Verizon Wins 5G Speed Race

Verizon is best for 5G speeds in the U.S., while T-Mobile US comes first in 5G availability, according to the latest user experience tests by Opensignal. The results are based on nearly 16 million measurements by 2.4 million devices in the period from 16 March to 13 June. 

Verizon delivered by far the fastest 5G download speed in the country—and indeed across all countries measured by Opensignal. It averaged 494.7 Mbps, compared to 60.8 Mbps for AT&T and just over 49 Mbps for T-Mobile and Sprint. The faster experience at Verizon is largely due to its wider use of mmWave spectrum. 

T-Mobile won in the 5G availability category, as its customers with 5G devices were connected to the 5G network 22.5 percent of the time. Sprint came second with 5G available 14.1 percent of the time, AT&T was at 10.3 percent, and Verizon was at only 0.4 percent, due to the short range of its mmWave spectrum. 

As 5G networks are rolled out across the developed markets, the speed race is on. That is, of course, understandable given that the next-generation technology’s bragging rights are chiefly due to speed. And with ever-greater challenges to bandwidth in the form of video, gaming, music streaming and IoT applications, very high download and upload speeds are bound to be attractive, market-relevant and even essential for many users, both consumer and business.

Verizon’s domination of the U.S. market in terms of speed is certainly striking—nearly 500 Mbps, with its nearest rival at only 60 Mbps. And while many users will not be able to make full use of such a number, or even notice any difference between it and AT&T’s figures in real-life scenarios, it is an impressive achievement that should boost the operator in the marketplace.

However, it appears that the very technology that enables Verizon to leap so far ahead in terms of speed causes a concomitant shortfall in terms of availability, leaving it dead last among the four major U.S. operators. The double-edged sword, so to speak, of mmWave spectrum could cut Verizon cruelly in the 5G wars.

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TDC Comes in First in OpenSignal Survey for Mobile Speed in June

Danish operator TDC said it came in first place for speed in a June 2015 survey of 97 global mobile networks conducted by OpenSignal, a company that specializes in mapping wireless coverage. OpenSignal took measurements from more than 330,000 users across the globe. TDC ranked first for its 4G network’s average speed of 27 Mbps. Second in the OpenSignal ranking by operator was Vodafone Spain, with an average speed of 23.6 Mbps, followed by Singtel of Singapore at 22.8 Mbps and SGP-M1, also of Singapore, at 21.2 Mbps. France’s Free came fifth at 20.8 Mbps. Sixth was T-Mobile Netherlands at 20.6 Mbps, then DNA seventh at the same speed. Orange France came eighth with an average speed of 18.4 Mbps and Chungwa Telecom of Taiwan was ninth, with the same average speed. Taiwan Mobile rounded off the top 10 at 18.2 Mbps. In terms of country rankings, OpenSignal put Singapore in the top position with an average speed of 24 Mbps, followed by Chile at 20 Mbps and Denmark in third place, also at 20 Mbps. Spain came fourth at 18 Mbps and Hungary ranked fifth at 16 Mbps. France came sixth, Finland seventh and Taiwan eighth, all three also at 16 Mbps. Switzerland came ninth and Australia tenth, both at 15 Mbps.

We find these results quite interesting, as much for the omissions as for the inclusions. South Korea, well known for its ultra-sophisticated mobile environment, complete with LTE-A, did not make the top 10. We do not know the exact criteria used by OpenSignal in making its rankings, but perhaps South Korea’s highest speeds are not widespread enough throughout the country. We are not surprised to find a Danish MNO ranked first and Denmark as a country ranked third, in that Denmark has an advanced telecom sector and is a small, densely populated country with few remote areas. As for Singapore, it is even smaller and denser and also is a highly sophisticated mobile market. Spain is larger and less economically strong right now, so its high country ranking and Vodafone’s operator ranking are more surprising, and the same can be said for Hungary. Clearly, the worldwide speed race continues as mobile usage expands and customers continue to expect faster and faster results, and as 4G as well as new kinds of networks proliferate, the results of this survey will likely appear slow by next year.

The above item appeared in a recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. Contact Tarifica for a subscription to the Tarifica Alert.  Tarifica is the leader in monitoring and analyzing telecom pricing, covering hundreds of operators in every region of the globe. Tarifica’s databases of mobile and fixed line data and voice tariffs are among the largest and most in-depth in the world. Tarifica is also a leading publisher of benchmark and other pricing reports, and its analysts are recognized authorities in the telecom industry, relied upon by operators and businesses worldwide for pricing insight and guidance. Click here to contact a Tarifica Analyst.

Orange Spain to Launch 400 Mbps LTE-A in 10 Cities This Year

Orange Spain has announced that it will be launching LTE-A technology, capable of delivering sustained speeds of 300 Mbps and peak speeds of 400 Mbps, in 10 Spanish cities by the end of 2015. When it showcased the technology at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona earlier this month, Orange claimed it reached the highest speeds yet seen in Spain by aggregating the 2,600 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 800 MHz frequencies (the 800 MHz frequency is due to be released next month). The LTE-A service will be expanded from Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia to seven other large cities—Seville, Zaragoza, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Murcia, Las Palmas and Bilbao—by the end of the year. Orange currently has approximately 2.3 million 4G customers, and the company confirmed that it remains on course to bring 4G services to 85 percent of the Spanish population by the end of year, including all localities with over 10,000 inhabitants.

We are a little skeptical about the utility of LTE-A, at least for consumers. Speeds in the hundreds of megabytes per second are not necessary for even the most data-intensive activities such as downloading movies. According to network testing firm OpenSignal, Spain already has the fastest mobile network speeds in the world, averaging 18 Mbps. Of the country’s operators, Vodafone came out the fastest of the eligible networks tested, with average speeds of 25.2 Mbps. Now, we understand that Orange may want to catch up, but speeds of 300 to 400 Mbps would appear to be a case of, to say the least, massive retaliation. Spain is experiencing rather severe economic problems right now, and that, combined with the fact that it is already the world leader in network speed, indicates that an LTE-A rollout in the country is not a good use of resources on the part of a mobile operator.

The above item appeared in recent issue of The Tarifica Alert, a weekly resource that analyzes noteworthy developments in the telecoms industry from around the world. To access all of the latest articles and issues or to speak with the research team: http://www.tarifica.com/contactus.aspx