The network-analyzing super-wonks at OpenSignal have released their 2014 State of LTE report, and things aren't looking good for U.S. smartphone users. Not only is our 4G LTE signal once again the second-slowest in the world; compared to last year's report, it actually got more than 30% slower.
The full report is generated from data gleaned from users of OpenSignal's signal strength-tracking Android and iOS app. This year's report comes from data collected in the second half of 2013, and the U.S.'s performance among 4G equipped countries is pretty unimpressive:
But here's the even more damning part—while download speeds have improved in most 4G-equipped nations, the U.S.'s speeds have actually gone down by about 32.3%. The next biggest year-over-year drop was Sweden's 8.6% slowdown.
So what's to blame here? OpenSignal points out that, in general, network speeds improve with infrastructure upgrades, and slow down when the number of users goes up. Guess 2013 was a hot year for new 4G users.
If you wanna get really in-depth on the world's 4G coverage, or just glare with jealous rage at Australia's blazing 24.5 Mbps average download speed, check out the whole 2014 report right here. [OpenSignal via TNW]
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