Broadband Data Act: What it is, Data Collection & More

In 2020, Congress passed the Broadband DATA Act, which requires all mobile and fixed broadband providers to share data with the FCC about their services. The FCC calls this filing Broadband Data Collection. Using the data submitted, the FCC publishes maps that show access and expected experience for providers’ services. The FCC plans to publish these maps twice per year.

These maps further confirm that T-Mobile is America’s 5G leader with the largest 5G network in the country. To create these maps, we followed the FCC’s guidelines, which ask providers to show the following:

90% Cell Edge Probability: The maps show the edge of coverage, which is the farthest distance from a tower where there’s a 90% probability of a successful connection at a defined minimum speed. Most customers can expect speeds that are significantly higher.
Download and Upload Speeds: The FCC has defined several speed tiers based on technology. For 4G, providers are required to show 5 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up. For 5G, there are two tiers: 35 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up; 7 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up.
Outdoor and In-vehicle Coverage: Outdoor maps show coverage available outside of structures, buildings, and vehicles. In-Vehicle maps show coverage available inside a moving vehicle. In-Vehicle coverage differs from outdoor coverage because the signal must travel through the vehicle and maintain connection with a moving device.

Voice maps do not have a defined speed tier but show the availability of a voice connection.

All maps depict data from the latest FCC filing (reflecting the network on either June 30th or December 31st, as required by the FCC) and should not be used for the purpose of verifying your current coverage. If you’d like to check your current mobile coverage, please visit our coverage map.

For fixed broadband, the FCC requires internet providers to show where they offer service to homes and businesses. This includes data on expected speeds, shown as speed tiers that are designated by each provider. This data is based on the latest FCC filing, which reflects availability on either June 30th or December 31st, as required by the FCC. Many customers will experience much higher speeds than those shown on the maps.

These maps are created for context only. They should not be used for the purpose of verifying your current eligibility for T-Mobile Home Internet. Access to Home Internet is determined at the household level, and you cannot determine address-level coverage from these maps. If you’d like to check whether you are currently eligible for Home Internet, please visit our High-Speed Home Internet page.