Deciding on what carrier to use can be tricky for mobile subscribers. Each network claims something different — faster, larger, favorite, more reliable – however it is Verizon’s 4G LTE network that has outperformed the rest. In a new nationwide test conducted by PCMag, the nation’s largest carrier scored higher marks than any other network. Verizon’s 4G LTE network averaged download speeds of 8.89 Mbps and upload speeds of 6.46 Mbps, and while AT&T’s network averaged download speeds of 13.71 Mbps, the carrier’s upload speeds were less impressive, averaging 2.87 Mbps. “LTE is the gold standard of 4G technologies in the U.S.A., and Verizon’s 4G LTE network is now available in 258 markets across the U.S., dwarfing AT&T’s still-nascent LTE system with 39 cities,” the publication stated. “AT&T, Sprint, and MetroPCS all suffered major penalties to their speed score for not being available in all 30 of our test cities, but Verizon’s LTE swept the board. With industry-leading coverage and relatively symmetrical speeds, Verizon LTE is the best nationwide 4G choice.”
UPDATE: An AT&T spokesman contacted BGR to note that while the carrier is pleased that its LTE network was rated in line with its own findings, it feels there was a testing error on the upload side. AT&T issued the following statement: “We have given PC Magazine independent data establishing that their testing app has a technical flaw that understates our 4G LTE upload speeds when a particular version of the Android software is used. This flaw disparately affected AT&T’s upload and overall results. It’s disappointing and a disservice to the public that the editors chose to publish results we have demonstrated are inaccurate.”
