A recent report found that despite improvements over last year, the U.S. nonetheless ranked 43rd in mobile download speeds and 73rd in upload speeds during the first half of 2018.
Internet testing firm Ookla compiled the report using the results from nearly 12.5 million tests, completed by more than 2.8 million unique mobile device users, on speed testing apps.
The mean mobile download speed in the U.S. increased by more than 20 percent compared to the first half of 2017, but, at 27.3 Mbps, still ranked between Hong Kong and Portugal among the world’s mobile networks.
The U.S. mean upload speed of 8.6 Mbps, meanwhile, edged up by only 1.4 percent compared to the same period in 2017 and fell between Laos and Panama in the global rankings.
Among the nation’s four major wireless carriers, T-Mobile saw the fastest speeds, according to Ookla’s scoring methodology, followed by Verizon, AT&T and Sprint.
The report also found, predictably, that scores for all four carriers were better in the nation’s 100 largest markets than in rural jurisdictions, and the study examined discrepancies between carriers on state and local levels.
Minnesota, with an average download speed of 36.8 Mbps, finished well ahead of the pack among U.S. states, while Wyoming finished 50th at an average download speed of nearly 14.3 Mbps.
“As much as mobile download speeds have improved in the past year, the big change will come next year when 5G is a reality,” analysts wrote. “With any luck, 5G will also jumpstart upload speeds which have lagged in recent years.”
Filed Under: Infrastructure