Opensignal reveals that average U.S. 5G download speeds are still hovering below the country’s typical Wi-Fi speeds, an issue mostly attributed to the continued scarcity of U.S. mid band 5G spectrum.
Across Asia-Pacific countries, Europe, and the Middle East, 5G speeds are now multiples of local Wi-Fi averages, which range from 21.4Mbps to 74.5Mbps depending on the country. By contrast, U.S. cellular performance continues to lag behind other countries — an issue that was expected to be addressed with the rapid adoption of 5G technology. That’s a bad start for the next-generation technology, and especially concerning since the U.S. lagged behind much of the developed world during the 4G era. Many parts of the country are still saddled with sluggish cellular speeds well below the standard’s capabilities. If there’s any good news from the report, it’s that 5G is still in early deployment stages, so the numbers will certainly improve; it’s just a question of when, and by how much.