Think the U.S. dominates the rest of the world when it comes
to LTE speeds? Think again.
According to a new report from wireless testing firm
OpenSignal, U.S. LTE networks, while reliable and widely available, "can't
match the speed offered by most of the world's 4G operators." Meanwhile,
smaller countries — such as New Zealand and Romania — have built 4G
networks of "breathtaking quickness but with limited availability,"
OpenSignal said in its latest State of LTE report, released Thursday.
So, which countries have the best LTE service? South Korea and
Singapore, according to OpenSignal. Both have "set themselves apart from
the main body of global operators, providing both superior coverage and
speed."
In Singapore, the country with the fastest LTE, average
download speeds have reached an impressive 37Mbps. The U.S. ranks 55th, with
average download speeds of just 10Mbps.
When it comes to LTE availability, South Korea takes the
crown, offering its 4G customers an LTE signal 97 percent of the time. And while
the U.S. may not have the fastest LTE, it shines in terms of coverage. The U.S.
is now part of an elite group of just eight countries that can provide an LTE
signal more than 80 percent of the time.
"That the U.S. accomplished this feat is all the more
impressive in light of its geography," OpenSignal said. "It's much
easier (and cheaper) to build a highly available network in a more densely
packed country like South Korea or in a city-state like Singapore than in a
country spread across a continent."
Overall, OpenSignal said there is "a lot of good to
report" about the current state of LTE around the world.
"A year ago a 20Mbps mobile network was a very rare
thing, but because of new network upgrades and new LTE-Advanced technology,
networks averaging download speeds of 20Mbps or more are now becoming quite
common around the world," the company said. The average LTE speed globally
is now 13.5Mbps, up nearly 1Mbps since OpenSignal's last report just four
months ago.
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