Comprehensive Progress Report from RootMetrics Details Performance of Four Mobile Carriers Delivering 4G Data Speeds

RootMetrics, provider of comparative data to measure performance of carriers in the market, has released a detailed progress report that delivers performance data, gathered from across the country and aggregated from more than 238,000 data tests spanning 27 different regional markets. The comprehensive report provides a comparative performance analysis of four national mobile carriers delivering 4G data speeds.

Carrier performance was mapped out over an established spectrum which specified that download speeds of data greater than 3 Mbps will be considered as “4G,” while download speeds of 1.5 Mbps to 3 Mbps will be considered “Upper 3G,” and download speeds between the rate of 500 kbps and 1.5 Mbps will be considered as “Lower 3G.” Download speeds below 500 kbps would be considered “Below 3G.”

RootMetrics found that Verizon’s LTE was the fastest with an average download speed in cities with its LTE network equal to the fastest download speeds provided by other carriers. However, in areas that did not have the Verizon LTE network, Verizon lagged behind with the slowest data delivery with recorded data speeds falling in the 3G zone and below the 3G zone 27 percent of the time. The second carrier in question, AT&T, delivered 4G speed in 40.7 percent of the tests, whereas T-Mobile delivered 4G speeds in 38.5 percent of tests. However, it was AT&T which took ground based on a greater percentage of data delivery in the Upper 3G zone and lesser percentage of data delivery in the Below 3G zone.

AT&T consistently delivered 3G speeds when compared to other carriers by providing data download speeds in the 3G zone for 48 percent of tests. Furthermore, the company recorded the least percentage of below 3G speeds delivery as compared to other carriers. In 16 markets out of the 27 markets where the tests were carried out, AT&T delivered speeds above the 4G threshold. The company's 4G cities however, were included post its upgrade to an HSPA+ 21 device.

The third carrier, T-Mobile delivered 4G speeds in 13 of the 27 markets however, in each instance when the carrier could not hit 4G, data speeds within the 3G spectrum were less consistent with speeds sometimes falling down to below 3G speeds. When the carrier was not on 4G, 21 percent of the tests fell within the Upper 3G zone, while 18 percent tests were recorded in the Lower 3G zone and 22 percent tests slipped below the 3G zone. The company is however, making the transition to an HSPA+ 42 network with successful deployment across several markets.

Sprint provided the best average in the market with a download speed of 4.6 Mbps in WiMAX supported Kansas City. However, the carriers download speeds slipped below 0.5 Mbps in non-WiMAX Buffalo.

Mirroring Verizon’s performance, Sprint surpassed the 4G threshold in 13 of 27 markets while successfully delivering 4G speeds for 33 percent of tests. However, the carrier's delivery of recorded speeds in the Upper 3G zone was inconsistent with only nine percent of total tests registering in that zone. The company's recorded results in the Lower 3G zone registered at 22 percent while it stood at 36 percent for below the 3G zone. Additionally, Sprint's percentage of speed delivery below 3G was the highest among all the carriers tested.