The widespread availability of high-speed broadband services and healthy competition among internet service providers (ISPs) are crucial drivers of national digital transformation. The Kingdom of Bahrain’s Fifth National Telecommunication Plan (NTP5) was developed to accelerate the growth and economic diversification of the telecommunications sector, including rolling out a fiber optic network to 100% of all businesses and 95% of all households across the Kingdom. Bahrain Network (BNET), the sole provider of wholesale fibre services and operator of the national fiber-optic broadband network in the Kingdom of Bahrain, aims to provide ISPs with the infrastructure required to enable them to meet the demand of both consumers and businesses for world-class telecoms services at fair and reasonable prices.
As the provider of the national broadband network, BNET has developed a single infrastructure to deliver ultra-fast broadband services to thirteen licensees, encouraging healthy competition. As a result of BNET’s efforts and services, fixed internet speeds have increased by 3.75x between 2020 and 2023. As one of the first countries in the Middle East to have a fully liberalized broadband market, the Kingdom of Bahrain has seen connectivity drive broad economic development, as well as improved consumer access to ultra-fast fiber.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
Ookla® Market Reports™ identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 48 markets using Speedtest Intelligence® and summarized a few top takeaways below. Click through to the market report to see more details and charts about the countries you’re interested in, including the fastest fixed broadband providers and mobile operators, who had the most consistent service, and 5G and device performance in select countries during Q2 2023. Jump forward to a continent using these links:
Cameroon: Speedtest Intelligence data showed no winner for fastest mobile operator in Cameroon during Q2 2023. blue had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 191 ms, while Douala had the fastest median mobile download speed among Cameroon’s most populous cities at 15.51 Mbps.
Ethiopia: Safaricom had the fastest median mobile download speed at 35.19 Mbps during Q2 2023. Safaricom also recorded the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 42 ms, and highest Consistency of 89.4%. Of Ethiopia’s most populous cities, Gondar had the fastest median mobile download speed of 61.22 Mbps.
Tanzania: There were no winners over fastest mobile or fixed broadband in Tanzania during Q2 2023. Maisha Broadband registered the lowest median multi-server latency in Tanzania at 14 ms. Of Tanzania’s most populous cities, Dar es Salaam had the fastest median mobile download speed of 26.33 Mbps, while Mbeya had the fastest median fixed download speed of 21.32 Mbps.
Argentina: Personal had the fastest median download speed over mobile (35.05 Mbps) and lowest mobile multi-server latency (38 ms) during Q2 2023. In the fixed broadband market, Movistar recorded the fastest median download speed (98.37 Mbps) and lowest multi-server latency (12 ms). Among Argentina’s most populous cities, Buenos Aires recorded the fastest download speeds across mobile and fixed broadband networks.
Belize: Digi had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds of 17.61 Mbps and 9.88 Mbps respectively during Q2 2023. It also recorded the highest Consistency of 79.8%. smart! recorded the lowest median mobile multi-server latency, of 67 ms. NEXGEN had the fastest median download and upload performance over fixed broadband in Belize at 48.65 Mbps and 47.38 Mbps respectively.
Canada: Bell was the fastest mobile operator in Canada with a median download speed of 116.59 Mbps in Q2 2023. Bell also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 208.05 Mbps. Rogers had the fastest median mobile upload speed of 13.29 Mbps, and the highest Consistency of 84.7%. Bell pure fibre was fastest for fixed broadband across both download (277.24 Mbps) and upload (235.27 Mbps) speeds. Of Canada’s most populous cities, St. John’s recorded the fastest median mobile download speed (214.29 Mbps) and Fredericton recorded the fastest median fixed download speed (239.28 Mbps).
Colombia: Movistar was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 161.28 Mbps in Q2 2023. ETB had the lowest median multi-server latency over fixed broadband at 8 ms. Of Colombia’s most populous cities, Cartagena recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 109.01 Mbps.
Costa Rica: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 51.88 Mbps and 12.56 Mbps respectively. Liberty had the lowest mobile multi-server latency at 34 ms, and the highest Consistency at 79.7%. Metrocom was fastest for fixed broadband download and upload performance, at 192.00 Mbps and 143.94 Mbps respectively.
Dominican Republic: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 30.60 Mbps and 8.70 Mbps respectively. Viva had the lowest mobile multi-server latency at 44 ms. SpaceX’s Starlink was fastest for fixed broadband at 57.31 Mbps.
Ecuador: CNT was the fastest mobile operator in Ecuador with a median download speed of 28.45 Mbps in Q2 2023. It also recorded the highest Consistency of 81.5%. Movistar registered the lowest median multi-server latency in Ecuador at 39 ms. Netlife was fastest for fixed broadband, at 78.36 Mbps.
El Salvador: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 42.00 Mbps and 15.42 Mbps respectively. Movistar registered the lowest median multi-server latency in El Salvador at 65 ms. Cable Color recorded the fastest median fixed download speed (51.14 Mbps), upload speed (47.58 Mbps), and lowest median multi-server latency (35 ms).
Guatemala: Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Guatemala with a median download speed of 34.67 Mbps and median upload speed of 20.68 Mbps. Claro also had the highest Consistency with 84.4% of results showing at least a 5 Mbps minimum download speed and 1 Mbps minimum upload speed. Claro was also fastest for median fixed download performance, at 40.60 Mbps, while Cable Color was fastest for fixed upload performance, at 26.85 Mbps, and had the lowest median multi-server latency, of 35 ms.
Guyana: ENet was the top performing operator in the market, recording a median mobile download and upload speed of 67.58 Mbps and 20.92 Mbps respectively, and a median fixed download and upload speed of 62.40 Mbps and 39.66 Mbps respectively, in Q2 2023. ENet also recorded the lowest median multi-server latency across mobile and fixed networks.
Haiti: Digicel was the fastest mobile operator in Haiti with a median mobile download speed of 10.53 Mbps and median upload speed of 6.99 Mbps. SpaceX Starlink had the fastest median fixed download speed at 60.24 Mbps, while Natcom had the fastest median fixed upload speeds (17.76 Mbps) and lowest median fixed multi-server latency at 32 ms.
Jamaica: Flow was the fastest mobile operator in Jamaica with a median download speed of 35.56 Mbps. Flow also had the lowest mobile median multi-server latency at 36 ms. SpaceX Starlink had the fastest median fixed speeds at 84.93 Mbps.
