5G).
Michael Thelander, president of SRG, August 2026
Without an LTE bottleneck, a smartphone can jump straight to the best available 5G small cell. 5G SA boosts data speeds, particularly upload performance, and also improves spectral efficiency.
To test this, SRG used two Motorola Razr Fold 2026 handsets, one configured to support 5G SA, and the other set to 5G NSA. The test was conducted near a Verizon cell site featuring 32T32R radio hardware.
The 5G SA smartphone delivered 2.2x higher spectral efficiency than the 5G NSA device, squeezing more data out of the same spectrum.
While most smartphones today use two transmit chains for uplink, the Motorola Razr Fold 2026 is among the few handsets that can use both chains simultaneously in Band n2. Thus, not every 5G SA smartphone will see this massive leap just yet.
Who is leading the network race?
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The 32T32R effect
In a follow-up LinkedIn post, Thelander shared some more nuggets. Upgrading tower radios from 4T4R to 32T32R has expanded Verizon's network capacity and improved speeds across the board.
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Needless to say, Verizon just got a huge boost to its network capacity while simultaneously benefiting consumers with higher data speeds with the upgrade to the Ericsson AIR 3283 massive MIMO radio.
Michael Thelander, president of SRG, August 2026
What does this mean for Verizon users?
As Verizon deploys these improvements, customers should look forward to more consistent speeds. However, the changes won't be felt by customers not located near an upgraded tower or without a compatible phone.
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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