Experience still varies by carrier
LONDON, U.K. – U.K.-based mobile analytics company Opensignal released a new report today, which shows “users at NHL venues in both Canada and the U.S. had a significantly better experience when connected to 5G compared to the overall experience of all users at those arenas.”
The report, authored by Francesco Rizzato, provides analysis of data collected from Opensignal users at and around the 32 NHL arenas (seven in Canada, 25 in the U.S.) from Oct. 1, 2021, to March 29, 2022.
Among the findings highlighted in the report is that experience varied depending on the carrier.
At the seven Canadian arenas, the average download speed for 5G users was 132.1 Mbps. Broken down by carrier, however, the report “shows 94.3 Mbps on Rogers, while Bell and Telus users experienced statistically tied scores in the 168.8-184.7 Mbps range.” (Please see chart above.)
In the U.S., the average 5G download speed was higher than in Canada (159.7 Mbps), although the data shows 53.7 Mbps on AT&T, 158.4 Mbps on Verizon USA and 191.6 Mbps on T-Mobile.
Upload speeds were statistically tied between the two countries – Canada having an average of 24.1 Mbps and the U.S. with an average of 26.1 Mbps.
When considering three experiential metrics (the quality of video streaming experience, multiplayer mobile gaming, over-the-top voice services), users had a better 5G experience at the Canadian NHL venues compared to the U.S. ones, according to the report.
The report also notes the “5G users at NHL venues enjoyed the highest 5G Availability of 35.9% at the U.S. arenas, compared with 24.7% in the seven Canadian arenas.”
In terms of overall mobile experience (including 3G, 4G and 5G and all mobile users, not only 5G users) at the 32 NHL arenas, Opensignal found Canada scored higher than the U.S. in download and upload speeds, as well as across the three experiential metrics.
“Historically, Canadians have enjoyed an extremely good 4G experience, but the country has been slower to deploy 5G than the U.S.,” the report says.
For more, please click here.
Chart provided by Opensignal.