Mexico: Telcel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 48.76 Mbps, and for 5G at 223.93 Mbps. Telcel also had the lowest mobile median multi-server latency at 64 ms. Totalplay was fastest for fixed broadband (87.03 Mbps) and had the lowest median multi-server latency at 24 ms. Among Mexico’s most populous cities, Guadalajara recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 39.13 Mbps, and Monterrey the fastest median fixed download speed of 78.30 Mbps.
Peru: Claro was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 22.67 Mbps, and had the highest mobile network Consistency in the market with 80.4%. Apple devices had the fastest median download speed among top device manufacturers at 29.68 Mbps.
Trinidad and Tobago: Digicel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 37.34 Mbps, and highest Consistency of 87.7%. Digicel+ had the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speed at 99.11 Mbps and 98.32 Mbps respectively, and the lowest median multi-server latency at 7 ms.
United States: T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 164.76 Mbps. T-Mobile also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 220.00 Mbps, and lowest 5G multi-server latency of 51 ms. Spectrum edged out Cox as the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 243.02 Mbps. Verizon had the lowest median multi-server latency on fixed broadband at 15 ms.
Venezuela: Digitel was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 9.53 Mbps, and had the highest mobile network Consistency in the market with 58.1%. Airtek Solutions had the fastest fixed median download speed of 73.44 Mbps, and lowest median multi-server latency at 8 ms.
Afghanistan: The fastest mobile operator in Afghanistan was Afghan Wireless with a median download speed of 7.17 Mbps. It also had the lowest median multi-server latency at 78 ms, and highest Consistency of 58.1% in Q2 2023.
Bangladesh: Banglalink was the fastest mobile operator in Bangladesh with a median download speed of 23.47 Mbps in Q2 2023. DOT Internet was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 90.88 Mbps and had the lowest median multi-server latency at 4 ms.
Bhutan: There was no fastest mobile operator in Bhutan during Q2 2023, but TashiCell had the lowest median multi-server latency at 42 ms, and offered the highest Consistency in the market with 83.8%.
Brunei: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q2 2023 in Brunei, but Apple devices had the fastest median download speed at 143.97 Mbps.
Cambodia: Cellcard recorded the fastest median mobile download speeds at 31.60 Mbps during Q2 2023. SINET had the fastest median fixed download speed at 42.26 Mbps.
China: China Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 132.81 Mbps. China Mobile also had the fastest median mobile 5G download speed at 279.14 Mbps. China Unicom was fastest for fixed broadband at 222.22 Mbps.
Georgia: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q2 2023 in Georgia. Geocell recorded the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 39 ms, while Magti recorded the highest mobile Consistency with 90.0%. MagtiCom had the fastest median fixed speed at 27.81 Mbps. MagtiCom also had the lowest median multi-server latency at 11 ms.
Indonesia: Telkomsel was the fastest Indonesian mobile operator with a median download speed of 28.71 Mbps. Telkomsel also had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 46 ms.
Japan: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q2 2023 in Japan, however Rakuten recorded the fastest mobile upload speed at 19.90 Mbps. So-net had the fastest fixed download and upload speeds, at 276.58 Mbps and 179.51 Mbps respectively, and the lowest median multi-server latency at 9 ms.
Malaysia: TIME was the fastest fixed provider in Malaysia with a median download speed of 108.38 Mbps, and had the lowest multi-server latency at 9 ms.
Pakistan: Transworld had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed in Pakistan at 17.10 Mbps, and the highest Consistency, at 36.6%.
Philippines: Smart delivered the fastest median mobile download speed in the Philippines at 35.39 Mbps.
South Korea: SK Telecom recorded the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds at 161.16 Mbps and 16.37 Mbps respectively. LG U+ had the lowest median multi-server latency in the market at 63 ms. KT delivered the fastest median fixed download speed at 131.09 Mbps.
Sri Lanka: SLT-Mobitel delivered the fastest mobile and fixed broadband speeds in Sri Lanka at 20.71 Mbps and 38.97 Mbps, respectively in Q2 2023. Dialog had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 35 ms, and the highest Consistency, at 81.8%.
United Arab Emirates: etisalat by e& recorded the fastest median download speeds across both mobile and fixed, at 216.65 Mbps and 261.98 Mbps respectively in Q2 2023. etisalat by e& also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 680.88 Mbps and lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 35 ms. du recorded the lowest fixed multi-server latency, at 12 ms.
Vietnam: Vinaphone had the fastest median mobile download speed in Q2 2023, at 52.58 Mbps. It also had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 34 ms, and highest Consistency at 94.8%. Viettel was the fastest fixed provider with a median download speed of 105.72 Mbps.
Albania: Digicom was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Albania in Q2 2023, recording a median download speed of 93.40 Mbps. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 86.0%. There was no winner for fastest mobile operator in the market.
Belgium: Proximus recorded the fastest median mobile download speed during Q2 2023, at 78.01 Mbps. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 90.5%. Telenet had the fastest median fixed download speed at 143.42 Mbps. Among Belgium’s most populous cities, Ghent recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 187.90 Mbps, and Antwerp the fastest median fixed download speed of 87.72 Mbps.
Denmark: YouSee was the fastest mobile operator in Denmark with a median download speed of 140.59 Mbps. Hiper was fastest for fixed broadband at 268.02 Mbps.
Estonia: The fastest mobile operator in Estonia was Telia with a median download speed of 101.32 Mbps. Telia also had the lowest median multi-server latency on mobile at 31 ms. Elisa was the fastest fixed broadband provider, with a median download speed of 94.70 Mbps.
Finland: DNA had the fastest median mobile download speed at 99.07 Mbps. Lounea was fastest for fixed broadband at 105.84 Mbps and had the lowest median multi-server latency at 11 ms.
Germany: Telekom was the fastest mobile operator in Germany with a median download speed of 93.39 Mbps, and a median download speed with 5G at 187.25 Mbps. Vodafone recorded the fastest fixed broadband performance, with a median download speed at 121.76 Mbps. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 83.8%.
Latvia: BITĖ was the fastest mobile operator in Latvia during Q2 2023, with a median download speed of 114.51 Mbps. LMT recorded the lowest mobile multi-server latency, at 26 ms. Balticom was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 243.92 Mbps. Balticom also had the lowest median fixed broadband multi-server latency at 4 ms.
