The US was one of the first countries with mobile networks running 4G LTE, the predominant fast wireless internet technology. And it is one of the leaders in availability of LTE coverage, according to OpenSignal, which makes a mobile network-tracking tool.
But it is one of the slowest LTE countries in the world. Specifically, the US comes in at no. 55 in LTE download speed, according to OpenSignal, which sourced data from more than 300,000 Android users.
Why? According to OpenSignal, some early adopter LTE countries are “suffering from their own success.” Specifically, more subscribers are competing for the same network infrastructure. And the US has “failed to keep up” in both wireless spectrum and technology, it said in a report.
To be sure, 10 Megabits per second—the average US LTE download speed, according to OpenSignal—is still useful. That’s almost as fast as the average broadband connection speed, fast enough to stream a video, and a significant improvement over the previous generation of wireless service, known as 3G. But this isn’t the sort of ranking any network operator would want to brag about.