The mobile video experience in the U.S has improved, but it’s still worse than Mexico’s or Canada’s.
Americans rank 68th in the world for the video experience they’re delivered, according to mobile network analytics company OpenSignal. The US sits in the ‘fair’ quality bracket and, in 68th place, it’s right between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
To judge ‘perceived video quality’, the company assesses picture quality, video loading time, and stall rates to generate a score of between 0 and 100.
The US got a score of 53.8 points, up from 46.7 points a year ago, but that wasn’t enough to put it in the ‘good’ video experience category, which is populated by Russia, Myanmar, South Africa, Bolivia, and Laos.
OpenSignal attributes the relatively poor US mobile video experience to several factors, but notes that the US had the lowest score of any G7 nation, which also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the UK.
The six other G7 nations all enjoy a ‘very good’ video experience with scores between 65.8 and 69.8.
MacDailyNews Note: OpenSignal’s “The State Of Mobile Video Experience” report states, “While there was an improvement in Americans’ Video Experience — with the score increasing from 46.7 to 53.8 points — it was not enough to shift U.S. consumers up a gear into the Good category. Instead, Video Experience remained stuck in the Fair category. Americans had the lowest Video Experience score of any of the G7 economically leading countries as U.S. carriers struggle with the combination of enormous mobile video consumption and insufficient new spectrum. Opensignal’s results highlight the need for the release of more mid-band spectrum to help U.S. carriers meet the mobile video needs of Americans.”