Wireless carriers deployed 5G networks accessible to mobile customers in 2019. And as we head into 2020, network testing firms are starting to release numbers showing the state of 5G network performance.

The numbers from testing firm RootMetrics look pretty good for Verizon; according to RootMetrics' semiannual report on carrier performance, Big Red is the fastest 5 G speeds.

That's not surprising if you follow what each carrier is doing with 5G. Verizon's 5G network uses millimeter wave technology and promises speeds approaching 1 Gbps. The problem with millimeter waves is that they do not extend very far and cannot penetrate physical obstacles. Millimeter wave is suitable for dense urban areas, but one must be within sight of a 5G tower to take advantage of the high speeds.

AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile use mid- to low-band spectrum for the majority of their 5G networks. (AT&T and T-Mobile have some cities with millimeter wave-based coverage, but it is not as widely available as these carriers' other 5G efforts.) While download speeds will not be 1 Gbps, and may only be a marginal improvement over LTE at this time, you will get a network that can reach a wide area.

RootMetrics focused on Los Angeles, where all four carriers are rolling out 5G, and this is what they found: RootMetrics reports that Verizon speeds were fast in the city of Angeles, with a top speed of 627 Mbps. 200 Mbps was exceeded only by Sprint with 201 Mbps. Other carriers noted wider coverage areas and the promise of higher speeds in the future.

In another result that Verizon is sure to tout, even Verizon's LTE speeds were faster than the median speed of T-Mobile's 5G network and comparable to AT&T's 5G median speed in RootMetrics' testing in Los Angeles. Again, while these two carriers plan to increase the speed of their 5G networks, Verizon would argue that similar speeds can be obtained from Big Red's LTE network, just as its 5G footprint may be extensive.

According to RootMetrics, it was similar in Chicago, where Verizon outperformed other networks with a maximum speed of 780 Mbps. This was ahead of Sprint's 249.9 Mbps; T-Mobile's median 5G speeds were again below Verizon's LTE speeds in the Windy City.

The RootMetrics results mirror what we saw when we compared Sprint and Verizon's 5G performance in Chicago last summer. Verizon's 5G speeds were very fast, but 5G coverage was limited to some areas. Sprint's coverage was more widespread, but it took much longer to download TV shows and games when compared to Verizon's 5G network. (At the time of our testing, T-Mobile's nationwide 5G network had not yet launched in Chicago.)

There are some caveats to RootMetrics' 5G findings. Carriers continue to work on 5G deployments, and testing companies expect 5G services to improve and become more widespread as time goes on. Nevertheless, these results provide a useful snapshot of what stage carriers are at in building 5G networks.

Overall, this RootMetrics report covering the second half of 2019 had a lot of good news for Verizon, which took first place in five of the six categories in which the testing firm ranked. This is the 13th consecutive year Verizon has ranked first overall in the RootMetrics report.

AT&T can find plenty to brag about in the RootMetrics report for the second half of 2019, finishing second to Verizon in five categories and claiming the highest median national total download speed of 33.1 Mbps. Verizon was close behind at 32.7 Mbps.

According to RootMetrics, T-Mobile's network reliability and call performance improved in the second half of the year, with the best overall performance in metropolitan areas. The national median download speed was 26.4 Mbps.

Sprint ranked fourth in five of the six categories tracked by RootMetrics, and its total median download speed of 23.1 Mbps was the worst among the four major carriers. RootMetrics believes that speeds above 20 Mbps are fast enough for most users, and praises the carrier's texting performance.

RootMetrics based this report on approximately 3.86 million tests, driving over 225,000 miles in all 50 states. The tests were conducted in the second half of 2019.