(Image Credit: iStockPhoto/serggn)
The latest “Global State of Mobile Networks” report from OpenSignal offers a detailed international comparison of mobile network performance across key metrics. The August 2016 edition highlights which countries lead in network availability and speeds, and reveals wide variation between the top and bottom performers.
South Korea tops the list for both availability and average speeds. The country records 3G-or-better availability of 98.54 percent and average measured speeds of 41.34 Mbps. Japan follows for availability with 65.52 percent coverage, but ranks ninth for speed with an average of 21.25 Mbps.
At the lower end of network availability are Guyana, Ukraine, and India, with 3G-or-better availability of 36.50 percent, 44.81 percent, and 56.10 percent respectively. The United Kingdom posts 84.20 percent availability, slightly below some European neighbors such as France (85.24 percent) and Belgium (85.65 percent), but well ahead of Germany, which registers 73.69 percent and falls into the bottom quarter of the sample. The United States ranks among the top 20 countries with 91.69 percent availability, while Canada places tenth with 93.16 percent.
Across the 95 countries sampled, 93 had 3G-or-better availability more than half the time, and most countries exceeded 75 percent availability, suggesting generally strong global coverage of 3G and higher networks.
Average measured speeds show greater disparity. South Korea leads at 41.34 Mbps, followed by Singapore (31.19 Mbps) and Hungary (26.15 Mbps). The slowest average speeds appear in Afghanistan (2.17 Mbps), Costa Rica (2.55 Mbps), and Ethiopia (2.78 Mbps).
The United Kingdom fares better on speed than several of its European peers, averaging 13.70 Mbps compared with Germany’s 13.42 Mbps and France and Italy at about 13.38 Mbps each. The United States trails these with an average speed of 12.34 Mbps.
Overall, the standout countries for mobile data performance in this report are:
- South Korea – 98.54 percent availability, 41.34 Mbps average speed
- Singapore – 94.42 percent availability, 31.19 Mbps average speed
- Australia – 94.60 percent availability, 25.01 Mbps average speed
When mobile coverage is limited or users prefer fixed connections, WiFi becomes an important fallback. OpenSignal measured the proportion of time users in each country spent connected to WiFi rather than cellular during the study period. The Netherlands leads by a wide margin: Dutch users spent 70.05 percent of their time connected to WiFi. This is notable because the Netherlands also enjoys strong mobile performance—average speeds of 22.68 Mbps and availability of 92.49 percent—indicating that factors beyond raw network quality influence WiFi usage.
China ranks second for WiFi usage. This aligns with China’s relatively lower cellular availability (75.49 percent), even though its average cellular speed is among the faster measured at 17.95 Mbps. New Zealand comes third for WiFi use with 62.96 percent, despite high cellular metrics of 19.34 Mbps average speed and 94.10 percent availability.
In contrast, countries with limited cellular options show predictably high WiFi usage. Trinidad and Tobago ranks fourth for WiFi time at 62.39 percent and simultaneously ranks near the bottom for cellular availability and speed, with 59.12 percent coverage and only 3.09 Mbps average speed.
The report highlights both impressive national networks and notable inequalities in global mobile performance. While many countries have strong 3G-and-up coverage, average speeds vary widely, affecting user experience and behavior such as reliance on WiFi. These findings help paint a clearer picture of where mobile networks thrive and where improvements remain necessary.
Were any of the findings surprising to you? Share your views in the comments below.