Verizon, AT&T Speeds Slow After Unlimited Data Plans Launch

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Verizon, AT&T Speeds Slow After Unlimited Data Plans Launch

By CircleID Reporter
August 03, 2017, 12:25 am PDT Views: 9,620 Add Comment

Verizon and AT&T re-introduced their unlimited data plans earlier this year, and as a result, studies show that the providers’ 4G speeds and overall speeds have fallen due to increased data demand on their networks. Analyzing more than 5 billion measurements, OpenSignal compared the 3G and 4G performance of the big 4 mobile operators in the U.S. From the report: “It’s been a fascinating six months for the U.S. mobile industry. After years of retreating from all-you-can-eat data services, both Verizon and AT&T reintroduced unlimited plans this year to counter the increasing threat of T-Mobile and Sprint. Those new plans not only had a big impact on the competitive landscape in the U.S. but also on OpenSignal’s metrics. Our measured average speeds on Verizon and AT&T’s networks have clearly dropped, almost certainly a result of new unlimited customers ramping up their data usage. Conversely, T-Mobile and Sprint’s 4G and overall speeds are steadily increasing in our measurements. Those shifting speed results were one of the main reasons T-Mobile swept our six awards categories for this reporting period. Despite T-Mobile’s wins, the Un-carrier and Verizon are still engaged in a very close fight in our 4G metrics in the urban battlegrounds of the U.S.”

By CircleID Reporter

CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.

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