@tccllp wrote:
Throughput and signal strength are not always co-joined, or dependent on one another.
Although normally more bars = more speed, clear call quality etc, that is not always the case if limiting or other issues are occurring in the backend of the systems causing poor data networking performance..
You mention improved speeds being associated with more bars.. although a popular misonception, it's not how networks function.
Both 4G-LTE & 5G-NR radio technologies are operated across multiple frequency bands, each with their own characteristics. And all networks hold different amounts of spectrum - thus capacity - at each band.
The on-screen bars are a basic measure of signal strength, i.e. the quality of received RF. Different phones measure it differently, and can sometimes display different numbers of bars for the exact same signal. Equally different phones could be using different frequency bands from the same site/antenna, and thus display differently.
Data speeds are heavily dictated by the amount of capacity on the serving cell. In very simple terms, one phone could be attached to a "stronger" signal but with less capacity - thus more bars equals slower speeds. Another phone could be using a "weaker" signal that has more capacity and/or less users - thus fewer bars equals better speeds. The actual mechanics of the radio network are a little more complex than this, but it's an illustration of why "more bars = better speeds" is a false belief. You allude to "other issues in the backend", the central network & onward internet provides even more variables!
Thus fewer on-screen bars can indicate either a service outage, or just different radio carriers being utilised. A loss-of-service is a different issue.
