Does the reception indicator show voice or data signal strength, or are they the same?
The bars on the phone are representation for Voice signals. A full bar will mean you will have the clear calls, on the other hand, the data can be seen by the type of Data service you are getting, LTE,3G(WCDMA),H or 3.5G(HSPA) and E(EDGE). Despite having the full connection bars you may have an E(For EDGE) which may give a slower network connection. It's the same thing the other way round as well, Despite getting a LTE network you may not be getting full bars, It depends on the Network tower you are connected to, the data it supports. Generally near the areas with people using less Internet over the network the companies put up towers which are good for voice signals.