Learn about how data speeds work on the T-Mobile network.

Typical data speeds

Data speeds vary depending on many factors, including:

• Device model and its network support
• Device software and running applications
• Distance from the cell site
• How many other customers are using the same cell site
• Surrounding terrain, buildings, and trees
• Being inside a building or a moving vehicle
• Interference on the radio band or frequency
• Tethering usage vs. using data on the device. On-device usage has a priority on our network.
• International roamers may purchase a data pass for faster data speeds.

With so many factors affecting speed, there is no way to predict your exact speed, but we can make projections based on data from actual users who perform network speed tests.

You can find current speed range information in the Speed and Latency section of our Open Internet disclosure.

Speed tests

Want to check your data download and upload speeds? T-Mobile recommends the OOKLA speed test, which can download on your device visit the Google Play Store, Apple App Store​ or access from a computer at speedtest.net.

Open the speed test app or website, and select Go. Make sure that Wi-Fi is turned off on your device before you test, or else you'll be testing your Wi-Fi speed instead.

If your speeds seem unusually slow, find some help on Internet and data issues.

T-Mobile Fair Usage commitment to on-device usage

The T‑Mobile Fair Usage commitment is how we ensure that the highest number of customers have the best possible experience for the most common uses on our network. The vast majority of customers on T‑Mobile-branded and non-T‑Mobile-branded, Sprint-branded, Metro by T-Mobile branded, and Assurance Wireless-branded plans receive higher priority than the small fraction of customers who are Heavy Data Users on their rate plan. For most T-Mobile-branded rate plans, a "Heavy Data User" is defined as a customer using more than 50GB of data in a billing cycle (100GB of data for new Magenta plans activated beginning February 24, 2021). The threshold number is periodically evaluated across our rate plans and brands to manage network traffic and deliver a good experience to all customers while offering a range of customer choices. You can always check the threshold amount for a rate plan by speaking with a representative, reviewing our rate cards or T-Mobile.com, or by logging in to T-Mobile.com or the T-Mobile app. The term "Heavy Data User" does not apply to customers on Magenta MAX, a new customer choice we are offering as we explore the expanding capacity of our 5G network, or on a small number of T-Mobile-branded business and government-oriented plans, which are not subject to a threshold.

Review T-Mobile’s Internet Disclosures for full details and FAQs.

Older plans with data buckets

If you're on an old T-Mobile plan without unlimited high-speed data, your data feature may have a threshold on how much full speed data you can use during a billing cycle. After you pass the threshold, you can still access an unlimited amount of data, but the speed is reduced.

For example, a 2 GB data feature will provide 2 GB of full-speed access on the T-Mobile network. Once you use 2 GB of data, your data speed is reduced for the remainder of the bill cycle.

If you want to have more high-speed data, please consider upgrading to a newer plan, Find the right plan for you.