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The Best 3G & 4G Cities in America
RootMetrics helps us track the fastest and slowest wireless cities in the US and gives a snapshot of carrier performance peaks and troughs in 2012
By
Dan Jones,
Light Reading
October 30, 2012
URL:
http://www.lightreading.com/ip-convergence/the-best-3g--4g-cities-in-america/240135724
If you're curious about the best and worst cities for cellular connectivity in the U.S., then you've come to the right place.
The lowdown Seattle-based RootMetrics has provided us with data covering 3G and 4G networks from the top five carriers in the U.S. The data comes from the top 75 urbanized areas in the country, based on results from a downloadable speed test app.
For a quick taste of what's to come, here are the fastest cities in the U.S., according to RootMetrics, which averaged the download speeds in a given place for each of the top nationwide carriers and determined an overall ranking for each city:
Table 1: Five Fastest Cities (All Carriers)
| Rank | City | Average Download Speed (Mbit/s) |
| 1 | Indianapolis | 10.3 |
| 2 | Orlando, Fla. | 9.3 |
| 3 | Akron, Ohio | 9.2 |
| 4 | San Jose, Calif. | 9.1 |
| 5 | Kansas City, Mo. | 8.9 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Table 2: Five Fastest Cities (Top 4 Carriers)
| Rank | City | Average Download Speed (Mbit/s) |
| 1 | Orlando, Fla. | 11.0 |
| 2 | Kansas City, Mo. | 10.9 |
| 3 | San Jose, Calif. | 10.9 |
| 4 | San Antonio | 10.7 |
| 5 | Indianapolis | 10.3 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Not all 4G is created equal
It should be noted that AT&T Inc., Leap Wireless International Inc., MetroPCS Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless all run some form of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the U.S.
T-Mobile USA, meanwhile, uses a fast form of 3G technology called High-Speed Packet Access-Plus (HSPA+), which it markets as 4G. AT&T also sells HSPA+ as 4G alongside its younger -- but growing -- LTE network.
T-Mobile is expecting to introduce LTE in key metropolitan areas in 2013.
Not all 4G is created equal. AT&T and Verizon have wider radio channels to deploy LTE technology than the smaller operators do, so those networks tend to be the fastest.
As you'll see, AT&T or T-Mobile's HSPA+ networks can give the 4G networks a run for their money, particularly in the cases of Leap and MetroPCS, because those carriers have much less spectrum -- meaning smaller channels overall -- to deploy 4G LTE in.
Verizon also has a significantly larger 4G LTE footprint than any of its rivals. As of late October 2012, Verizon has 419 LTE markets live, AT&T has 77, Sprint has 32 and MetroPCS has 13 cities and parts of Florida, while Leap just has two cities up.
The methodology RootMetrics went about the tests like this:
Ready? Here are the results (free registration required):
Dig in to the data and let us know what you think on the boards below.
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile
Let's take a look at how the data splits across carriers.
Table 3: AT&T's Fastest Cities
| City | Top Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Indianapolis | 20.4 | July 18 - 24 |
| Cleveland | 19.7 | Sept. 6 - 15 |
| San Jose, Calif. | 19.5 | Aug. 17 - 21 |
| San Antonio | 18.8 | March 19 - 23 |
| Indianapolis | 18.6 | Feb. 13 - 19 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
AT&T has the fastest overall speeds, just edging Verizon out for top downloads.
Table 4: Cricket's Fastest Cities
| City | Top Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Philadelphia, PA | 0.9 | April 8 - April 14 |
| Kansas City, MO | 0.9 | April 24 - 30 |
| Charleston, SC | 0.9 | August 17 - 21 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 0.9 | July 28 - August 3 |
| Dayton, OH | 0.8 | May 8 - 12 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Leap, which markets itself as Cricket Communications Inc., has the slowest overall numbers of any carrier but has no 4G LTE network -- aside from two markets, one just launched in Vegas -- to speak of.
Table 5: MetroPCS's Fastest Cities
| City | Top Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Dallas | 3.4 | Aug. 7 - 13 |
| Dallas | 3.2 | Feb. 21 - 27 |
| Orlando, Fla. | 2.9 | May 20 - 24 |
| San Francisco | 2.6 | July 18 - 24 |
| Tampa, Fla. | 2.4 | Jan. 13 - 19 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
MetroPCS gets its fastest numbers in Dallas, one of its oldest LTE markets, launched in September 2010.
Table 6: Sprint's Fastest Cities
| City | Top Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| San Antonio | 6.9 | Aug. 7 - 13 |
| Kansas City, Mo. | 6.2 | Aug. 17 - 23 |
| Atlanta | 5.1 | Aug. 7 - 13 |
| Orlando, Fla. | 3.9 | May 20 - 24 |
| Dallas | 3.8 | Aug. 7 - 13 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Because of its smaller radio channels -- typically 2x5MHz rather than 2x10MHz -- Sprint is getting less juice out its 4G network than either AT&T or Verizon.
Table 7: T-Mobile's Fastest Cities
| City | Top Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Atlanta | 10.8 | Aug. 7 - 13 |
| Seattle | 9.7 | June 15 - 21 |
| Orlando, Fla. | 9.5 | May 20 - 24 |
| Mission Viejo, Calif. | 9.5 | Feb. 21 - 25 |
| San Diego, Calif. | 9.4 | July 8 - 14 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Note that T-Mobile is getting better performance out of its top 3G HSPA+ cities than Sprint is getting on its 4G cities.
