T-Mobile continues to solidify its position as a leading force in the American telecommunications landscape. Recent announcements highlight the company's advancements in network performance, customer perks, and innovative satellite technology.

America's Top Network

T-Mobile is now claiming overall U.S. network leadership over Verizon and AT&T, not just in 5G coverage. This assertion is based on what T-Mobile describes as the most exhaustive network test in U.S. history, conducted by Ookla, a network measurement company. Ookla's testing involved over 6 million devices and 500 million test points over a six-month period. T-Mobile has about 82,715 towers across the country, about 10-15% more than Verizon. T-Mobile utilizes low-band 600 MHz spectrum for its 5G coverage and 2.5 GHz spectrum for its mid-band layer, which the company claims propagates better than the 3.7 GHz C-band spectrum used by Verizon and AT&T for their mid-band 5G.

Opensignal's January 2025 Mobile Network Experience Report supports T-Mobile's claims. T-Mobile users experienced overall average download speeds of over 150Mbps, three times those seen on AT&T. T-Mobile also won awards for Download Speed Experience, Upload Speed Experience, and 5G Download Speed. T-Mobile and Verizon jointly won Opensignal's new Reliability Experience award. T-Mobile also secured the 5G Coverage Experience award for the third consecutive time.

However, customer satisfaction is a mixed bag. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Telecommunications, Cell Phone, and Smartwatch Study 2025, reported an industry-wide decline in customer satisfaction with cell phones, dropping 4% to a decade-low score of 78 out of 100. In the mobile network operator category, T-Mobile led with a score of 76, despite a 1% year-over-year slip. A J.D. Power study indicated that T-Mobile ranks highest in the U.S. for Small Business and Large Enterprise.

DoorDash Perk Announced

T-Mobile is adding a new perk for its users through a partnership with DoorDash. Starting July 8, eligible T-Mobile customers can get a free DashPass subscription, which usually costs $10 per month or $120 per year. This benefit will be available through the T-Life app and includes no delivery fees on eligible orders and reduced service fees. CEO Mike Sievert estimates that customers who use DoorDash regularly could save between $600 and $700 a year through this deal. The DashPass perk will apply to users on "all popular plans," including older ones like Magenta and ONE. It is not clear if the subscription will include access to HBO Max, which sometimes comes bundled with an annual DashPass membership.

T-Satellite Launch Scheduled

T-Mobile's satellite-to-cell network, known as T-Satellite, is expanding to include full data services from October 1, 2025, with a broader rollout beginning with messaging on July 23. Following a beta stage, T-Mobile will offer SMS, MMS, picture messaging, and short audio clips from July 23. The October launch will enable support for select third-party smartphone apps, offering data capabilities in traditionally unserved "dead zones".

Powered by over 657 Starlink satellites, the service uses SpaceX's direct-to-cell technology and midband PCS spectrum, allowing users to connect via standard 4G handsets, with no specialized hardware required. Data connectivity will be available for partnered apps, including WhatsApp, AccuWeather, and AllTrails, with expansion planned over time. From October, satellite-enabled 911 texting will be accessible to all compatible mobile users in the US, regardless of carrier.

T-Mobile subscribers on the new "Experience Beyond" plan will have the service included at no extra cost, while users from other networks can sign up for a monthly $10 fee. The service aims to eliminate wireless dead zones across roughly 500,000 square miles of U.S. territory with no traditional mobile coverage. T-Mobile anticipates high demand from both urban and rural users.