Tag: Austria

Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 22, 2023

Starlink Resurgence? Speeds Increase in Europe and Oceania

Network Evolution

Ookla® is back with exciting, fresh data from Q3 and Q4 2022 for SpaceX’s Starlink and Sky Logic in Europe and Oceania, as well as new Starlink markets we haven’t yet featured in our ongoing series on satellite internet. With the FCC greenlighting Amazon’s Project Kuiper and many other exciting satellite developments launching this year, we’re certain all eyes will be on the sky in 2023 as new orbital connectivity options become available for consumers.

This analysis includes Starlink results from six new countries, and data for Starlink and Sky Logic in Europe and Starlink in Oceania. We also examine how Starlink’s internet performance has changed over the past year in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

Starlink is mostly speeding up again from Q3 to Q4 2022, but is still slower than a year ago

As Starlink rides the wave of becoming an increasingly popular connectivity option for consumers, we’ve seen the service speed up and then slow down year-over-year in most markets. However, Q4 2022 data shows many countries are experiencing a modest rise in median download speeds when compared to Q3 2022. That’s encouraging for consumers, especially as Starlink hit over 1 million users in Q4 2022, and could be a sign that Starlink seems to be maturing its constellation’s capacity. That’s particularly intriguing as Starlink launches more next-gen satellites, which were first deployed at the tail end of Q4 2022 and will most likely show up in Q1 2023 results.

In Europe, all the countries we evaluated for year-over-year median download speeds were slower for Q4 2022 than Q4 2021 when there were fewer users on each network. Most countries showed between 10-20% slower speeds in Q4 2022 than what users experienced in Q4 2021, including Ireland (at least 11% slower), Austria (at least 13%), Portugal (at least 14%), Italy (at least 15%), Germany (at least 16%), and the U.K. (at least 19%). Users in France saw very similar speeds year over year, with just a 4% decrease from Q4 2021 to Q4 2022, while users in Poland saw a large decrease (at least 56% slower), and users in the Netherlands (at least 21%) and Belgium (at least 28%) saw substantial decrease during the same period.

In Oceania, Starlink year-over-year results were mixed, with Starlink’s download speed in Australia 24% slower in Q4 2022 than during Q4 2021, while in New Zealand it was 4% faster in Q4 2022 than Q4 2021.

Starlink in Denmark and Switzerland had the fastest satellite internet in Europe during Q4 2022

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals there was no fastest satellite provider in Europe during Q4 2022, though Starlink in Denmark (147.52 Mbps) and Switzerland (136.03 Mbps) led the pack for fastest median download speed. In all, Starlink download speeds were faster than 100 Mbps in 10 out of 15 European countries during Q4 2022 — a rise from just five out 15 in Q3 2022. 

Starlink outperformed fixed broadband providers over download speed in eight countries, including: Austria (105.67 Mbps), Belgium (104.84 Mbps), Croatia (102.99 Mbps), Czechia (64.67 Mbps), Germany (94.37 Mbps), Ireland (103.39 Mbps), Italy (101.06 Mbps), and the U.K. (96.79 Mbps). Fixed broadband providers were faster than satellite providers analyzed in Denmark, France, Netherlands, and Poland. Results were too close to call in Sweden with fixed providers at 106.73 Mbps and Starlink at 101.83 Mbps, as well as Portugal with Starlink at 108.02 Mbps and fixed broadband at 117.97 Mbps. Skylogic was too close to call between the median fixed broadband speed in Italy at 55.50 Mbps to 59.40 Mbps, and had download speeds faster than 40 Mbps in France (44.46 Mbps) and Sweden (48.09 Mbps).

For upload speeds, every country’s combined fixed broadband providers had faster median upload speeds than every satellite provider, though Starlink in Portugal had the fastest upload speed among satellite providers at 20.86 Mbps. All Starlink upload speeds ranged between 10-20 Mbps except Poland (9.79 Mbps) and Denmark (8.04 Mbps). 

Multi-server latency for all satellite providers was higher than fixed broadband providers in every European country in Q4 2022, which ranged from 12.34 ms in Sweden to 23.46 ms in Italy. However, Starlink had a median multiserver latencies of less than 60 ms in the U.K. (53.24 ms), Portugal (56.81 ms), and the Netherlands (58.85 ms). Most latencies were between 60-75 ms, with Poland having the highest latency at 86.46 ms — still low enough to have a good quality of experience and be able to video chat.

