Mobile Internet providers like UbiFi and satellite Internet providers like Viasat have been some of the best rural Internet service providers in recent years. Both of these types of Internet companies are known for their high speed and high performance. However, when it comes to performance, speed is often the deciding factor for many users. For this reason, rural residents have often wondered whether satellite or mobile Internet is the fastest Internet for rural areas.

Mobile Internet’s speeds generally depend on whether a user is in a good part of the network, since the closer you are to a cell tower, the better your service will be. However, when it comes to top speeds, mobile Internet is faster on average. Mobile Internet is also faster than satellite Internet in two crucial ways: download speed and latency.

Even some of the best satellite Internet service providers have speeds that top out at 15 Mbps. In contrast, companies like UbiFi can reach speeds of 15-20 Mbps easily, and when working at their full potential, download speeds can be even higher. Mobile Internet companies such as UbiFi also consistently offer Internet service with lower levels of latency than satellite Internet because of the much shorter distance between cell towers and rural households. In contrast, satellite Internet transmits signals with large delays because of the long distance between satellites in orbit in outer space and receivers on the ground.

If you live in an area with good cell tower coverage, mobile Internet may be a much better choice for your needs than satellite Internet. Be sure to do research on whether your area is adequately covered by a 4G cell tower before you commit to an unlimited 4G rural Internet provider.