T-Mobile needs to stop boasting about dethroning Verizon

Connectivity insights company Ookla has proclaimed that T-Mobile has the best network and the carrier is wearing the victory loud and proud. This might prove to be a grave mistake.

Citing data from Ookla, T-Mobile hosted a whole event to make it known it had dethroned Verizon. Verizonrejected those claims during an event that took place a day later. The company told Fierce Wireless that it doesn’t trust results published by Ookla. Verizon said that RootMetrics is more reliable. That company still says that Verizon has the most reliable 5G network.

RootMetrics, with its rigorous, scientific methodology and controlled drive testing, provides more reliable and in-depth network performance data compared to crowdsourcing. According to their latest reports, RootMetrics’ concluded that Verizon has the most reliable 5G network

—Verizon spokesperson, June 2025

Of course, each company is going to market the results that favor them. T-Mobile may need to tone it down a little or its strategy will backfire. T-Mobile takes great pride in the fact that it went from being an underdog to the number one network in the US. T-Mobile‘s CEO Mike Sievert said that it took the company years to become a dominant player and the company won’t shy away from embracing the win.

You’re going to see everything we talk about from now on will be different because we’ve decided to embrace this network leadership that’s been many, many years in the making and make it a centerpiece of our communications from today forward.

—Mike Sievert, T-Mobile‘s CEO, June 2025

Apparently, the company wasn’t sure if it should blow its own trumpet, but eventually went ahead and made the declaration about its victory over Verizon. There are two risks to that.

First, customers might get the impression that the company has peaked and its network can’t improve further.

We’re here to not only defend but extend this leadership for years to come because claiming you’re the best comes with a burden. People are going to expect more from us, and we know that, and we’re ready for it.

—Mike Sievert, T-Mobile‘s CEO, June 2025

Second, T-Mobile‘s boastfulness may put off some Verizon customers. That’s because, as Recon Analytics founder Roger Entner explains, customers who are receptive to such messages have already heard them, but the rest are going to disregard them.

The customers who are receptive to the [network] message have already heard it. Then there’s the segment that tunes this completely out. People who are with their carrier for a long time are not receptive to it and the more you hammer it, the worse it actually gets.

—Roger Entner, Recon Analytics founder, June 2025

That’s because people usually go for a carrier that offers the best service in their area. They also don’t like to be told they made the wrong choice, which is exactly what T-Mobile is doing. This marketing strategy will only cause such customers to cling harder to AT&T or Verizon.

T-Mobile‘s acquisition of 600 MHz and Sprint’s 2.5 GHz spectrum greatly helped it build its position as a 5G leader. It took the lead in many network metrics. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has the greatest coverage, considering Verizon‘s vast 4G LTE network might make it a better choice in rural areas.

When asked for thoughts on this, T-Mobile President of Technology Ulf Ewaldsson agreed that T-Mobile doesn’t have the greatest coverage in all areas, which is why it has inked roaming agreements with other companies. Aside from that, the company’s coverage is on par with Verizon.

Besides, if there are some areas where T-Mobile‘s terrestrial network doesn’t work, the same is true for Verizon, according to T-Mobile‘s President of Marketing, Strategy and Products Mike Katz.

If satellite-powered communication is added to the equation, T-Mobile will soon have far fewer terrestrial dead zones when its T-Satellite service launches commercially on July 23.

T-Mobile and Verizon are both trying to improve their public perception in their own ways. While they are trying to one-up each other, lesser-known and non-traditional rivals are quietly wooing their customer base.