Lithuania: The mobile operator with the fastest median download speed was Telia at 117.68 Mbps in Q2 2023. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 95.0%. Cgates was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed at 161.67 Mbps.
Poland: UPC was the fastest provider for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 223.32 Mbps in Q2 2023. There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile operator during Q2 2023, however Plus recorded the fastest median 5G download performance, at 153.19 Mbps.
Switzerland: Salt blazed ahead for the fastest fixed broadband in Switzerland, with a median download speed of 358.73 Mbps. Salt also had the lowest median multi-server latency over fixed broadband at 8 ms, and highest Consistency in the market, at 94.1%.
Turkey: Turkcell was the fastest mobile operator in Turkey with a median download speed of 58.52 Mbps. Türk Telekom had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 39 ms. TurkNet was fastest for fixed broadband, with a median download speed of 62.80 Mbps. It recorded the lowest median fixed multi-server latency, at 13 ms, and highest Consistency, at 80.5%. Among Turkey’s most populous cities, Istanbul recorded the fastest median download speeds across mobile and fixed, of 39.89 Mbps, and 40.27 Mbps respectively.
New Zealand: Speedtest Intelligence data showed no winner for fastest mobile operator in New Zealand during Q2 2023. 2degrees had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 40 ms, and the highest Consistency, at 91.6%.
The Speedtest Global Index is your resource to understand how internet connectivity compares around the world and how it’s changing. Check back next month for updated data on country and city rankings, and look for updated Ookla Market Reports with Q3 2023 data in October.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
Gulf countries improved fiber coverage and adoption by investing in fixed infrastructure, raising entry-level speeds, and making fiber services more affordable. Their efforts paid off, as evidenced by their improved position in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index™. However, the persistent use of legacy and underperforming Wi-Fi standards in home networks can hamper efforts to provide the best network experience to customers.
Key messages
Wi-Fi 4 is still prevalent in the region which limits fiber’s potential. Many customers cannot get close to headline fixed broadband speeds because of the widespread use of Wi-Fi 4. Indeed, more than one-third of Speedtest® samples during Q2 2023 were using this old Wi-Fi standard. That means that a sizable proportion of users are not utilizing broadband services to their full potential.
Migrating to modern Wi-Fi standards can bring significant speed gains. On average, customers who used Wi-Fi 5 had a median download speed that was more than five times higher than those on Wi-Fi 4 in Q2 2023. Likewise, the speed over Wi-Fi 6 was 1.2 times faster on average than with Wi-Fi 5. Therefore, fixed broadband subscribers in the Gulf (most of whom use fiber services) with routers that only support Wi-Fi 4 would benefit the most from a CPE (Customer Premise Equipment) upgrade.
ISPs should do more to ensure their customers’ routers and smartphones are configured correctly. Even if consumers in the Gulf region own modern smartphones and Wi-Fi routers, they may still unknowingly use Wi-Fi 4 due to device misconfiguration and coverage constraints. ISPs can help educate consumers about how to correctly set up their home Wi-Fi routers and offer solutions to improve their indoor connectivity in order to use the more efficient 5 GHz spectrum band.
Most Gulf countries improved their global fixed broadband speed ranking since 2020
The GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. leads the Middle East in fiber coverage and adoption. Local ISPs, backed by the government, accelerated fiber roll-outs to keep pace with the demand for data services and to ensure universal access to high-speed internet as part of national broadband development strategies. According to the FTTH Council industry body, the U.A.E. topped the global rankings for fiber household coverage, reaching 98.1% in September 2022, a position it has maintained since 2016. Qatar closely followed in the second position with 97.8% coverage.
These two GCC countries ranked ahead of Singapore (96.5%), Hong Kong (91.6%), and China (89.4%). In Bahrain, meanwhile, more than 88% of households were connected to the fiber infrastructure, whereas fiber coverage exceeded 60% in Saudi Arabia and reached 52% in Oman.
According to Speedtest Intelligence®, the U.A.E. leads the Gulf region in median download speeds at 236.67 Mbps in Q2 2023, a number that doubled since Q2 2022. Bahrain saw another story of improvement, with its median download speed reaching 70.17 Mbps, an increase of 46% year-on-year since Q2 2023. ISPs also saw significant improvements in upload speeds. Fixed upload speeds increased by 61% and 40% in Oman and Qatar, respectively, reaching 29.27 Mbps and 73.21 Mbps. Users in Bahrain experienced the biggest jump in median upload speed, which doubled between Q2 2022 and Q2 2023 to 20.37 Mbps.
As a result, most Gulf countries boosted their ranking in the Ookla Speedtest Global Index™. The U.A.E was ranked second in the Speedtest Global Index™ for median download speeds over fixed broadband in June 2023. Other GCC countries improved their rankings as well but trailed the U.A.E.
The telecom regulatory regimes and policies also helped, to different degrees, stimulate competition in the market, raise minimum broadband speeds, and reduce broadband tariffs. For example, in April 2023, Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) approved an offer from BNET, the wholesale fixed infrastructure provider, to double the speed of entry-level fiber packages while maintaining the same wholesale prices. In the U.A.E., Etisalat by e& and du increased minimum download speeds to 500 Mbps and offered discounts on higher-tier fiber plans in 2022.
Wi-Fi 4 is still prevalent in the region which limits fiber’s potential
The choice of Wi-Fi standards and spectrum bands has a direct impact on connectivity quality, throughput, and network coverage. Indeed, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) significantly increases the maximum theoretical throughput speed of the access point to 3.5 Gbps, compared to 600 Mbps supported by the old Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) standard.
Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax) supports even faster maximum data rates (up to 9.6 Gbps) and lower latency than earlier generations. It also combines 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz spectrum bands and wider channels for better throughput and less interference. Note that achievable speeds in real life will be much lower than these theoretical limits because of signal attenuation, interference, and the hardware and software variety of connected devices.
The rest of the analysis focuses on the most penetrated fiber markets in the region: Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. We used the percentage of samples that used a particular Wi-Fi standard and frequency band when connecting to the CPE as a proxy for their adoption by wired broadband customers in each country. We assume that most of the results reflect the performance of fiber services given that fiber represents the majority of fixed broadband connections in these four markets.
