"Here's a common scenario for many travelers. You're at an airport waiting for your flight. You want to hop online with your mobile phone to stream a movie, play an online game, or download some apps. Your first instinct is to connect to the airport's Wi-Fi. But that may not be your best option. Have you ever tried your mobile carrier instead?"
"Yes, cellular could provide faster service compared with Wi-Fi, according to the latest data from Speedtest provider Ookla. To conduct its research, Ookla analyzed Speedtest user data for median download speeds at 50 of the top US airports for the first half of 2025. The testing compared Wi-Fi coverage against that of mobile carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The verdict? Cellular download speeds averaged around 219.24 Mbps, while Wi-Fi came in at only 101.39 Mbps."
"The report highlighted several examples where cellular beat Wi-Fi. At Chicago's Midway, the median download speed was 944.01 Mbps with AT&T and 122.53 Mbps with local Wi-Fi. At Sacramento International, the median download speed was 726.19 Mbps with T-Mobile and 107.84 Mbps with Wi-Fi. And at Indianapolis International, the download speed was 1,267.05 Mbps with Verizon and 51.35 Mbps with airport Wi-Fi."
Ookla analyzed Speedtest user data for median download speeds at 50 top US airports during the first half of 2025. Cellular download speeds averaged 219.24 Mbps while airport Wi‑Fi averaged 101.39 Mbps. Among carriers, Verizon had faster coverage than Wi‑Fi at 34 airports, T‑Mobile at 32, and AT&T at 28. Examples include AT&T at Chicago Midway (944.01 Mbps vs 122.53 Mbps Wi‑Fi), T‑Mobile at Sacramento (726.19 vs 107.84), and Verizon at Indianapolis (1,267.05 vs 51.35). A full 70% of US airport Wi‑Fi networks still use Wi‑Fi 5. Travelers are advised to run a speed test at local airports to determine the faster option.
Read at ZDNET
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