- AT&T launched a new ad campaign accusing T-Mobile of “untruths” and touting its larger, more reliable network
- T-Mobile maintains it has “America’s best network,” citing Ookla’s performance data
- It’s a battle of the brands as Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T are all enlisting celebrity power to drive home their messages
Everyone has a bone to pick when it comes to wireless network claims.
This isn’t exactly new news. Declarations about network superiority have been made since the dawn of wireless networks. However, for many years, Verizon reigned supreme in the eyes of many consumers and claimed to operate “the best” network – only to be toppled in the 5G era by T-Mobile, once the laggard of the pack.
That long-running rivalry is getting a new twist – this time, courtesy of AT&T. This week, AT&T decided enough was enough, and it launched a new advertising campaign aimed at squashing “T-Mobile’s untruths” while championing AT&T’s network.
“When we see claims coming directly from a competitor like T-Mobile with advertising that says they’ve got more towers, leading people to believe they may have the absolute largest and best network, the opposite couldn’t be truer,” AT&T COO Jeff McElfresh told Yahoo! Finance.
“In fact, T-Mobile’s got the smallest network – over 300,000 square miles smaller than that of AT&T,” he added. “We own and operate the largest and most reliable wireless network.”
AT&T says it’s trying to set the record straight, noting the Better Business Bureau’s advertising watchdog asked T-Mobile to correct its marketing claims 16 times over the last four years – one correction per quarter. It’s stressing its “AT&T Guarantee,” a pledge covering both wireless and fiber networks that emerged after an embarrassing network outage in early 2024.
AT&T emphasizes reliability
AT&T tapped actor Luke Wilson to take its message to the masses, with Wilson appearing in an ad campaign that accentuates AT&T’s network reliability. One video shows Wilson walking through the countryside in a scene that reminds us of T-Mobile’s spot featuring Billy Bob Thornton strolling the country roads touting T-Mobile’s network.
Oh yeah, AT&T’s ad also features a rambunctious dog who appears to be chewing up the T-Mobile brand.
“AT&T has been carrying America’s calls since 1876. When you’ve been around that long, you can spot a hustle coming from a mile away,” Wilson quipped.
A lot of people question T-Mobile’s coverage when it doesn’t have a great LTE layer and AT&T and Verizon do. But T-Mobile claimed the Best Mobile Network crown in June after Ookla put out a report declaring it has the best network – without any qualifiers like “5G” in the description.
The prize for Best Mobile Coverage went to Verizon for the first half of 2025, so Fierce asked Ookla at the time why coverage wasn't a bigger factor in the "Best Network" designation. The data collection company said the Best Mobile Network award went to T-Mobile based on network performance for real-world activities, like speed, latency and ability to provide common services like web browsing and video streaming.
Analyst: AT&T not lying down
Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research, said he had been wondering when AT&T would respond to T-Mobile’s claims, including that it provides 20% savings compared to AT&T and Verizon while providing a better network experience.
He got his answer on Thursday. “AT&T could not take this ‘best network’ claim lying down,” he told Fierce.
Basically, he sees AT&T’s response as being threefold: making the “most coverage” claim, which is a big benefit from its FirstNet contract; emphasizing accolades it received from RootMetrics and Ookla; and the AT&T Guarantee, which has been a major focus of its ad efforts and retail signage since January.
Satellites play a major role here as well. “I think AT&T is threatened by T-Satellite,” Moore told Fierce. “Yes, thanks to FirstNet, AT&T has more cell coverage. However, this equation looks very, very different once satellite coverage is factored in – very much in the favor of T-Mobile thus far.”
Both AT&T and Verizon are pinning their satellite coverage on AST SpaceMobile, which is in the process of launching satellites to go up against T-Mobile and SpaceX in the direct-to-device space. Verizon also uses satellite service provider Skylo to cover dead zones.
In response to its rivals’ latest ads, T-Mobile’s public relations team sent an email to media on Thursday saying its story hasn’t changed. It’s always been laser-focused on delivering “industry-leading value” and the best network in America.
“It’s not bragging if it’s true,” the message concluded, capped off with a smiley face emoticon.
Actually, we think you can brag about things that are both true and purportedly true but we’re not going to be all nit-picky here.
Here’s what T-Mobile President of Marketing Mike Katz said on social media:
Verizon taps Kevin Hart
Over at Verizon, its recent claims are not much different from other ads in recent years, according to Moore.
Store window signage in October states that Verizon has “America’s most reliable 5G network” and is “#1 most awarded for network quality, 35x in a row,” referring to J.D. Power studies. A September press release declared: “Verizon remains America’s Best Wireless Network, Setting the Highest Bar for Quality and Reliability,” also citing results from drive testing firm RootMetrics, which is owned by Ookla.
Last month, Verizon launched an ad featuring Kevin Hart making fun of all the awards he’s purportedly amassed, including one for a phony hemorrhoid commercial.
“Not all awards are the same. Some are questionable,” Hart said.
Then he proceeded to talk about Verizon’s stockpile of J.D. Power and RootMetrics network awards.
Touché.