Our results show that more than one-third of test samples reported using Wi-Fi 4 to connect to the fixed CPE, but this varies considerably by country. Bahrain has the highest incidence of samples that use Wi-Fi 4 and the lowest proportion of Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 4 was more prevalent in the U.A.E. than Wi-Fi 6 (30.8% compared to 17.2% in Q2 2023). This suggests that the ISPs have an opportunity to improve the network experience for nearly a third of their customer base and extend their lead in the speed leaderboard if they can address that CPE speed bottleneck.
The distribution of samples by Wi-Fi standard is largely similar between the U.A.E and Saudi Arabia. The minimum broadband speed currently offered by ISPs in Saudi Arabia is 100 Mbps, while the median download speed on fixed broadband measured by Speedtest Intelligence data was 93.85 Mbps in Q2 2023. This suggests that many customers might still be on legacy, lower-speed plans, but the more likely case is that home Wi-Fi CPEs are limiting speeds in users’ homes. Indeed, 40.2% of Speedtest samples used Wi-Fi 4 in Saudi Arabia, limiting maximum achievable speeds.
Migrating to modern Wi-Fi standards can bring significant speed gains
Consumer-initiated speed tests confirm that users’ experience of network speed is significantly affected by how their devices connect to Wi-Fi access points. The chart below shows the median download speed distribution by Wi-Fi standard used.
Median download speeds for devices that use Wi-Fi 4 topped out at 37.18 Mbps in Bahrain, and dropped to a low of 28.47 Mbps in Saudi Arabia. Contrary to what some might think, speed improvements were far more pronounced when looking at results on Wi-Fi 4 compared to those on Wi-Fi 5, rather than comparing speeds on Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6. Users who connected to Wi-Fi 5 had a median download speed that was more than five times higher on average than those on Wi-Fi 4. While download speeds over Wi-Fi 6 were 1.2 times faster than with Wi-Fi 5.
Wi-Fi 5 users in the UAE had the largest speed lead over Wi-Fi 4 users (6.5x). With Wi-Fi 6, median download speeds more than doubled to 251.68 Mbps for users in Qatar compared to those on Wi-Fi 5. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were outliers, with speeds largely similar regardless of whether test samples were with Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6. This is because these three countries have the lowest reported median download speeds (below 100 Mbps), and many users who consider upgrading from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 are unlikely to see a difference in their home network performance.
Looking at the performance of the fastest 10% samples in Q2 2023 reveals a more significant potential speed uplift for data-heavy users when using modern Wi-Fi standards. Users in the top 10% of our results experience the best performance, so it is possible to gauge from their results what speeds are achievable with each Wi-Fi standard. To that end, the median download speed of the 10th percentile results on Wi-Fi 4 users across Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the U.A.E. was 71.60 Mbps, compared to 330.91 Mbps on Wi-Fi 5 and 693.48 Mbps on Wi-Fi 6. Wi-Fi 5 was 2.7x faster than Wi-Fi 4 in Bahrain and 5.9x faster in Qatar, while the speed ratios of Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 5 ranged from 1.2 in Saudi Arabia to 1.9 in the UAE.
Given the clear performance advantages of Wi-Fi 5, ISPs should encourage customers to migrate from Wi-Fi 4 to Wi-Fi 5 because it will significantly impact the end-user network experience. It’s also important to note that our data confirms that fiber broadband subscribers who continue using Wi-Fi 4 are the most penalized, especially if they subscribe to a service that is advertised as offering hundreds of megabits per second.
The persistent usage of legacy Wi-Fi is likely due to incorrectly configured routers
Huawei and TP-Link are the top router brands reported by Gulf users utilizing Wi-Fi 4. However, their popularity can vary vastly by market depending on the equipment bundled by ISPs with their broadband offerings, as well as the ability of consumers to use third-party routers (some ISPs allow only their own routers). Our data shows that Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have the highest proportion of samples connected to a Huawei CPE. TP-Link routers are most common in Qatar and the U.A.E.
The U.A.E. has the highest proportion of routers from D-Link, Cisco, and less popular brands used with Wi-Fi 4 (nearly 64% of samples reported using ‘other’ manufacturers). This high level of market fragmentation is likely due to users replacing routers provided by their ISP or installing refurbished routers to extend coverage indoors. Such fragmentation complicates the task of ISPs to ensure that their customers use more recent routers or that they configure them correctly to use more modern Wi-Fi standards.
Our research showed that most commercial CPEs in the region introduced since 2020 likely support Wi-Fi 5 (if not Wi-Fi 6). Further, tests also showed that most Android-based smartphones that used Wi-Fi 4 were equipped with Wi-Fi 5-capable chipsets. Therefore, many users in the region are capable of using Wi-Fi 5 but are still on Wi-Fi 4. We believe that misconfigured routers could be the primary cause of such a high prevalence of legacy Wi-Fi 4 technology among Gulf countries.
ISPs can address the factors that favor Wi-Fi 4 and 2.4 GHz spectrum usage, for example, by working more closely with device manufacturers, supporting customers to acquire newer Wi-Fi routers, and correctly configuring them, as shown in the table below.
