LTE download speeds are now averaging 10.4Mbit/s around the world, according to a new report on the 4G technology from OpenSignal

"The State of LTE" finds that 62 countries now have at least one LTE network up and running. Another 19 are coming in 2013, reports OpenSignal, which collects data on global wireless networks via an iOS or Android app.

The U.S. has the most live LTE networks right now. OpenSignal projects that LTE will be present in 83 countries within the next two years, which will drive the production of more lower-end LTE-compatible smartphones.

Presently, Sweden has the fastest LTE network averages at 22.1 Mbit/s. Japan has the slowest at 7.1 Mbit/s. As Light Reading Mobile has found in its reporting on the state of 4G deployments, individual LTE networks can be far slower than the overall averages suggest because of issues like channel size and backhaul capacity.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile