Despite people stuck up in their homes because of COVID-19 and also the fear of being sucked inside your mom’s flesh crevices now that she has developed her own gravity, the average mobile data speed in USA is still pretty good.
54Mbps is the average mobile internet data speed in USA. That is the average download speed of available mobile internet services providers.
If that is the answer you were looking for, glad I was of some help to you.
Now go back and clean your guns and order some McDonalds while waiting for your dad to come back with that milk he went out for 20 years ago.
But if you also want to know how average is this speed throughout US? Why your mobile’s data is not anywhere near that number! How to check your mobile’s internet speed? Are there any tips to increase your mobile internet speed?
We are covering every basic thing that could be going inside your mind about your mobile’s internet speed. So hang around.
The current state of the Mobile Data Speed in USA right now
According to this report by Ookla, the average mobile download speed is 54.40Mbps and average upload speed is 8.39Mbps in USA.
Here is a list of few US states where mobile data speed is actually countable –
| US State | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
| Atlanta, Georgia | 48.41 | 15.15 |
| Columbus, Ohio | 43.86 | 11.17 |
| Baltimore, Maryland | 43.25 | 11.25 |
| Washington, District of Columbia | 43.81 | 11.23 |
| Kansas City, Missouri | 43.04 | 9.69 |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | 61.54 | 15.87 |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 45.45 | 14.3 |
| New York, New York | 42.34 | 13.32 |
| Fort Wayne, Indiana | 44.16 | 12.23 |
| Saint Paul, Minnesota | 61.4 | 13.97 |
The average speed distribution is never going to be evenly distributed throughout this huge landmass, so yeah, that’s the point of adding this table. Anyway…
As per the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) recommendation, the download speed of your internet should be at least 25Mbps.
And the minimum good upload speed should be at the very least 3Mbps. It seems we are getting really good speeds.
But here you are wondering why it takes 13 minutes to download a ten-minute-long SD video from YouTube on your phone?
If you were truly getting the 54Mbps, then it should take right about zero minutes and minus seconds to be done with that kind of download.
Why is that happening? Maybe you live in a rural USA area, that’s where data speed is slightly lower than average but still let’s see some basics.
What is 2G/3G/4G and what kind of sorcery is 5G?
Let’s know what bandwidths and latencies are first.
The max amount of data that your internet provider can transfer between two points is bandwidth. If you are promised 100Mbps, it would be a miracle if you get anywhere near 40, but that’s just me maybe.
There are two aspects of bandwidth – download speed and upload speed. Download speed is good when you can download 1 episode of The Politician within 3 minutes, it should take like 8 seconds in a world where God exists but eh, whatcha gonna do!
And when you can upload your 40 minutes rant about your in-laws not leaving your house on YouTube within only 10 minutes, that is the upload speed of your data provider.
These speeds are always measured in Mbps (not MBps) which is megabits per second.
Latency is the amount of time it takes data to travel from your phone to WWW and vice-versa.
2G had a max download speed (MDS) of 0.1Mbps and a latency of 0.5 seconds.
3G had an MDS of 8Mbps and a latency of 0.1 seconds.
4G has an MDS of 60Mbps and a latency of 0.05 seconds.
There are a few more variants of 4G like 4G LTE and 4G LTE Advanced Category which have larger bandwidth and smaller latencies.
Please note – MDS doesn’t mean you’ll get the promised max speed all the time or anytime, it just means that this is the max limit of this network.
What about 5G?
5G has an MDS of 1000Mbps and latency of 0.001seconds.
If you are using 5G right now, you’ll hardly notice any drastic change in the internet speed of your mobile from 4G. And that’s it about 5G, for now.
What does this all mean?
Maybe your phone is not using advanced networks like 4G or 4G LTE. Check them and get them to proper network setting.
You won’t believe how many folks with high-end phones had been using 3G and some even 2G for years. Why? Because Boomers don’t get technology y’all.
Advice #1 – Go get a phone which supports 4G or 5G!
What network provider and which plans to choose?
AT&T right now shows fastest average speed at 41 Mbps nationwide. Second is T-Mobile with 33.7 Mbps and then is Sprint with 31.5 Mbps and fourth is Verizon at 30.8 Mbps.
If you have no plans purchased then some dude with a 2G phone will seem like from the future when compared to you. Don’t get a basic plan. Always go for intermediate plans at the very least even if you are not a hardcore internet user.
Advice #2 – Get better plans and network providers.
Does Mobile phone hardware affect mobile data speed?
Yes, if your phone can’t support the latest advanced networks like 4G or 4G LTE Advanced then you’ll not be able to use greater bandwidth privileges.
If your phone’s RAM is small (2GB or something) or if your phone’s processor is old then that could hurt your internet smooth sailing despite a good connection speed!
And no, you can’t download an upgrade for your Network and increase your memory by clicking on random shifty pop-up ads about unknown apps.
Advice #3 – Buy better devices if yours is old.
Tips to Increase the mobile internet speed
- Restart your mobile
- Turn off and then on the Airplane mode
- Turn off and on the internet
- Close all the apps in the background
- There are many data-saving apps, try using them
- Delete unnecessary apps/widgets
- Turn on the ad-block
- Clear all your Cache memory at regular intervals
- There are some browsers that could specifically vibe with your phone set, so try that hunt
- Under Wireless and Network in Settings, select Data Prefer in GPRS or the Maximum Data Loading Option in your phone
- Always choose the best available network option of your phone
- Use text-mode wherever possible
Speed Test
Wanna check what’s your mobile’s internet speed? Check it here if it’s lower than 17Mbps, dude that sucks by today’s standard! Get a new phone or change plans/network asap Business 2 Mark.
Conclusion
Look, there are like 10 to 12 countries that are already above us in the biggest average speed of mobile internet, damn Netherlands is above us too, those sneaky dutch.
Anyway, hope we helped drew a clear picture about the actual average mobile data speed state in US states. Now if you could excuse me I have to go and increase my carbon footprints so the Netherlands can sink faster.
