According to the OpenSignal State of LTE report, U.S. Long Term Evolution 4G network coverage is extensive, but capacity is not. The report also notes strides made by the T-Mobile US network, which now leads, in terms of capacity, on both its 3G and 4G networks.
As many other countries start providing consistent 20 Mbps or greater connections, the U.S. market average is 9.9 Mbps. There is a simple explanation. Bandwidth equals capacity.
And most U.S. mobile service providers do not have enough spectrum to create the bigger channels required to support LTE-Advanced, for example.
That is one reason why Voice over LTE (VoLTE) could be crucial. It might allow mobile operators to reclaim 2G spectrum that can be used to support 4G operations. T-Mobile US has been able to take huge advantage of that capability.
In the fourth quarter of 2015, T-Mobile US had an LTE time-coverage metric of 81%, which means its 4G customers were able to see an LTE signal 81% of the time in OpenSignal tests.
In past reports, T-Mobile US has bested all operators in speed, but in the fourth quarter T-Mobile US and Verizon were almost evenly matched.
T-Mobile's 12.3 Mbps LTE average just barely edged out Verizon’s average of 12 Mbps, making it a statistical tie, but Verizon still has the advantage in coverage and reliability, OpenSignal says.
U.S. mobile service providers will not be able to deploy LTE-Advanced simply by redeploying 2G spectrum, OpenSignal argues. Additional spectrum will be needed. That is one reason why the upcoming 600-MHz incentive auctions could be important.
Also, high use of 4G by U.S. consumers also means networks are heavily loaded, which further restricts speed.
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