Passengers traveling through George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) are making some of the fastest connections in the world — when it comes to Wi-Fi service, that is.
According to a leading technology online site, which utilized an innovative new app designed to allow users to evaluate Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connections, Bush Airport has the second-fastest average public Wi-Fi download speeds among airports in the United States, and ranks in the Top 10 worldwide.
“Not only did we want to provide free Wi-Fi service to our customers but we also wanted that service to be strong and reliable,” said Houston Aviation Director Mario C. Diaz. “These results are a good indication that the Houston Airport System has been successful in meeting both of those goals.”
The data collected by the app shows that IAH’s free Wi-Fi service — unveiled in September 2014 — averages 15.28 megabytes per second, the ninth fastest service in the world. In the U.S., only Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, at 30.98 Mbps the second-fastest rating overall, is faster.
“We wanted to ensure that our customers got the kind of reliable and fast Wi-Fi service they asked for and deserve,” said HAS Chief Technology Officer Lisa Kent. “With connection speeds that exceeds our goal of 6 megabits per second, we delivered on that promise and now provide the kind of enhanced customer service that today’s tech-savvy traveler has come to expect.”
RottenWiFi.com users tested and evaluated the quality of Wi-Fi in more than 130 airports in 53 countries worldwide. In a list dominated by airports overseas — five European, two American and three Asian airports made up the Top 10 — the best-performing airports are:
| Airport | Country | Avg. Download Speed (Mbps) |
| Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) | Thailand | 41.45 |
| Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport | USA | 30.98 |
| Dublin Airport (DUB) | Ireland | 19.45 |
| Vilnious Internatinoal Airport (VNO_ | Lithuania | 18.04 |
| Helsinki Airport (HEL) | Finland | 17.46 |
| JI. Airport Ngurah Rai | Indonesia | 16.01 |
| Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH/RCKH) | Taiwan | 15.55 |
| Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) | Sweden | 15.48 |
| George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) | USA | 15.28 |
| Frankfurt Airport (FRA) | Germany | 14.47 |
HAS invested in enhancing the overall customer experience, ensuring free Wi-Fi is available throughout terminal areas both at Bush Airport and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU). The free network boasts faster speeds and easy connection to the web. Connection speeds are more than enough to handle a rich-streaming video, and hundreds of access points were installed to ensure a reliable network.
Customers are not required to watch advertisements before they connect. Users simply select the SSID, “Free Airport WIFI,” agree to the Terms of Use and connect to the internet.