Table 8: Verizon's Fastest Cities
| City | Top Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| New Orleans | 19.7 | April 7 - 11 |
| Mission Viejo, Calif. | 18.3 | Feb. 21 - 25 |
| St. Louis | 17.6 | Jan. 5 - 11 |
| Kansas City, Mo. | 17.5 | Aug. 17 - 23 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Verizon, meanwhile, comes very close to AT&T in performance and has a wider LTE footprint.
Table 9: AT&T's Slowest Cities
| City | Lowest Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| McAllen, Texas | 2.4 | March 19 - 23 |
| Colorado Springs, Colo. | 3.2 | Aug. 27 31 |
| Omaha, Neb. | 3.2 | March 18 - 22 |
| Miami | 3.2 | Jan. 13 - 19 |
| Springfield, Mass. | 3.3 | May 20 -24 |
| Source: Root Metrics | ||
AT&T is still getting some decent "slow" results from 3G.
Table 10: Cricket's Slowest Cities
| City | Lowest Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Denver | 0.2 | July 18 - 24 |
| Pittsburgh | 0.3 | Jan. 13 - 18 |
| Las Vegas | 0.3 | March 13 - 17 |
| El Paso, Texas | 0.3 | March 18 - 22 |
| Houston | 0.3 | Jan. 21 - 27 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Cricket's slowest numbers aren't far from its fastest numbers.
Table 11: MetroPCS's Slowest Cities
| City | Lowest Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Hartford, Conn. | 0.1 | May 2 - 6 |
| Toledo, Ohio | 0.1 | March 24 - 28 |
| Bridgeport, Conn. | 0.1 | May 2 - 6 |
| New Haven, Conn. | 0.2 | May 31 - June 4 |
| Springfield, Mass. | 0.2 | May 20 -24 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Ouch! MetroPCS comes off worst in this section.
Table 12: Sprint's Slowest Cities
| City | Lowest Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| McAllen, Texas | 0.3 | March 19 - 23 |
| Dayton, Ohio | 0.3 | April 24 - 30 |
| Toledo, Ohio | 0.4 | March 24 - 28 |
| Akron, Ohio | 0.4 | May 31 - June 4 |
| Allentown, Pa. | 0.4 | May 20 - 24 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Sprint gets its worst numbers off its older CDMA network.
Table 13: T-Mobile's Slowest Cities
| City, State | Lowest Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Tucson, Ariz. | 1.2 | Feb. 21 -25 |
| Albany, N.Y. | 1.8 | May 20 - 24 |
| Memphis, Tenn. | 1.8 | March 24 - 28 |
| New Orleans | 1.9 | April 8 - 12 |
| San Francisco | 1.9 | Feb. 13 - 19 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
T-Mobile's network shows a wide spread between the best and worst results out of its markets.
Table 14: Verizon's Slowest Cities
| City | Lowest Download Speed (Mbit/s) | 2012 Test Dates |
| Providence, R.I. | 6.1 | June 6 -12 |
| Allentown, Pa. | 7.3 | May 20 - 24 |
| Toledo, Ohio | 8.1 | March 24 - 28 |
| Tampa, Fla. | 8.1 | Jan. 13 - 19 |
| Buffalo, N.Y. | 8.1 | May 2 - 6 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Verizon is the best of the worst thanks to its extensive LTE network.
We've provided the Fastest Cities tables on the first page of this report. When looking at those you'll notice that even with Cricket and MetroPCS taken out and averaging across 3G and 4G networks, the results are similar to the top 4G cities numbers from early this year. (See Top Five 4G LTE Cities in the US.)
Kansas City is still a top 4G city, but Orlando moved upwards in the results by adding carriers like T-Mobile back into the mix.
Now let's look at the slowest cities, as measured by RootMetrics:
Table 15: Five Slowest Cities (All Carriers)
| Rank | City | Average Download Speed (Mbit/s) |
| 1 | Buffalo, N.Y. | 3.2 |
| 2 | Springfield, Mass. | 3.2 |
| 3 | McAllen, Texas | 3.2 |
| 4 | Tucson, Ariz. | 3.4 |
| 5 | Worcester, Mass. | 3.7 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
The LTE networks help to pull up the averages in this category as we saw in the individual results some carriers can have much slower results.
Table 16: Five Slowest Cities (Top 4 Carriers)
| Rank | City | Average Download Speed (Mbit/s) |
| 1 | Buffalo, N.Y. | 3.8 |
| 2 | McAllen, Texas | 3.9 |
| 3 | Springfield, Mass. | 3.9 |
| 4 | Tucson, Ariz. | 4.1 |
| 5 | Allentown, Pa. | 4.2 |
| Source: RootMetrics | ||
Buffalo, N.Y., is the slowest wireless city surveyed on average. McAllen, Tex., and Springfield, Mass., aren't far behind.
A snapshot of wireless performance in fall 2012 The range of speeds across the cities surveyed shows just what a state of flux the U.S. wireless market is in. From 20.4MBit/s downloads on the latest 4G technology to a 0.1MBit/s crawl on the low-end.
Wireless is a shared medium, so performance can vary depending on how close people are to the tower and how many people are using the network, as well as other factors.
Nonetheless, the numbers make it clear how much difference access to bigger spectrum channels makes for operators. With 2x10MHz channels for LTE in the 700MHz spectrum, AT&T and Verizon can crank out speeds higher than other operators', leaving rivals scrambling for spectrum through mergers and acquisitions.
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