Factors that lead to Wi-Fi 4 usage and how ISPs can address them
Legacy equipment
Some fixed broadband customers are locked into long service contracts and are not eligible for router upgrades
ISPs may not offer newer routers to existing customers whose contracts are automatically renewed
Solutions
Encourage existing broadband customers to upgrade to faster fiber packages to benefit from modern Wi-Fi routers
Offer customers the option to replace their old Wi-Fi routers for free or for a small fee during their contract
Configuration issues
Routers may, by default, use older Wi-Fi standards or diactivate the 5 GHz band
Some routers are pre-configured to use the same network name for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, and some devices may not handle this well
Some old mobile devices latch to 2.4 GHz (which is more likely used by Wi-Fi 4) on first-run but do not switch back to 5 GHz due to firmware limitations or a hardware/software setting in the router/end-user devices
Solutions
Work with OEMs to push firmware and software updates to prioritize newer Wi-Fi standards and the use of 5 Ghz over 2.4 GHz
Educate customers about the importance of updating the router’s firmware and smartphone software
Preconfigure the routers to have separate names for the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands
Offer routers that can automatically select the optimal Wi-Fi channel and band to improve performance
Coverage and performance issues
Distance from CPE, physical obstruction, and interference in the crowded 2.4 GHz band
Solutions
Offer Wi-Fi extenders to improve indoor coverage
Share best practices with customers on the configuration and placement of the router
Gulf-based IPSs have managed to rapidly grow their fiber footprint and migrate their customers to faster broadband services. However, a substantial portion of subscribers may not benefit from these speed increases due to the prevailing usage of Wi-Fi 4. As many ISPs in the region already offer a minimum fiber speed of 250 Mbps, they should, as a priority, migrate existing customers with legacy Wi-Fi routers to more modern models and educate customers with newer routers on how to correctly configure them. ISPs’ efforts to introduce newer CPEs will help improve the end-user experience, boost global speed rankings in the region, and ensure that their routers are more future-proof as gigabit speeds become more widespread.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
According to our data, based on 187 Speedtests run at the event, the speeds were surprisingly good. Laptops were getting download speeds between 250 and 580 Mbps and smartphone and tablet users typically saw results somewhere between 10 and 65 Mbps, with speeds topping out around 100 Mbps. For reference, the average broadband speed in the US was 54.97 Mbps in June and the average mobile speed in the first half of 2016 was 19.61 Mbps.
We saw no successful Speedtests from about 6:15 until 7:30 pm PST. We can’t say if there was an outage due to excessive use or the debate got too good to pause for even a momentary Speedtest.
But $200?
Event Wi-Fi is fraught with logistical challenges of providing access to hundreds of users in a confined space. This kind of internet setup is expensive and it’s not unprecedented for event organizers to pass some of that cost along to attendees. And users had access to internet at the venue for the entire day from setup to teardown. But $200 is a lot to charge an attendee who might already have cellular access on their phone. For comparison, you can usually buy an entire flight’s worth of Wi-Fi for around $30.
Want an inside look at internet speeds at your next event? Take a Speedtest. We’re on the hunt for interesting clusters of data to share with you as part of our #CrowdSpeed initiative.
Editor’s note: The first version of this article unintentionally omitted information about upload speeds at the event. Laptops saw average upload speeds of 96 Mbps and mobile devices saw 38 Mbps.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
Jio’s 4G network reportedly cost $20 billion to build out, and the company is offering special introductory packages including free usage of the network through the end of 2016.
He built it, but did they come?
At least according to our Speedtest data, they sure did. And in droves.
What you’re looking at here is the number of tests taken by Jio users on 4G per month for the first nine months of 2016. The moment where the map is suddenly filled with green? That’s September.
For another way of looking at the data, below is a graph of the number of tests taken on 4G in all of India during 2016. The teal bar represents Jio customers.
The graph above reflects Jio’s launch strategy of releasing to employees and family in January 2016 and then following up with a soft launch three months later.
Is the connection as fast as promised?
It looks like mean download speeds for 4G capable phones actually decreased 23% month-over-month from 11.31 Mbps to 8.77 Mbps, continuing a downward trend for 2016.
One report suggests that the networks are already being “stretched to their breaking point” and facing bandwidth issues when accessing content from outside of India. That shouldn’t affect our data, though, as Speedtest data is gathered using in-country servers. For now it’s safe to say that 135 Mbps is an aspiration rather than a reality for the majority of Jio’s customers as even the top 10% of tests averaged out at 17.77 Mbps in September.
The global impact
One thing’s for certain, shifts in a market as large as India have the power to affect the market worldwide. With over one-sixth of the world’s population and a growing economy, India is a country worth watching. We can’t wait to see what Mukesh Ambani and Jio do next and how other carriers respond.
Wondering about interesting developments with internet speeds in your area? Take a Speedtest. You’ll get an accurate reflection of your individual speeds at that moment, and you’ll help us report what’s happening with internet speeds across the globe.
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If you secretly suspect your parents invited you home to not only see your darling face but also because they’re waiting for you to move the last 12 months of photos from digital camera to computer, you are not alone. Adult children of baby boomers are frequently tasked with tech support and a visit home is the perfect time for your family to capture your attention.
While this may seem like a chore because the internet feels so obvious to you, you’re probably rocking some untapped skills that could save your family a lot of time and frustration. If you want to give your family the gift of faster internet (and maybe show off a little), try this simple DIY home internet audit at the old homestead.
Houston, do we even have a problem?
Before you dive in with fancy fixes and shiny new equipment, it helps to get the lay of the land. Visit Speedtest.net for a free, quick assessment of how fast your parents’ internet speeds actually are. Or, connect to their Wi-Fi and then run our mobile Android or iOS app. The average download speed for the US is just over 50 Mbps for broadband connections. If you’re looking at speeds within 10 Mbps of that, you’re golden. If you’re not, you might have a little work to do. Check out that link above to see more precise city and state averages to find out what’s achievable in your hometown.
Step 1. Find out what type of service they’re paying for
If your parents’ internet bill says “dial-up” anywhere on it, you’ve just found the source of slow speeds. Infrastructure matters and even the fastest internet service provider (ISP) in the world is limited by the infrastructure your family is connecting with.
Whether you ask your parents to pony up for better service or you decide to pitch in to get them a faster plan, you’re already on the road to improving your family’s connection to the internet.
Step 2. Search out their modem and wireless router
Chances are that your parents have a modem/router combination that’s leased from their ISP. Many, many people do. If this is the case, you’re looking for one device. If not, you’re looking for two that are likely in close proximity to one another.
Whether one device or two, you want a modem and router that are:
New(ish). While it is technically possible to use the same modem and/or router for five or more years, it’s a terrible idea if speed is at all a concern. Most modems and/or routers really only have a two- to three-year lifespan, and if your parents have waited longer than that to upgrade their equipment, those devices are probably slowing whatever speeds they are paying for waaaaay down. The latest routers operate on the 802.11ac standard. If your family’s computer is compatible with that, a new router makes a great birthday or holiday gift. Especially if you set it up for them. If you don’t know what to look for, check out PC Mag’s “Best Wireless Routers for 2016.”
