Premier League 4G: Which Stadium Has The Fastest Mobile Speeds?
Football fans are becoming increasingly demanding with regards to connectivity, but the 4G table doesn’t reflect performances on the pitch
Chelsea might be the defending Premier League champions heading into the start of the new season, but if the title was decided by 4G speeds inside their stadium, they would be flirting with relegation, according to data from OpenSignal and Mobiles.co.uk.
The average download speed from all four of the UK’s operators at Stamford Bridge is 10.19Mbps, less than half the 21.82Mbps recorded at the King Power Stadium, home of 4G league leaders Leicester City, but more than bottom club West Brom on 8.47Mbps.
However, download speeds are not the sole quantifier of a good mobile service. Capacity is also important, as are upload speeds for social media. The fastest average upload speed, 11.59Mbps, was also recorded at Leicester’s ground, while The Baggies were again bottom with 4.23Mbps.
Premier League 4G Speeds
In terms of individual networks, Vodafone customers at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light ground have the best 4G service at any location in the league, with download speeds reaching 28.52Mbps and upload speeds surging to 19.08Mbps.
However EE is dominant across the board, providing the best download scores at 15 stadiums and the best upload speeds at 13 grounds.
As anyone who attends sporting events on a regular basis can testify, attempting to use your phone during matches or half-time can be an unreliable affair as thousands of people attempt to send images and updates on social media or looking up scores at other grounds.
Many sports teams and venue operators are investing in public Wi-Fi or working with mobile operators to improve coverage amid fears some fans may choose to stay at home if they cannot enjoy the same connectivity they have at home.
This is unpopular with some fans, most notably PSV Eindhoven supporters who held up a banner saying “F*** Wi-Fi, support the team”, while Borussia Dortmund are actually going to slow down their network during matches to ensure everyone is paying attention when the ball is on the field.
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