3G/4G Performance Map: Data Speeds for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon - mcconnellusithed

In our Apr 16 article "3G and 4G Wireless Speed Showdown," we reported the results of our exclusive 13-metropolis tests of the quatern national wireless services: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Our study is the largest and unsurpassable-known independent test of wireless military service in the United States.

Here, in Part Two of our write up, we drill deeper into the massive amounts of data that we gathered over six weeks in Feb and March of this twelvemonth. Whereas the start article reported the 13-metropolis average speeds of the carriers, in this story we detail the carriers' public presentation in each of the 10 testing locations we visited in each metropolis.

We've built a full-page map out showing totally 127 of our testing locations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. When you zoom in on a particular city, you'll see ten low map markers–single for each place we tested. Get across the pin, and you'll determine our full testing results for that location.

T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 service dominated the 3G testing, earning the highest marks for upload speed and download speed up in 11 of the 13 cities we studied. The exceptions were Chicago (where AT&T captured the optimal download and upload speeds for 3G) and Dallas (where AT&T took the lead for 3G downloads, and Verizon won for 3G uploads).

We saw three major patterns in our 4G test results. In v cities (Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco), AT&T swept the 4G upload and download competitions; in four (Denver, New Orleans, San Jose, and Seattle), Verizon swept both; and in the remaining quatern (Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Washington, D.C.), AT&adenylic acid;T won for downloads and Verizon prevailed for uploads. Notably, in two of the cities where Verizon ruled (Denver and Seattle), AT&T doesn't offer 4G LTE service.

Webpage and Video Load Times

In plus to the speed results, you can see the results of our "behavioral" tests, which are meant to close approximate the wireless usage of real people. At each of our testing locations, our field researcher loaded a 100KB static Entanglement page and viewed a 1-minute video patc connected to each of the 3G and 4G services of the carriers. For each one, the researcher logged the prison term the Web page took to load, as well as the time necessary to stream the video.

In Picture: Demystifying Spotty Cell Phone Insurance coverage

You can learn a great deal of variability in the performance scores from location to location within our examination cities. The same overhaul may deliver radically different results in two locations in the same part of town. Or two different radio services power produce very different connection speeds and call quality at the same location.

That's because a number of variables are constantly affecting the quality of the tune service you puzzle over–factors such every bit nearby physiological structures, your distance from a cell column, whether you'Re connecting from indoors or open, the time of twenty-four hours, and the total number of users connecting to a close cell pillar at the same time.

So much variables are consequential to call up when you'ray selecting a cell service. Keeping them in mind is likewise describe when you're choosing a device, because some phones and tablets do much better than others in provocative cellular environments.

In this video we drove around San Francisco to demonstrate how around of these conditions bum affect your wireless coverage.

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Quick Facts by City

Atlanta: T-Mobile had a strong showing in Atlanta on the 3G side, with average download speeds at 4.53 mbps and uploads at 1.93 mbps. In 4G, AT&T showed the fastest average download speed of any carrier in some urban center we tested, at 11.60 mbps. Verizon had its next-to-worst 4G download showing in Atlanta, at 6.24 mbps on average.

Boston: T-Mobile clocked the quickest 3G speeds in Boston, spell AT&T won on the 4G side. Some AT&adenosine monophosphate;T and Verizon delivered solid download averages, at 8.60 mbps and 7.24 mbps, respectively. Dash's WiMax service performed unco well in Boston, averaging 3.90 mbps for downloads.

Chicago: AT&ere;T finished first-class honours degree in average 3G download focal ratio (3.45 mbps), disdain the fact that its 3G numbers racket weren't great in Chicago compared with its performance in other cities. AT&T too had the quickest average 4G download speed (9.70 mbps).

Dallas: AT&T's best numbers came in Dallas, with an average 3G download speed of 3.73 mbps and an modal 4G download speed of 10.22 mbps. Meanwhile, T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 service registered 13-city worsts for average download range (2.62 mbps) and medium upload rate (0.45 mbps).

Mile-High City: Verizon had the high marks in average 4G download speed (6.68 mbps) and average upload speed (3.70 mbps). T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 military service rolled early its rivals happening the 3G side, with solid averages for downloads (3.59 mbps) and uploads (1.53 mbps).

Las Vegas: AT&adenylic acid;T delivered an first-class average download charge per unit of 11.15 mbps, the third-highest rate for any carrier in any urban center. T-Waterborne's HSPA+ 21 was the quickest 3G service, though its download average (3.11 mbps) ranked American Samoa the lowest city-winning mark for 3G download speed in our study.

Los Angeles: We registered the quickest middling 3G download speeds in our study in Los Angeles, where T-Mobile won with a vigorous 4.78 mbps. AT&A;T had the primo 4G scores in L.A., although its average download speed of 6.62 mbps was the second-slowest winning download speed in our tests.

New-sprung Orleans: T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 armed service proved fastest among the 3G field in the Big Easily, with averages of 4.49 mbps for downloads and 1.70 mbps for uploads. Verizon's winning average 4G download speed (8.46 mbps) was the intermediate-highest metropolis score for the service in our tests.

New House of York: In New York we found a wide gap between the best 3G download average (3.30 mbps for T-Mobile) and the best 4G download average (11.35 mbps for AT&T)–an 8.05-mbps difference.

San Francisco: AT&T posted the outflank norm 4G download upper, producing an gallant 10.71 mbps, piece Verizon turned in a solid 8.40-mbps download average. AT&T's 3G service performed very recovered in San Francisco, delivering the companionship's second-highest ordinary download rank at 3.47 mbps; but T-Mobile was faster, with downloads averaging 4.08 mbps.

San Jose: Verizon 4G clocked average speeds of 7.66 mbps for downloads and 6.52 mbps for uploads, compared with 4.74 mbps for downloads and 2.5 mbps for uploads from AT&T LTE. T-Mobile delivered a winning common 3G download value of 4.61 mbps.

Seattle: T-Mobile turned in the top 3G download speeds (averaging 3.87 mbps) in Seattle, while its 4G HSPA+ 42 service generated a astonishingly fast average download speed of 7.46 mbps, the carrier's 13-city high. Verizon posted its best 13-city mark for 4G downloads (10.87 mbps on average), making it easy the fastest 4G service in town.

Washington D.C.: T-Mobile had the fastest norm 3G download speeds (4.14 mbps), handily beating AT&T, whose 3G scores in D.C. were the worst from the carrier in our 13 test cities. AT&T, however, won on the 4G side with an average download hotfoot of 8.52 mbps.

For details connected how we conducted the testing for our 13-city branch of knowledg, see "Methodology in a Nutshell." And, over again, for a close-up look at the individual charts for all urban center, see our whole testing locations map.