From PCMAG · Eric Griffith · · 2m
How PCMag Ranks Best Mobile Networks with 2 Million Data Points
PCMag uses 2 million speed tests and customer data to rank US and Canadian mobile networks.
In brief
PCMag uses 2 million speed tests and customer data to rank US and Canadian mobile networks. PCMag calculates a 1-10 Mobile Network Index using speed, coverage, pricing, and satisfaction data from 2 million tests. Originally reported by PCMAG.
How PCMag Ranks Mobile Networks
PCMag turns to data to rank mobile networks across the US using over 2 million speed and quality tests from January to June 2026.
Data Sources for US Networks
PCMag partners with BestPhonePlans and CoverageMap.com for speed tests, pricing data, and subscriber satisfaction surveys.
Speed Tests Methodology
PCMag analyzed 2,185,418 tests conducted between January 1 and June 30, 2026 for US 5G networks and Canadian carriers.
Speed Metrics
Download speed ranges from 30 (worst) to 350 (best) Mbps, upload speed from 3 (worst) to 25 (best) Mbps, latency from 100 (worst) to 15 (best) milliseconds.
Speed Index Calculation
PCMag Mobile Speed Index uses 70% download speed, 20% upload speed, and 10% latency to create a 1-10 score.
Coverage Area Methodology
CoverageMap.com provides 5G network percentage data for carriers with 25% as the low threshold and 90% as the high threshold for scoring.
Pricing Information
PCMag uses BestPhonePlans data to calculate pricing for unlimited data plans with a $20 (best) to $60 (worst) per line per month range.
Subscriber Satisfaction
Reader satisfaction ratings for US mobile carriers and MVNOs range from 7.3 to 9.1 on a 1-10 scale with 6.0 as the lowest threshold.
Final Score Calculation
PCMag Mobile Network Index combines 40% speed, 20% coverage, 20% pricing, and 20% satisfaction scores into a 1-10 ranking.
Canadian Methodology
Canada uses a different formula with 50% speed, 25% pricing, and 25% satisfaction scores for 5g and 4g networks.
Mobile Network Index
The carrier with the highest Mobile Network Index receives the Best Mobile Network award in the US and Canada.
Data Partners
PCMag partners with BestPhonePlans and CoverageMap.com for speed tests, pricing data, and subscriber satisfaction surveys.
Contributors
Ben Gottesman and Stetson Doggett contributed to this methodology.
The big picture
PCMag calculates a 1-10 Mobile Network Index using speed, coverage, pricing, and satisfaction data from 2 million tests.