Centrally located. Your parents’ modem is probably close to where service comes into the house. Or it’s in an office or a closet. The location of the modem doesn’t really matter because it’s just translating the service into something your parents can actually use. What does matter (and this matters A LOT) is where the router is located. If it’s out of range of where your family members actually use their Wi-Fi, they’re likely to suffer from slow speeds and dropped connections. Don’t put a router in a basement closet. That’s where your childhood trophies live. Even if a router is located near the computer, make sure it isn’t obstructed by objects like doors, chimneys or thick plaster walls that might weaken the signal. And if your parents still live in the big family home, consider setting up a wireless repeater for them.
Password-protected. Bandwidth matters. And while your parents probably aren’t streaming Netflix while playing a PlayStation game in one room and uploading 1,000 photos at a time in another, if their network isn’t password-protected, they might be inadvertently providing internet to the neighbors. Sharing may be caring, but it’s okay to expect everyone on the street to pay for their own internet. Especially if there’s a bandwidth hog on the block.
Step 3. Check the age of their computers
Computers, tablets and phones are a little like race horses, once they reach a certain age, they’re never again going to set any records for speed (particularly when it comes to supporting modern Wi-Fi standards like 802.11ac). It’s perfectly okay if your family is happy plugging along in a bygone age of internet speeds, but if that were true you wouldn’t be reading this article. If all the devices you come across are of a certain age, it might be time to upgrade at least one to the modern era and designate that laptop or tablet for any internet use that requires speed.
Step 4. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
You’ve probably heard this line any time you’ve reached out to a tech support professional for anything. That’s because it works! Turning a computer, router or modem off and then back on can sometimes clear up lingering issues present on the network. Simply unplug the power from both the modem and the router. After 60 seconds, plug the modem back in. Give it a minute or two to fully reboot, after which you can plug back in the router. If the internet’s running faster, you’ve already won.
Step 5. If all else fails… Call the ISP
If you’ve gotten this far, you have done an awesome job troubleshooting your family’s internet speed woes. But some things you just can’t fix on your own. So if you’ve discovered slow speeds despite a rocking router in a central location, newish devices and a squatter-free network, it’s time to call in the pros. Take heart that you’ve done your due diligence and see if you can schedule a service window before you skip town.
Step 6. Download the Speedtest app
Congratulations! You’ve probably just improved your family’s internet speeds by leaps and bounds. You’ve certainly made them feel loved. If you want to build on all this good work, download the free Speedtest app for your parents’ Windows and Mac computers. That way they’ll have a quick measure of internet speed to reference the next time they need your help. If your dad’s like mine, he’ll present you with a spreadsheet of results graphed out over time so you can really dig into the data. Yay.
For extra bonus brownie points
If your family is still experiencing internet issues, or if you just want to pay your parents back for the lifetime of free storage they’ve provided for your childhood mementos, go the extra mile with any (or all) of the following tech-y projects:
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
You might expect the world’s largest gathering of professionals in the mobile industry to have amazing mobile speeds. Then again, maybe not, since large gatherings can sap the bandwidth right out of a network. We took a look at the speeds at last year’s event to see what you might expect if you’re attending Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017.
Recapping 2016 performance
We isolated MWC 2016 speeds by geofencing Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via, where the conference was held, and analyzing a sample of Speedtest data from February 22–25, 2016, the dates of last year’s MWC. We then compared that data to the results from the entire city of Barcelona during the month of February 2016.
You can see that all carriers except Yoigo significantly exceeded average speeds for Barcelona at MWC 2016. So the mobile performance at MWC 2016 almost universally rocked.
The average download speed over Wi-Fi, on the other hand, was a paltry 14.62 Mbps.
We’re watching 2017 data
Of course the MWC crowd will put connectivity at Fira Gran Via to the test during the conference. Carriers will likely bring portable cell sites to offer fast coverage to the masses of mobile-savvy attendees. But we won’t know the actual speeds until the event begins and the Speedtest data starts rolling in.
Will the speeds be as fast as last year?
Will Orange come out on top for download speed again this year?
Will Vodafone offer the fastest uploads?
To find out, watch this space for daily Speedtest data and analysis during the conference, or follow us on Twitter.
As always, you can contribute to our data by taking a Speedtest at the event. And be sure to share your Speedtest results from #MWC17 with #CrowdSpeed on Twitter.
February 27, 2017
The first official day of MWC is just wrapping up and here’s what we saw for speeds at the event during the hours of 6am-7pm UTC:
Orange lives up to the first day excitement by knocking mobile download speed out of the park so far.
Vodafone and Yoigo are also significantly faster for downloads than they were last year.
Movistar is the only carrier whose download speed decreased compared to last year’s conference.
Upload speeds are mixed with Movistar and Orange posting strong increases while Vodafone and Yoigo’s download speeds decreased.
We’ll see how that all changes tomorrow…
February 28, 2017
Day two of MWC 2017 has wrapped up. Amidst all the device unveilings and amazing predictions for the future, we have news on whose mobile speeds are rocking the conference.
And the winner is… Orange!
For the second day in a row Orange has the fastest download speed. Though slower than yesterday, their download speed is still enviable.
Movistar’s downloads are significantly faster than yesterday and have almost caught up to Vodafone’s.
Vodafone’s download speed decreased slightly from yesterday, but is still fast enough to live-stream those keynotes.
Upload speeds are slower overall than yesterday, but in most cases you should have the performance you need for a video call back home.
Sadly, Yoigo’s download and upload speeds are already showing conference fatigue. Let’s hope they rally for tomorrow.
See you back here tomorrow for a recap of day three.
March 1, 2017
The mobile performance numbers are in for day three of MWC and we saw a huge shakeup overnight:
Vodafone has pulled way ahead of previous leader Orange for download speed since yesterday with a speed almost as fast as Orange’s day one showing.
Movistar has jumped into second place for downloads with now third place Orange ever so slightly behind.
Yoigo more than doubled their download speed from yesterday, but they’re still less than half as fast as Movistar and Orange.
Upload speeds are looking better than ever across the board with the three fastest carriers all coming in at better than 30 Mbps. Even Yoigo had their fastest day yet for uploads.
Tomorrow’s your last chance to help us gather data, so don’t forget to download those apps for Android or iOS and take a Speedtest. We’ll have day four results as well as averages from the conference as a whole at the end of the day tomorrow.
March 2, 2017
The final day of MWC 2017 saw the most dramatic shift in speeds of the whole conference:
Vodafone downloads came in at a lightning-quick 123.05 Mbps. Their uploads were also the fastest we’ve seen from any carrier during the conference.
