LTE networks beat Wi-Fi for speed in most locations around the globe, according to a new report from mobile data optimization company Twin Prime.
In its “State of Mobile Networks Report” released this week, Twin Prime found files of 200-250 kb took longer to downloand on Wi-Fi than LTE, with an especially marked difference in speed measured in major cities like Shanghai, Sydney, Milan and Paris. In those cities, LTE was anywhere from 50 percent to 200 percent faster than Wi-Fi, the study found.
But no matter what type of connection – LTE or Wi-Fi – you have in the United States, the chances are it’s faster than comparable connections in Europe.
According to the study, U.S. Wi-Fi download speeds were anywhere from 50 percent to 65 percent faster than Wi-Fi speeds in Europe. U.S. LTE network download speeds also trumped those demonstrated by European networks by anywhere from 13 percent to 35 percent, the study found.
U.S. networks didn’t come out on top in all measurements, though. According to Twin Prime, 3G, HSPA+ and LTE mobile users in the United States all experienced response times that were 50 percent to 100 percent slower than those in Europe.
European networks also boasted faster 3G speeds than those offered on U.S. networks, with U.S. 3G networks taking 10 percent to 87 percent more time to download the same content.
While LTE may be on top for now, the report said there’s still work to be done on all networks to meet rising consumer data demand.
“The question is no longer when will LTE appear, but how good are the networks,” the report said. “Download times in both the US and in Europe for x-large files — the best representative of rich content — are still 600 ms or higher. As video and streaming media gains further popularity and broad-based use, network operators, mobile content providers and others vested in cellular access will need to find ways to optimize the customer experience or risk losing their user base.”
Filed Under: Infrastructure
