When are Lagging Speeds Not a Problem?

New tests of typical 5G speeds by Opensignal suggest typical U.S. 5G speeds are about 14th globally. Many will see this as a problem, but it is a problem that is destined to disappear. U.S. 5G networks have launched their coverage networks using low-band spectrum, where most other networks have used mid-band spectrum. 

  

source: Opensignal 

Capacity coverage supplied by use of millimeter wave spectrum is still limited by the extent of small cell networks under construction by AT&T and Verizon, as well as T-Mobile’s mid-band network. 

Over time, both mid-band and millimeter wave assets will proliferate, boosting speeds. 

That noted, a ranking about 14th globally is quite standard for U.S. communication networks. 

One of the most-recurring stories about U.S. communications infrastructure deployment, app use or performance is that it “lags” what other countries achieve, especially in the early days of deployment. But even long-term indices show “lagging” U.S. performance. There’s a good reason for those trends. 

In the past, it has been argued that the United States was behind, or falling behind, for use of mobile phones, smartphones, text messaging, broadband coverage, fiber to home, broadband speed or broadband price.

Consider voice adoption, where the best the United States ever ranked was about 15th globally, for teledensity (people provided with phone service). A couple of thoughts are worth keeping in mind. First, large countries always move slower than small countries or city-states, simply because construction of networks takes time and lots of capital. 

The bottom line is that it is quite typical for U.S. performance for almost any important new infrastructure-related technology to lag other nations. It never matters, in the end. 

Eventually, the U.S. ranks somewhere between 10th and 20th on any given measure of technology adoption. That has been the pattern since the time of analog voice, and largely because of huge rural or uninhabited landmass, which raises the cost and reduces the coverage of networks. 

We often forget that six percent of the U.S. landmass is where most people live. About 94 percent of the land mass is unpopulated or lightly populated. And rural areas present the greatest challenge for deployment of communications facilities. 

The point is that outcomes are what matter. What matters with the application of technology is what impact can be wrung from the investments.