Movistar’s download and upload speeds dipped way down from their prior strength.
Orange brought the stability with a download speed that was relatively close to yesterday’s performance, though their upload speed dipped a bit.
Meanwhile, there were no Yoigo tests at all.
MWC 2017 mobile performance as a whole
But what you really want to know is which carrier had the fastest speeds for the duration of the conference. The averages are in and…
Orange takes first place with a very impressive 97.36 Mbps average download over the four days.
Vodafone is a strong second for downloads and Movistar’s third place speed is still quite respectable.
If you’ve been watching these updates, it’s no surprise that Yoigo had the slowest speeds overall. That was also true last year, though their year-over-year improvement is solid.
Strangely, the upload speeds of the top three fastest carriers were nearly indistinguishable. That 25 Mbps or so is good news for anyone who’s sending masses of conference pics (or snapshots of Sagrada Familia, we won’t tell) back home.
That’s it for our Barcelona coverage this year. We hope your MWC experience was as amazing as some of these speeds. We’re going to go catch up on some sleep and we’ll be back with more analysis soon.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
There’s nothing like the final seconds of a great basketball game. The squeak of custom shoes on the court, the hush of the crowd as that final free throw nears the basket. If you’re streaming the NCAA Basketball Championship over your school’s network, the speed of your connection determines whether you’re cheering in time with the rest of the world or if you have to wait a few agonizing moments longer to see if you made it to the next round.
The rules of the game
Examining Speedtest data on schools that made the Sweet 16, we checked download and upload speeds on the school’s network over the last 90 days. That includes desktop tests using our website and mobile tests taken over Wi-Fi. What we found is that being a top seed doesn’t guarantee you have fast internet.
Player of the year
There’s no debate that North Carolina brings it with amazing download and upload speeds. We know North Carolina’s tech sector is booming, but we did not know how much that has benefitted the Tar Heels. The internet is so fast that even if every single student at UNC Chapel Hill decides to stream the next game on their individual devices, buffering would not be a problem.
The Zags and Wolverines are in enviable shape for speeds too.
Ready for a rebound
The Boilermakers and Bruins are in a sweet spot to overtake the faster schools next year. With speeds like these, we’d expect students at Purdue and UCLA to have no trouble keeping up with the game, even in HD streaming.
Warming up
The (Arizona) Wildcats, Mountaineers, Badgers, Ducks and Bulldogs have solid download and upload speeds. We can’t say what Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Oregon and Butler have planned in terms of infrastructure upgrades in the near future, but students at these schools will probably be happy with the speeds they’re getting for at least the next year or two.
Delay of game
The slowest downloads we saw came from the Gamecocks, Jayhawks, Bears, Gators and (Kentucky) Wildcats. Let’s be real, though, we can’t cite any of the schools above for delay of game, because even Kentucky’s “slowest” download speed beats the US’s 70.01 Mbps average download speed over fixed broadband in the past thirty days.
We can say that the internet is an essential educational tool. While some of these schools are in good shape now, they’ll need to keep boosting their speeds to keep up with their rivals — both in terms of internet speeds and to recruit the best students and players. So we hope South Carolina, Kansas, Baylor, Florida and Kentucky turn their attention to their internet infrastructure soon (but maybe not before the final game).
On the bench
We’re sad to say we benched Xavier because we didn’t have enough tests to give you reliable data. If you want to see Xavier (or any other school) ranked next time we peek at collegiate speeds, take a Speedtest on your school’s network.
Until then, enjoy the madness!
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
Travelers jetting off to Asia this summer will probably want to know whether you can connect to the internet upon landing and whether that internet is fast enough to help you nail down any final travel details before hitting the hotel and sleeping off the jet lag.
Using Speedtest data for March-May 2017, we analyzed the speeds of free airport Wi-Fi and local cellular signals at the busiest airports in Asia to see what your best options are and where you’re flat out of luck.
Fastest airport Wi-Fi
Dubai reigns when it comes to free airport Wi-Fi. In fact, this airport has the fastest Wi-Fi we’ve seen at any airport in Asia, Europe or Africa. And their average upload speed is even faster than their download. Travelers to second-place Seoul are also in excellent shape if they need to connect to the internet while in transit.
Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore have decently fast download speeds over airport Wi-Fi while Bangkok’s and Hong Kong’s are merely okay. Sadly, the rest of the airports offer painfully slow free Wi-Fi.
You might think airport Wi-Fi is similar to the average mobile Wi-Fi speeds of the country, but instead some of the fastest countries — Singapore (111.59 Mbps), Hong Kong (63.70 Mbps) and China (47.64 Mbps) — have poor to average airport Wi-Fi speeds. Though sitting near the top of the airport Wi-Fi pack, South Korea’s 66.67 Mbps, Japan’s 42.00 Mbps and Thailand’s 30.48 Mbps country averages show the Wi-Fi at their premier airports could be a lot faster. India’s average download speed (12.39 Mbps) is right in line with the Wi-Fi at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
On the other end of the spectrum, the United Arab Emirates has clearly prioritized airport Wi-Fi because the Wi-Fi download speed at Dubai International is nearly double the country average of 22.12 Mbps.
Fastest airport cell
In countries including China and India, you can’t connect to the free airport Wi-Fi without an in-country mobile number, so we checked Speedtest results for users on cell networks as well.
The average mobile download speed at Singapore’s Changi Airport is nearly as fast as the country’s average of 46.12 Mbps. Considering Singapore ranks second fastest in the world for mobile downloads, that’s a hard speed to beat. Dubai also has wonderfully fast speeds, and they beat the country average of 29.81 Mbps.
East Asia’s airports form a strong middle of the pack with cellular download speeds ranging from 18.18 Mbps in Bangkok to 27.12 in Guangzhou. These are comparable to the country average mobile download speeds of 33.63 Mbps for China, 19.70 Mbps for Hong Kong, 18.48 for Japan, and 14.58 for Thailand. Flyers at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Airport, though, will be sorely disappointed with the 5.85 Mbps on offer. But that’s only slightly slower than India’s 7.62 Mbps mobile download average.
Wi-Fi or cell?
If you’ve already nailed down your international SIM card options, you’re going to have a lot better luck in many parts of Asia on a cellular signal than you would using the free airport Wi-Fi.
