“Smart cities” are communities that use technology to improve the efficiency of their operations, such as using internet of things (IoT) devices to collect data on traffic patterns or smart meters to track energy consumption. Ahead of the Smart Cities Connect conference in Denver on May 16–18, we wanted to explore the role that connectivity plays for some of the smartest cities in the U.S.
To enable city-wide technology initiatives, a stable connection to the internet is essential. Connectivity can lead to innovation, economic growth, and a better quality of life for residents through reduced traffic congestion and improved public safety.
In this article, we take a look at network performance metrics based on the most recent quarter of Speedtest Intelligence® data for the 100 largest cities across the U.S (by population counts, according to Census Bureau data).
Major U.S. cities with the best and worst fixed broadband speeds
While the FCC’s minimum fixed broadband speed benchmark is currently 25 Mbps for downloading and 3 Mbps for uploading, legislators have proposed increasing the minimum speeds to 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. Looking at fixed broadband speeds, we found that the median download speed for the five lowest ranking cities hovers around the 100 Mbps mark, aside from Memphis, which came in at 49.01 Mbps. There’s a large disparity between the slowest cities and the fastest cities, with Frisco, Texas clocking in the fastest median download speed of 260.31 Mbps. Overall, cities are better connected than rural areas, but pockets of poor fixed connectivity can still exist and capacity issues can plague systems at peak usage times.
Major U.S. cities with the best and worst mobile speeds
Local governments aiming to bring high-speed connectivity to underserved communities will need to look to mobile connectivity. For truly remote areas, building a direct terrestrial connection will never be practical. In denser urban environments, low income households often rely completely on wireless for broadband as they cannot afford multiple services.
Looking at mobile performance in U.S. cities, Saint Paul; Kansas City, Missouri; Scottsdale; Plano; and Columbus are leading the way in mobile connectivity with median download speeds across all mobile technologies ranging from 136.95 Mbps to 153.57 Mbps. On the other end of the spectrum, the bottom five cities (Lexington, Lubbock, Lincoln, Reno, and Laredo) have much lower speeds, coming in around the 50 Mbps mark.
Major U.S. cities with the best and worst latency
Latency (measured in milliseconds) is a measure of how quickly a device gets a response after a request has been sent. Low latency means the server is responding quickly, whereas high latency means the server is responding slowly. When measuring latency, the lower the number, the better. Since smart cities collect and use data to streamline operations, a low latency is crucial for many scenarios, such as edge computing use cases for real-time traffic monitoring.
Among our list of U.S. cities, Jersey City, Newark, Kansas City (MO), Irvine, and Plano had the lowest latency for fixed network technologies with a median multi-server latency under 15ms. Buffalo, Lexington, Laredo, Memphis, and El Paso had higher latency, closer to the 50ms mark.
We saw that latency was higher across the board on mobile networks than it was on fixed broadband networks. Plano, New York, Baltimore, and Irving showed the lowest latency for mobile connections. Lexington, Albuquerque, El Paso, Anchorage, and Honolulu had the highest mobile latency, with median multi-server latency around the 100ms mark.
Major U.S. cities with the best and worst 5G speeds and 5G Availability
Smart cities will be significantly impacted by 5G, which delivers faster speeds, reduced latency, and more dependable connections. 5G networks are quickly overlaying the 4G footprint across the United States, and more federal funding is becoming available to improve 5G coverage. This will be an opportunity for lower-ranking cities like Lexington, Lubbock, Laredo, Lincoln, and Reno to improve the mobile network speeds in their cities.
Top ranking cities Kansas City (MO), Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Chicago, and Omaha are already providing great 5G speeds, with median download speeds as fast as 224.57 Mbps in Kansas City.
5G Availability shows what percent of users on 5G-capable devices spent the majority of their time on a 5G network connection. In some U.S. cities, (such as Oklahoma City, El Paso, Bakersfield, Norfolk, and Boise) users with 5G devices are connected to 5G most of the time. Most notably, Oklahoma City users were connected to 5G 72.50% of the time. On the low end, users in Albuquerque, Tulsa, Richmond, Raleigh, and Orlando were connected to 5G less than 50% of the time.
Network intelligence for smarter, more connected communities
Ookla’s enterprise solutions empower cities with comprehensive data on network performance, coverage, and availability. With Ookla data and insights, leaders can make informed policy decisions to close the digital divide. Federal, state, and local governments rely on Ookla for accurate network intelligence to enable modern connectivity in their smart communities.
Stop by the Ookla booth #208 at Smart Cities Connect in Denver on May 16–18 to find out where your city lands on these lists and how Ookla network insights can help you improve connectivity in your city.
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