We usually assume that Wi-Fi connections offer faster download speeds than mobile networks, but this isn't necessarily true – as in some countries, using Wi-Fi to download content can be quite difficult.
OpenSignal recently conducted a study analyzing download speeds in various countries. It found that mobile data is faster than Wi-Fi in 33 countries, including several in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East .
What's more surprising is the huge difference in download speeds. For example, in Australia, the mobile network offers 13Mbps more than Wi-Fi, while in Lebanon the difference is 25Mbps. Other places like Oman and the Czech Republic also offer an advantage of more than 10Mbps on the mobile network.
There are, however, countries where mobile networks and WiFi are almost competitive. But again, WiFi has a clear advantage in countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and the US, where home broadband is relatively faster.
It's very interesting to see how quickly the world of connectivity is changing, especially with 5G just around the corner.
In conclusion, these findings suggest that users should have second thoughts about whether Wi-Fi is always the best choice for them. Likewise, device manufacturers, and the entire Wi-Fi industry, need to step up their performance or else they will face the risk of being overtaken by mobile networks.
