According to a Speedtest Market Report, domestic mobile internet speeds have improved by more than 30% since last year, with an average download speed of 19.27 megabits per second through the first six months of 2016. The four major U.S. mobile carriers – Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile US, AT&T Mobility and Sprint – are all closely competing for the fastest network, leading to improvements in mobile download and upload speeds, according to the report.
Average mobile internet speeds are faster than they were a year ago, with download speeds up by 33% and upload speeds improved by 28%. However, download speed growth only improved by 5% to reach 19.61 Mbps during the first six months of 2016. Average upload speeds saw a slight drop to 7.94 Mbps.
Download
Fastest: Verizon Wireless & T-Mobile US
Both Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US achieve download speeds in excess of 21 Mbps, with nearly identical results. Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US have been highly competitive in testing with each other for quite a while, with less than 5% separating their average download speeds since the beginning of 2015.
Upload
Fastest: T-Mobile US
T-Mobile US took the top spot for fastest upload speeds, exceeding 11 Mbps in testing, making it a good choice for consumers who are sharing lots of content from their mobile phones.
T-Mobile US and Verizon Wireless still on top
When looking at tests conducted over LTE connections, T-Mobile US performed the best with an average download speed of 22.11 Mbps. Verizon Wireless came in second with an average download speed of 21.32 Mbps, and AT&T Mobility and Sprint followed with 20.05 Mbps and 15.8 Mbps, respectively.
Verizon Wireless was the clear coverage winner, with 98% of test samples from LTE-capable devices taking place on its LTE network. T-Mobile US came in second at 95%, followed by AT&T Mobility and Sprint, which tied at 93%.
AT&T Mobility, Sprint on their heels
AT&T Mobility and Sprint were ranked lower than Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile US over the past two years, though they have closed the gap in 2016. Over the past year, AT&T Mobility has increased speeds by 42%, while Sprint had the largest percentage-based performance improvement of the four carriers, increasing its speed over the previous year by 54%.
