Sizing up wireless operators' need for speed

Carriers sometimes tout the maximum speeds their networks can deliver to subscribers. T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS), for example, claims that customers are seeing real-world peak downlink speeds of up to 145 Mbps in markets where it has deployed at least 15x15 MHz of spectrum for LTE. But how do the carriers really stack up when it comes to maximum speeds?

RootMetrics conducted extensive testing across the country both in the first half of 2014 and in the third quarter to gauge how the four Tier 1 carriers fared in terms of maximum downlink and uplink speeds. Thanks to an exclusive partnership between FierceWireless and network testing firm RootMetrics, readers can see for themselves the maximum recorded downlink and uplink speeds the firm observed for the four Tier 1 carriers across eight different regions in the U.S. The data also reveals which regions of the country in general let wireless customers access the highest peak downlink and uplink speeds. For more, check out this FierceWireless special report.