Starlink in New Zealand was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania

During Q4 2022, Starlink in New Zealand had the fastest median download speed among satellite providers in Oceania at 124.72 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Australia (106.43 Mbps), and Starlink in Tonga (35.15 Mbps). However, New Zealand fixed broadband outperformed Starlink, while Starlink in Australia outperformed fixed broadband providers. In Tonga, speeds were too close to call. 

Speedtest Intelligence shows Starlink falling behind fixed broadband providers for median upload speeds in New Zealand (16.89 Mbps) and Australia (11.38 Mbps), while Tonga was again too close to call.

Multi-server latency was higher over Starlink than fixed broadband in all three countries we surveyed in Oceania during Q4 2022. However, Starlink’s median latency was under 50 ms in New Zealand (48.11 ms), which is a very exciting development for consumers, especially with latency becoming an increasingly important metric. Starlink latency in Australia was higher at 65.52 ms, while Tonga followed at 88.81 ms.

New Q4 2022 Starlink countries show very promising results

Speedtest Intelligence shows the six new countries where we found new Starlink data are off to a roaring start in Q4 2022, which include Bulgaria, Finland, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, and Malta. Starlink had faster median download speeds than the country’s respective fixed broadband providers combined in two countries: Bulgaria (110.76 Mbps versus 65.69 Mbps), and Jamaica (87.43 Mbps vs. 48.34 Mbps), while results were too close to call in the remaining four markets. However, Starlink showed promising 100+ Mbps speeds in Japan (156.94 Mbps), Finland (102.70 Mbps), and Malta (101.36 Mbps). 

Median upload speeds for Starlink lagged behind fixed broadband providers in all markets, though Malta was too close to call (20.40 Mbps for Starlink and 20.25 Mbps for fixed broadband). Starlink upload speeds ranged from about 14 Mbps to 20 Mbps in every market.

Consumers and enterprises stand to benefit from satellite developments in 2023

Starlink dominated headlines in 2022 — and for good reason. They’ve gained over 1 million users worldwide, will be available in connected vehicles, planes, RVs, and ships, partnered with T-Mobile to bring Starlink to mobile devices, and launched their second-gen satellites at the end of 2022. But that could very seriously change in 2023 with multiple competitors deploying major offensives in the satellite market. We’ll say it again: there is a new space race for connectivity being waged, and we’re just at the tip of what’s to come.

Here are some major updates about what’s next for various different satellite competitors:

Amazon’s Project Kuiper approved by the FCC

The biggest news concerning satellite connectivity is the FCC approving Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation, which will include 3,236 satellites in an LEO array. On two fronts, this poses two potential challenges for Starlink: on one hand, Amazon has the global reach, scale, and consumer base that being one of the largest companies in the world provides. On the other, Blue Origin is a direct competitor of SpaceX, and won’t have to rely on the service or other vendors to launch their array into space. Amazon is in a good position to compete and Project Kuiper could become a major player if their prototypes, which will be launched in early 2023, reach speeds anywhere close to competing with broadband internet. 

Viasat set to launch Viasat-3 arrays around April 8, 2023

Long-term incumbent satellite internet provider, Viasat, has a big year ahead after years of planning and providing connectivity to remote locations around the world. Viasat is finally set to launch its Viasat-3 array, which aims to provide 1 Terabit per second (Tbps) of network capacity on each satellite, allowing its users to experience 100+ Mbps connections; that’s a huge improvement for the mainly GEO provider. While consumers likely won’t see these results until Q4 2023, we’re very excited to see how Viasat improves its network.

Eutelsat’s merger with OneWeb approved by Eutelsat board, second-gen array being planned

One of the biggest mergers in recent years among satellite providers has jumped a major hurdle and was approved by the Eutelsat board. While the combined entities still have to be approved by shareholders and regulators, this merger could expand both companies’ market share, particularly in India, which has fast become an important satellite market. Furthermore, OneWeb is already planning a second-gen satellite, which they’re aiming to launch in 2025.

