Ookla Report: mmWave 5G Networks are Growing

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2026 – Don’t believe the doom: Millimeter wave (mmWave) networks aren’t six feet under just yet. 

In a new report released on Monday, Ookla, the industry leader in speed test diagnostics, reported that mmWave networks deployed by Verizon and AT&T are growing, especially inside densely populated urban areas. 

While the report highlighted this type of network’s limited service range extends in “less than half a mile,” the high-speed capabilities remain promising in settings like large sporting arenas, where large crowds demand increased capacity. 

“That both AT&T and Verizon view mmWave networks as an outdoor coverage solution is noteworthy,” said Mike Dano, Lead Industry Analyst at Ookla and the author of the report. “mmWave networks were touted as a reasonable solution for urban outdoor areas, like downtown corridors. More recently, mmWave has been viewed as an ideal option for covering massive indoor locations.”

According to the testing survey, which was conducted in 2024-2025, Verizon’s mmWave connections rose from 75 markets in 2024, to 91 in the second half of 2025, almost tripling the number of markets that were recorded for AT&T.

Over 60% of the growth occurred in dense urban areas like Boston, Philadelphia, Denver and Atlanta. AT&T boosted 20% of tests in these same markets. 

According to the report, mmWave technology was originally touted as “wireless fiber” at the onset of 5G network expansion due to its high performance capabilities. 

However, mmWave networks slowly fell out of favor as the Federal Communications Commission opened auctions for mid band C-band spectrum in 2011, a band which allowed for signals to travel much further than mmWaves, while still allowing for higher download speeds. The report was quick to note that download speeds are determined by a variety of factors including phone settings, distance from transmission sites and other factors. 

The study notes that despite the high cost of transmission, the economics tend to work out because providers like Verizon can combine mmWaves with their other spectrum depth to provide up to 1 Gbps of download speed in some locations. This can drive economic scale of devices to support this technology, potentially driving down costs for everyone. 

“The reason for these speeds is clear: Both AT&T and Verizon devote an eye-watering amount of mmWave spectrum to their deployments,” Dano said. 

Despite this, the report noted that phone companies like Apple have shown "ambivalence" toward this band and have removed mmWave technology from their newer phones bound for the U.S. Market. 

However, other countries like Japan, India, and Canada have moved to expand the spectrum usage on the band as a potential solution to higher quality service in high density areas and could help propel the next generation of wireless offerings.