LAX Ranks Last in Mobile Performance, According to New Study
Luciana Mangas September 22, 2016
Light Pylons at LAX.
A new report has been released comparing the speed and efficiency of mobile carriers at airports across the country.
It seems like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is not the most promising place to be if you want to access the internet on your phone. The Los Angeles Times reports that a new study has proved that the data on that location is little more than sluggish and it’s not your imagination or your device.
“Mobile network performance at Los Angeles International has often struggled,” says a new report from RootMetrics, an independent mobile analytics firm based in the Seattle area.
If you compare the four major carriers in the US – Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T – the download speed barely reaches 2.8Mbps in all of them. Compared to other airports in the country, like Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), LAX falls far behind.
While one would think that this is all the carrier’s fault, RootMetrics Director Annette Hamilton assures that is not the case. LAX’s age coupled with the amount of travelers that go through the airport every day contribute to a slower network, creating a logjam.
“Any time you have massive amounts of people in a single location, it puts stress on networks,” she said. “LAX is a special child. The performance variables that service providers encounter include where it [the airport] is located, how close it is to the city center, even types of materials used in building.”
Here is the Top 10 list, according to RootMetrics:
1. Oakland International Airport
2. General Mitchell International, Milwaukee
3. Southwest Florida International, Fort Myers
4. John Wayne
6. Atlanta
9. Dallas Love Field (not Dallas Fort Worth)
10. Midway International, Chicago (not O’Hare).
And the bottom five:
46. William P. Hobby, Houston
47. Philadelphia International
48. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Florida
49. Austin-Bergstrom International, Texas
50. LAX
[Photo: LAX]
RSW at #3? They must not have tested Verizon! No reception in much of the building *AND* many dead spots in the area surrounding the airport, including the main road in/out of the airport. Just dropped a call out there due to No Service last week. My personal T-Mobile phone works flawlessly out in the same area. JFK would get my vote as one of the worst. No matter the carrier, I can get a signal but the towers are so over-saturated that data speeds are miserable. Fortunately the lounges and T5 have decent WiFi.
One of the biggest issues with LAX has been prominent dead zones. One of the worst was the arrivals/baggage claim area of Terminal 4. Even getting out on the curb didn't help much. You couldn't even make calls. In the last few months, this has changed substantially and my T-Mobile phone has had reliable LTE access while waiting on bags. I'm thinking that the carriers and the airport have been working on the issue and they have new cell sites up.
Hmmm... surprised to see FLL at the bottom. Never have any issues with AT&T at that airport (was even there today!) JFK, on the other hand, is an airport I always seem to have cell signal issues in...