Ookla is now making it easier for you to find the 5G speeds you desire.
Ookla, which already provides a Speedtest tool for mobile and home internet connections, has launched a new 5G Map. When you head over to the 5G Map page, you'll be able to see across the world where 5G is available. The map is updated weekly and gives you information about the status of the 5G rollout in your area and whether it's available in limited or commercial release.
Those designations matter. A limited availability means the 5G network is only available to certain devices and users and is really only available in a testing environment. When you see commercial availability, you know that it's available through 5G phones.
MORE: The Truth About 5G: What's Coming (and What's Not) This Year
5G is widely viewed as the next big thing in network connectivity. It offers theoretical speeds that are up to five times faster than the 4G LTE that powers today's cellular networks. Most folks believe 5G will power future self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, and more. It could also put the onus on home broadband companies to boost speeds and stay competitive with cellular networks.
Ookla's 5G map is just the start of populating the full map and identifying where 5G is available. At launch this week, the company lists 20 operators that have launched 5G in 294 locations around the globe, including the U.S., Europe, China, Australia, and South America. The total number of deployments currently is 303, owing to some locations having multiple deployments in their market.
According to Ookla, you can currently find 21 U.S. cities with 5G availability and 225 cities worldwide. South Korea, which is working hard to lead the world in 5G, has 5G available in 18 cities.
Looking ahead, Ookla plans to continue updating the map and to share with users how fast 5G speeds are in different cities. The company also asked people who are on 5G networks to share their speeds with Ookla, so it can update its maps accordingly.
In the meantime, see how fast Verizon's 5G is based on our own speed tests, and check out the 5G rollout locations and schedules so far for AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile.
