FierceWireless, with partner OpenSignal, is hoping to shed some light on network latency, which isn't a main focus in most studies measuring network performance. Latency is defined as the time it takes for a source to send a packet of data to a receiver. Latency is typically measured in milliseconds. The lower the latency (the fewer the milliseconds), the better the network performance. Every month, we report the network latency speeds of the Tier 1 U.S. wireless carriers. (Click here for October's numbers, here for November's numbers, here for December's numbers and here for January's numbers.) In February, Sprint continued to post the highest latency speeds in LTE transmissions. This is likely due to the current configuration of Sprint's LTE network, which generally relies on a 5x5 MHz configuration while other carriers use 10x10 MHz or even 20x20 MHz settings. However, Sprint has promised to dramatically improve its network speeds with the deployment of its Sprint Spark tri-mode LTE network technology. For a full breakdown of February's numbers, check out this special report.