European Commission forges ahead on Constellation Iris

The European Union has been working to create its own satellite constellation since 2020, and during November 2022, agreed to a plan to commit €2.4 billion for a third satellite array named Iris, in addition to Galileo and Copernicus. The project, which includes GEO, MEO, and LEO arrays, will help support EU connectivity priorities including the economy, environment, security, and defense, and is hoping to launch in 2024, and be fully operational by 2027.

HughesNet aiming to launch Jupiter 3 array in H1 2023

Incumbent satellite internet provider HughesNet is planning to launch its new Jupiter 3 array in the first half of 2023, which will help expand its network capacity, “doubling the size of the Hughes JUPITER fleet over North and South America.” While the Jupiter 3 array will still be a GEO constellation, the added network capacity will alleviate congested networks and give consumers more bandwidth to use the internet.

Ookla will continue monitoring new satellite internet developments

As 2023 continues to shape up as a pivotal year for satellite internet providers, we’ll be watching the sky to make sure providers are providing the connectivity consumers need. We’ll continue our series next quarter with Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 data from North and South America and any new countries where Starlink launches, and be back with Europe and Oceania data in Q3 2023. In the meantime, be sure to download the Speedtest® app for Windows and Mac computers or for iOS or Android for devices and see how your satellite internet stacks up to our findings.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 20, 2022

Starlink Slowed in Q2, Competitors Mounting Challenges

Network Evolution

Ookla® has covered SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet for over a year now with our ongoing series on satellite internet performance. We’ve seen Starlink launch in new locations across the world, and while some speeds have shown signs of slowing down from their initial launches, the newly announced T-Mobile partnership with Starlink could extend the benefit of satellite connections to the mobile market.

Today, we have fresh data on satellite performance during Q2 2022 in Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America. This analysis includes results from eight additional countries, two new providers, and expanded data for Starlink, HughesNet, and Viasat. We also examine how Starlink’s internet performance has changed over the past year in Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Starlink speeds decreased in every country we surveyed over the past year as more users sign up for service

Chart of Starlink performances in select countries

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that median download speeds for Starlink fell across Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the U.K, and the U.S., dropping between 9% and 54% from Q2 2021 to Q2 2022 as more users signed up for the service. However, Starlink still reached a median download speed of at least 60 Mbps in North America during Q2 2022, which is more than enough for at least one connected device to do most everything on the internet including streaming video, downloading games, and chatting on video with friends and family.

Upload speeds also slowed on Starlink, with speeds decreasing across all of the countries we’ve tracked over the past year. Latency fared a little better with latency remaining relatively flat (though high when compared to fixed broadband) in most countries. New Zealand was the outlier, with latency dropping 23 ms. For most users, we still suspect these dips are still worthwhile for areas that have no service, slow service, or few affordable options for fast internet.

Starlink in Puerto Rico was the fastest satellite provider in North America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in North America

Starlink in Puerto Rico had the fastest satellite internet in North America during Q2 2022 with a median download speed of 112.22 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Mexico (80.17 Mbps), Canada (75.73 Mbps), and the U.S. (62.53 Mbps). Starlink in Puerto Rico and Mexico was faster than their countries’ fixed broadband providers combined (74.80 Mbps and 45.50 Mbps, respectively), while fixed broadband in the U.S. (150.12 Mbps) and Canada (106.41 Mbps) was faster than each country’s satellite providers.

In every country except Mexico, fixed broadband upload speeds were faster than satellite speeds. Starlink in Mexico edged out fixed broadband providers 14.48 Mbps to 12.20 Mbps. Latency was higher for every satellite provider compared to fixed broadband. Starlink in the U.S. had the lowest median latency among satellite providers at 48 ms.

Starlink outperformed fixed broadband average in 16 European countries

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Europe

Speedtest Intelligence shows Starlink was fast in Europe during Q2 2022, outperforming fixed broadband median download speed in 16 countries and reached download speeds over 100 Mbps in 10 countries. In contrast, fixed broadband only achieved median download speeds over 100 Mbps in six countries: Romania, Spain, Portugal, France, Hungary, and the Netherlands during Q2 2022. Starlink was fastest for median download speed in Portugal at 123.01 Mbps, the Netherlands (122.43 Mbps), