Mobile Download Speeds Increasingly Outstrip WiFi

In a recent report, OpenSignal compared the download speeds for mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) when using mobile networks and WiFi. The research found that in 33 of the 80 countries studied -- or 41% of countries -- smartphone download speeds were, on average, faster using mobile networks than WiFi. For 4G, this increases to 50 countries -- or 63% of those studied -- in which 4G networks offer a faster smartphone download experience than WiFi.

The difference in download speed is most striking in Australia (13 Mbps), followed by Lebanon (12.3 Mbps), Qatar (11.8 Mbps), Oman (11 Mbps) and Greece (10.6 Mbps). The fastest speeds were found in Asia. In South Korea, the average overall mobile network download speed is 45 Mbps, while Singapore has an average WiFi download speed of 72.8 Mbps.

The forthcoming rollout of 5G should further increase the trend. The research was carried out by OpenSignal between August 5 and November 3, 2018, based on more than 63 billion measurements carried out via some 7.7 million mobile devices worldwide.