By now, there is no surprise that the telecommunication companies in the US have not been able to deliver the promise of 5G network the way it was expected from them. Although there is T-Mobile and AT&T that have launched low-speed 5G network and Verizon offers the option of high-speed network but the truth about its service is that it barely remains accessible. Hence, as a result, the performance gap between the US and international 5G deployment is growing.
This difference is yet again proven in a report by Opensignal that has stated that the only good news associated with 5G for the US consumers is that 5G service is becoming widely available across the states - irrespective of whether the coverage is good or weak.
According to the report, the average download speed of 5G network in the various region around the globe is as follows
At the same time, users in other countries are also enjoying faster 4G connections than the average U.S 5G speed (which is already the lowest in Opensignal Report). If we combine the 4G and 5G download speed for 5G users, it still is worst at 33.4 Mbps on average. But U.S is also not alone in lagging behind in 5G speeds as The Netherlands stands as the second slowest 5G performer with average speed of 79.2 Mbps of 5G network and combined download of 45-5G standing at 68.9 Mbps. But let’s not also forget that the speeds in The Netherlands is almost 55% higher than what’s available in the US.
As the burden of such a poor performance has fallen onto the shoulders of decision-makers and the limited availability of mid-band spectrum in the US, this isn’t also the first time that the American cellular companies have lagged behind in speeds when compared to other countries. In fact, going beyond this concern, the slow network can also hurt US businesses and consumers who are expecting a future in mixed reality streaming, industrial automation, and autonomous interconnected vehicles - just to mention few.
Furthermore, as OpenSignal suggests that U.S. 5G availability is growing, this is still happening with widening low band rollouts, and users can only enjoy a 19.3% 5G availability, which then only ranks it above seven of the 12 geographies that Opensignal has listed.
The listed countries with higher percentages of 5G availability are smaller states like Saudi Arabia (34.4%), Kuwait (29.1%), Hong Kong (26.1%), and South Korea (20.7%). Unfotunately, the largest and fastest 5G adopter, China, was not included in the list only because of how it is so difficult to collect data within the region.
The condition is absolutely worst only in the United Kingdom that stands last on the metrics of 5G availability with only 4.5%. This actually means that consumers are less likely to receive 5G services around the country there but this again has occurred because of how the UK decided to abandon Huawei’s controversial 5G networking hardware. However, in areas where 5G network is available in the UK, the average speed is 133.5 Mbps (2.6 times than that of US)
As phones already have 5G compatibility incorporated in its working, the trend is expected to rise up when Apple will release its first 5G phone later this year.
Overall the study suggests that people should be ready to experience different 5G speeds in different regions and it will indeed take time for the true 5G network speed to become constantly high and widely available around the world.
Read next: Where Will the Next Billion Internet Users Come From? - infographic
This difference is yet again proven in a report by Opensignal that has stated that the only good news associated with 5G for the US consumers is that 5G service is becoming widely available across the states - irrespective of whether the coverage is good or weak.
According to the report, the average download speed of 5G network in the various region around the globe is as follows
- Saudi Arabia - 414.2 Mbps
- South Korea - 317.2 Mbps
- Australia - 217/5 Mbps
- Taiwan - 210.2 Mbps
- Canada 178.1 Mbps
At the same time, users in other countries are also enjoying faster 4G connections than the average U.S 5G speed (which is already the lowest in Opensignal Report). If we combine the 4G and 5G download speed for 5G users, it still is worst at 33.4 Mbps on average. But U.S is also not alone in lagging behind in 5G speeds as The Netherlands stands as the second slowest 5G performer with average speed of 79.2 Mbps of 5G network and combined download of 45-5G standing at 68.9 Mbps. But let’s not also forget that the speeds in The Netherlands is almost 55% higher than what’s available in the US.
As the burden of such a poor performance has fallen onto the shoulders of decision-makers and the limited availability of mid-band spectrum in the US, this isn’t also the first time that the American cellular companies have lagged behind in speeds when compared to other countries. In fact, going beyond this concern, the slow network can also hurt US businesses and consumers who are expecting a future in mixed reality streaming, industrial automation, and autonomous interconnected vehicles - just to mention few.
Furthermore, as OpenSignal suggests that U.S. 5G availability is growing, this is still happening with widening low band rollouts, and users can only enjoy a 19.3% 5G availability, which then only ranks it above seven of the 12 geographies that Opensignal has listed.
The listed countries with higher percentages of 5G availability are smaller states like Saudi Arabia (34.4%), Kuwait (29.1%), Hong Kong (26.1%), and South Korea (20.7%). Unfotunately, the largest and fastest 5G adopter, China, was not included in the list only because of how it is so difficult to collect data within the region.
The condition is absolutely worst only in the United Kingdom that stands last on the metrics of 5G availability with only 4.5%. This actually means that consumers are less likely to receive 5G services around the country there but this again has occurred because of how the UK decided to abandon Huawei’s controversial 5G networking hardware. However, in areas where 5G network is available in the UK, the average speed is 133.5 Mbps (2.6 times than that of US)
As phones already have 5G compatibility incorporated in its working, the trend is expected to rise up when Apple will release its first 5G phone later this year.
Overall the study suggests that people should be ready to experience different 5G speeds in different regions and it will indeed take time for the true 5G network speed to become constantly high and widely available around the world.
Read next: Where Will the Next Billion Internet Users Come From? - infographic