Of course you’re in good shape either way in Dubai, Seoul’s Wi-Fi download speed is slightly faster than that on cell, and in India you’ll definitely want to use the airport Wi-Fi if you can access it. Everywhere else the local cell performance puts airport Wi-Fi to shame.
Regional trends
Southeast Asia
If you’re jet-setting through Southeast Asia, count on any time spent in the Singapore Airport for your internet needs and plan to enjoy a more disconnected experience in India and Thailand, especially if you don’t have an Indian phone number and have to rely on cell service at the Delhi airport.
East Asia
As mentioned above, all the airports we analyzed in China, Japan and Korea had strong cellular speeds. Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Seoul’s Incheon Airport also had good download speeds over their free airport Wi-Fi networks. China’s free airport Wi-Fi, on the other hand, is varying degrees of slow.
China
Within China, Hong Kong has the fastest free airport Wi-Fi, but you will be much better off with cellular networks at any of the airports we surveyed in China. Guangzhou has the fastest average download on cell while Hong Kong is the slowest, but with averages between 22 Mbps and 28 Mbps, you should be just fine.
Watch this space for upcoming articles comparing Wi-Fi and cellular speeds at airports across the globe. Until then, if you think your local airport is over- (or under-) rated, take a Speedtest on Android or iOS and show us what you’re experiencing.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
If Europe is on your travel itinerary this summer, you probably want to know which airports offer free Wi-Fi and whether the service is fast enough for you to handle all of life’s last minute details before jetting across the continent. We took a look at Speedtest data from March through May 2017 from twelve of Europe’s busiest airports to help you find out.
Fastest airport Wi-Fi
It’s a good thing many airports in Europe offer paid Wi-Fi options if you want better speeds, because speeds on the free Wi-Fi everywhere besides Moscow and Munich are slow.
Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport has the fastest free Wi-Fi in Europe, about equal to the mobile Wi-Fi country average in Russia of 27.96 Mbps, although you’ll need a Russian phone number to access the airport Wi-Fi.
Germany’s second busiest airport, Munich, comes in a close second. Both airports have even faster upload speeds than download, so you can spend your layover safely stowing those vacation pics in the cloud. Munich’s Wi-Fi is 36% slower than Germany’s average download speed over mobile Wi-Fi of 37.94 Mbps.
The rest of the airports offer speeds that are much slower than the average mobile Wi-Fi speeds in their respective countries: Spain (42.72 Mbps), the UK (41.98 Mbps), Italy (21.02 Mbps), and the Netherlands (57.07 Mbps).
For comparison, Hong Kong’s International Airport offers free Wi-Fi with an average speed of 8.93 Mbps while the three largest airports in mainland China offer service ranging from 2.40 to 3.72 Mbps. Those are the slowest airports in Asia, read about the fastest.
Oddly, we saw no Speedtest results in Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport or at either of Paris’ two airports on the published free airport Wi-FI SSIDs during the time we surveyed. At both Orly and Charles de Gaulle, though, we did see networks called “*WIFI-AIRPORT”. If those are indeed the free airport Wi-Fi networks, Charles de Gaulle would rank 7th in Europe at 2.33 Mbps and Orly would rank 8th at 2.32 Mbps.
You can help us get accurate speed data for those airports by taking a Speedtest using the airport’s free Wi-Fi.
Fastest airport cell
In cases where you can’t connect to Wi-Fi, you’ll be delighted to find that cellular service in these airports is much, much faster than the Wi-Fi.
Munich Airport has the fastest average download speed on cellular with Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport ranking a very close second and third, respectively. And Istanbul has the fastest average upload speed on cell networks.
In many cases, cellular service at these airports is faster than average speeds in the country as a whole. The airports in Munich, Istanbul, and Moscow are all more than twice as fast as that in their respective countries of Germany (23.05 Mbps), Turkey (29.45 Mbps) and Russia (14.92 Mbps). Cell downloads at Rome’s Fiumincino Airport are 56% faster than Italy’s average of 32.52 Mbps over the same period.
The Spanish and British airports we surveyed offer download speeds that are loosely comparable to the averages in their respective countries: Spain’s average is 28.32 Mbps and the UK’s is 25.92 Mbps. Download speed at Paris’s two airports is harder to summarize with the speed at Charles de Gaulle 27% slower than the country average of 29.08 Mbps while Orly’s downloads coming in 54% slower than the country. And Amsterdam’s Schiphol download speed is only half as fast as that in the Netherlands overall (47.38 Mbps).
Given those painful Wi-Fi speeds, this is kind of a no-brainer, but we thought you might want to see just how slow the Wi-Fi is at various airports compared to the cellular service.
We omitted data about the Istanbul and Paris airports from these graphs because we can’t verify the Wi-Fi SSIDs, but you get the point: when in doubt in Europe, use cellular service rather than free airport Wi-Fi.
Regional trends
You might be surprised how similar and how different Wi-Fi and cellular service can be at two different airports in the same country or even the same city.
Heathrow vs. Gatwick
The free Wi-Fi at Heathrow and Gatwick is similarly bad but you’ll get faster downloads at Heathrow and slightly faster uploads at Gatwick.
Charles de Gaulle vs. Orly
Wi-Fi downloads at Charles de Gaulle and Orly on the *WIFI-AIRPORT are almost exactly as awfully slow as each other. But on cellular, Charles de Gaulle has significantly faster download and upload speeds.
Barcelona Airport vs. Madrid-Barajas
Barcelona Airport’s slow 5.72 Mbps download speed over Wi-Fi is more than twice as fast as the 2.11 Mbps at Madrid–Barajas Airport. When it comes to cellular, however, Madrid’s downloads are 28% faster and their uploads are 15% faster than those in Barcelona.
Frankfurt Airport vs. Munich Airport
Munich Airport’s Wi-Fi download speed is more than three times faster than Frankfurt’s and Munich’s upload speed is nearly two and a half times faster. Munich also shows an average download speed over cellular that is 67% faster than Frankfurt’s while Munich’s uploads are 59% faster.
If your experience of internet performance at European airports is different than what’s reported here, take a Speedtest on Android or iOS so we can see what you’re experiencing. We’ll be watching for big changes and reporting on them here.
Up next in our fastest airports in the world series, we’ll be looking at internet speeds at the busiest airports in Africa.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
