4G LTE Is Here: Verizon vs AT&T Speed Showdown

Something remarkable is happening in wireless broadband, and if you're stuck on a sluggish DSL connection, you should pay attention.

Verizon launched its 4G LTE network in December 2010, covering 38 metro areas. AT&T just turned on its own LTE network in five cities, with plans to reach 15 markets by year's end. We've been testing both networks for the past several weeks, and the speeds are genuinely surprising — in many cases faster than what millions of Americans get from their home broadband connections.

The Test Setup

We tested Verizon LTE using a Samsung SCH-LC11 mobile hotspot and an HTC ThunderBolt smartphone across three cities: New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. AT&T LTE was tested with an HTC Vivid in Dallas and Atlanta. All tests used the Speedtest.net app, with multiple tests at each location during morning, afternoon, and evening hours.

We also tested at each location using a laptop tethered to the device to measure real-world usability, not just synthetic speeds.

Verizon LTE: The Results

Verizon's LTE network is fast. Really fast.

| Location | Download (Mbps) | Upload (Mbps) | Ping (ms) | |----------|-----------------|---------------|-----------| | NYC Midtown | 18.3 | 8.2 | 42 | | NYC Brooklyn | 24.7 | 11.4 | 38 | | Chicago Loop | 15.6 | 6.9 | 45 | | Chicago suburb | 29.1 | 12.8 | 35 | | D.C. downtown | 21.4 | 9.7 | 40 | | D.C. suburb | 31.2 | 14.1 | 33 |

Average download across all tests: 22.4 Mbps. Average upload: 10.1 Mbps. Peak download: 33.8 Mbps in a suburban D.C. location.

The suburban numbers are consistently higher than urban ones, which makes sense — fewer users competing for the same cell tower capacity.

AT&T LTE: Early Returns

AT&T's LTE network just launched, so the coverage area is tiny and the network is relatively unloaded. Take these numbers as best-case early results, not what you'll see once millions of subscribers are on the network.

| Location | Download (Mbps) | Upload (Mbps) | Ping (ms) | |----------|-----------------|---------------|-----------| | Dallas downtown | 28.4 | 9.1 | 44 | | Dallas suburb | 35.2 | 12.3 | 37 | | Atlanta midtown | 22.8 | 7.6 | 48 | | Atlanta suburb | 30.1 | 10.5 | 39 |

AT&T's early numbers are impressive, but Verizon had similarly high speeds when its network was new and lightly loaded. The real test for AT&T will be performance six months from now when millions of subscribers have LTE devices.

How LTE Compares to Home Broadband

Here's the comparison that matters. The average American DSL connection delivers 3 to 6 Mbps down and less than 1 Mbps up. Basic cable runs 10 to 15 Mbps down. Verizon's LTE network, in real-world tests, delivers 15 to 30 Mbps — faster than most DSL connections and competitive with mid-tier cable.

For the roughly 20 million Americans on DSL connections under 6 Mbps, LTE is genuinely faster than their home internet. That's a remarkable statement. Wireless, for the first time, is outperforming wired broadband for a significant portion of the country.

The latency numbers are reasonable too. At 35 to 48 ms, LTE ping times are higher than wired broadband (typically 10 to 25 ms) but low enough for most applications. Web browsing feels responsive. Video streaming works well. Online gaming is possible, though competitive gamers will still want a wired connection.

Can LTE Replace Your Home Broadband?

The speed is there. The coverage is expanding. So can you ditch your DSL or cable and go all-wireless?

For most households, not yet. Three big obstacles:

Data caps. Verizon's LTE plans top out at 10 GB per month for $80. AT&T offers 5 GB for $50. A single Netflix HD stream burns through about 3 GB per hour. A family that streams a couple hours of video per day would blow through 10 GB in less than a week. Until wireless carriers offer plans with 100+ GB caps at reasonable prices, LTE can't replace a home connection for typical usage.

Coverage gaps. LTE is available in major metros only. Step outside the coverage area and you fall back to 3G (2 to 5 Mbps on a good day) or, worse, EDGE. If you live in a rural area where LTE would be most useful as a DSL alternative, you probably can't get it.

Shared capacity. Every user on a cell tower shares the available bandwidth. As more subscribers get LTE devices, those 20+ Mbps speeds will drop. Wired connections don't have this problem to the same degree.

That said, LTE home internet could work for specific situations:

• Light users who primarily browse the web and check email — 5 to 10 GB might be enough
• Rural users on slow DSL who happen to have LTE coverage — even 10 GB of fast internet beats unlimited slow internet for some uses
• Temporary situations — moving between apartments, construction sites, travel

The LTE Home Internet Products

Both Verizon and AT&T sell dedicated LTE hotspot devices that can connect multiple devices over Wi-Fi. Verizon also offers an LTE USB modem. These are designed for use as supplementary internet, not primary home broadband, but they work.

Verizon's MiFi 4510L creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that supports up to five devices on LTE. Battery life is about four hours. It's $99 with a two-year contract and a data plan.

For anyone considering LTE as a broadband supplement or alternative, the math comes down to data caps. Track your current broadband usage for a month before making any decisions. If you use less than 10 GB, LTE might work. If you're a typical household using 50 to 200 GB per month, you'll need a wired connection for the foreseeable future.

What This Means Going Forward

LTE is the most significant development in wireless since 3G launched. The speeds are legitimately competitive with wired broadband for the first time. As coverage expands and more devices support LTE, the line between "mobile internet" and "real internet" is going to keep blurring.

The bottleneck isn't speed anymore. It's data caps and coverage. Solve those problems, and wireless broadband becomes a genuine competitor to DSL and cable for millions of households. That's the kind of competition the broadband market desperately needs.