[ad_1]
US mobile customers they have almost never been able to connect to millimeter-wave networks – even though the cellular industry, and especially Verizon, has been 5G.
Devices capable of using millimeter-wave networks by AT&T and T-Mobile customers were connected to mmWave 5G in just 0.5 percent of the time in 9090 days from January 16 to April 15, 2021, 90 days, Open report released Wednesday. Even at Verizon, the carrier with the most aggressive performance of the mmWave 5G, users with compatible devices spent 0.8 percent of their time on high-speed networks to deliver faster speeds than the low- and mid-range spectrum. The average download speed on MmWave 5G was 232.7 Mbps for AT&T, 215.3 Mbps for T-Mobile and 692.9 Mbps for Verizon.
“Average time connected to MmWave 5G” represents the percentage of time connected to mmWave among users with mmWave 5G-capable devices and connected to mmWave at least once, Opensignal told Ars. This means that devices that are not new enough to use mmWave 5G do not reduce the numbers; the percentages of the three major carriers are less than 1 percent when evaluating users with devices compatible with mmWave networks.
“In Opensignal’s analysis, our Verizon mmWave 5G users consistently see a higher average time connected to mmWave 5G than users in other U.S. carriers,” the report says. “Over this 90-day period, the average time our Verizon users connected to mmWave 5G was 0.8 percent compared to 0.5 percent for AT&T and T-Mobile services. However, although Verizon seems to be ahead, this result represents a statistical link. overlapping confidence gaps with AT&T. “The three major carriers have a wide scope to increase the availability of mmWave 5G services,” the report said.
Another report released by Opensignal on Wednesday He said — counting on all 5G spectrum bands, not just mmWave — that 5G was available on T-Mobile 33.1 percent of the time, 20.5% on AT&T and 11.2% on Verizon.
Opensignal’s speed testing applications “collect billions of measurements every day on more than 100 million devices worldwide,” and produce most of the data “through automated tests that run in the background”. he says.
Verizon’s leader in mmWave 5G is not surprising, given that “Verizon’s 5G deployment strategy has placed a strong emphasis on mmWave, with T-Mobile on the 600 MHz and 2.5 GHz active spectra 5G services, and AT&T has mostly used low bandwidth for 5G so far, ”Opensignal said.
mmWave 5G would never become the first form of mobile connectivity, as high-frequency radio waves do not travel far and are easily blocked by walls and other obstacles. The pandemic has limited opportunities for people to connect to mmWave 5G, as this technology makes the most sense in crowded outdoor areas and large events.
“With the pandemic, large groups of people were not so much gathered in urban areas, sports stadiums or shopping malls, so we still haven’t seen the full benefit of mmWave 5G services,” said analysis CEO Ian Fogg. the answer to our questions. “Furthermore, we will probably see seasonal differences in the time users connect to mmWave, given that most mmWave sites are located on the outside.”
Fogg noted that “the physics of high-frequency mmWave spectral bands means that the signals that are generated outside are usually outside,” and people obviously spend more time outside in summer than in winter. However, “when we see more mmWave deployed in large buildings, such as shopping malls or subway systems, the seasons will be reduced,” he said.
With these notes, it is too early to write mmWave 5G to write as a major player in the use of mobile Internet. But so far, mmWave 5G is barely delivering on U.S. mobile connectivity, and it’s not clear if it will ever become a big factor for smartphone users. Technology can help many home Internet users get faster through point-to-point connections, but most people would prefer a wired connection. In addition, the appearance of SpaceX Starlink’s low-Earth Earth orbit satellite service may reduce mmWave 5G’s interest in the home Internet and Verizon’s mmWave 5G Home service availability very limited. T-Mobile recently was launched 5G home internet service, though does not use mmWave.
[ad_2]
Source link
