For whatever reason, aircards in my part of the country seem to lose their zip. Great in the city, but out here in our hinterland, they’re no better than dial-up. Someday I’ll find a scientific explanation of that. Had one for about 2 months and simply couldn’t take it anymore. Returned it to “Verizon”, I think, and they graciously received it. Never got an explanation, though.
Your comment hints at the problem. The ISP’s build the infrastructure based on subscribership - the greater concentrations of users the more robust the cell towers. In the back-country not only do you have the obvious limitations of terrain but fewer cell towers (and some at only 3G).
The other thing is that weather - rain, snow and even wind - can disrupt or degrade signal strength. Brings a whole new meaning to “snow blind”. LOL
The upside is that it is portable so I can take it (virtually) anywhere and make a connection of some sort.