Metro Tops Ookla Prepaid Speedtest Report, Ties Visible for Most Consistent Network

Kevin Kearney Sr. Staff Writer

Updated 01 October 2024

Graphic featuring logos for Metro, Visible, and Boost Mobile ranked on an awards stand

WhistleOut fast facts

Metro by T-Mobile placed first for download speeds, upload speeds, and latency.
Visible tied Metro for network consistency and placed first for video and customer sentiment.
Several popular prepaid carriers—including Mint Mobile and US Mobile—were not included in the report.

UPDATE 10/1/24: A representative from Ookla explained that several U.S. MVNOs were not included in their analysis. Mint Mobile was omitted because, as a direct-to-consumer brand, it did not meet their testing criteria. Similarly, the representative said Ookla did not have enough data for US Mobile, Tello Mobile, and other MVNOs to include the carriers in their testing.

Metro by T-Mobile nearly swept the categories in Ookla’s first-ever prepaid carrier report, taking top honors for download speeds, upload speeds, and latency.

Metro’s speeds were impressive: its total median download speed was 197.49Mbps while its 5G service, in particular, clocked in at a blazing 217.1Mbps. Boost Mobile placed second in both categories, with 144.14Mbps and 162.95, respectively.

Graph representing 5G speeds for carriers in Ookla speedtest report

Metro by T-Mobile topped the 5G performance category by a wide margin.
Image: Ookla

Ookla observed even faster Metro 5G speeds in the country’s largest metropolitan areas. The study collected 5G speeds above 200Mbps in Atlanta, Dallas-Forth Worth, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and New York.

Visible ties for consistency, tops two additional categories

Although its speeds lagged behind Metro, Verizon’s Visible tied with the carrier for “Most Consistent Network.” Its 5G was ranked the most consistent, exceeding 25Mbps downloads and 3Mbps uploads in 81.4% of Ookla tests.

Graph displaying 5G consistency for carriers in Ookla speedtest report

Visible's 5G was ranked the most consistent of the prepaid carriers in the report.
Image: Ookla

Visible finished first for “Video Experience” and “Consumer Sentiment.” Users studied were particularly pleased with Visible’s customer service, ranking it 3.91 out of 5. Metro trailed with a score of 3.66.

Other MVNOs missing from report

The Ookla report only includes four prepaid carriers: Boost, Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, and Visible. That excludes some of the best prepaid carriers in the country, like Mint Mobile, US Mobile, and Tello.

We contacted a representative from Ookla for an explanation and will update this story if we receive one.

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Kevin Kearney

Sr. Staff Writer

Kevin is an experienced journalist and writer whose musings on tech, education, and culture have appeared in Stereogum, InsideHook, The Millions, and elsewhere. As a Senior Staff Writer for WhistleOut, he offers unique expertise on the inner workings of the mobile industry, and has a particular passion for emerging efficiencies within smartphone apps.

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