The worst-ranked cities in Mexico for wireless broadband are getting download speeds of about 19 megabits per second (Mbps), while the top-ranked cities see speeds as high as nearly 28.

Wireless coverage mapping specialist OpenSignal tested 17 large cities that are also popular tourist destinations to determine where the best 4G LTE mobile coverage is readily available for tourists.

The company looked at average 4G download and upload speeds and the extent of 4G coverage in each of the cities over a 90-day period between May and July.

Mexico City was one of those near the bottom of the list.

“While the capital’s speeds are not slow, they definitely seem to fall behind other large cities, which might seem odd considering the level of 4G investment in the country’s economic and political center,” said the study.

Mexico City has powerful LTE networks, it said, but it also has a huge number of users all vying for capacity on those networks, which could cause slower speeds.

The capital had an average download speed of 19.9 Mbps and ranked as the fifth worst destination. Also at the bottom were Cancún (which tied with Mexico City) and Toluca, Aguascalientes and Puebla, with speeds ranging from 19.2 Mbps down to 18.8.

Fastest download speeds were recorded in Chihuahua, which scored 27.8. Monterrey and Guadalajara were second and third with 23.3 and 23.2 respectively.

OpenSignal also scored 4G availability, in which Mexicali emerged at the top with 86.5%. Querétaro was a close second with 85.9% followed by Hermosillo and Chihuahua.

In contrast, Mexico City dropped to the bottom of the list with 80.8%, just below the beach resorts of Cancún and Acapulco.

The firm remarked that “all 17 cities we analyzed had 4G availability scores above 80%, indicative of excellent LTE reach in metro areas nationwide.”

Mexico News Daily