What a difference a year makes.
A year ago at this time, AT&T was still in the early stages of rolling out its LTE network; now, it can claim to be the fastest, at least according to one study.
RootMetrics evaluated the performance of all four major carriers in 77 markets across the U.S. While AT&T only covered 47 of those regions with its LTE network, RootMetrics determined it to be the fastest. Verizon, which launched its first LTE cities several months before AT&T got on the 4G train, had a presence in all 77 of the markets, but AT&T says it has expanded to all but five of the cities in the report since the study was conducted.
RootMetrics, the Bellevue, Wash.-based company that specializes in wireless coverage mapping, said Sprint – which rolled out LTE for the first time only a few months ago – was only available in five of the markets. While Sprint's LTE network proved to be slower than its bigger rivals, it was faster than anticipated, the report said.
T-Mobile is just getting started with LTE, but can stake its claim as fastest non-LTE network, according to RootMetrics. The Magenta Network's HSPA+ proved to be faster than those non-LTE networks its competition offers.
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