US Has Slowest 5G Data Rates

According to an Opensignal analysis of typical data rates in 12 countries, focus on low-band 5G deployments resulted in the US ranking in last place. The company said that average download rates in the US stand at 50.9Mb/s, significantly lower than leader Saudi Arabia which registered 414.2Mb/s.

Opensignal cited a focus on low-band deployments as a factor in the US performance, noting operators had tended to focus on coverage over outright speed. All except for Verizon, which rated highly in a previous analysis by the research outfit due to its use of mmWave spectrum. However, Opensignal noted low-band spectrum provides high availability and reach compared with higher bands, resulting in the US taking fifth-place in a measure of time spent connected to 5G.

Opensignal revealed data rates combining 4G and 5G, and the US didn't go well in that ranking as well. The country wasg second-to-last with rates of 33.4Mb/s. Saudi Arabia again topped the table, racking up typical rates of 144.5Mb/s by this measure.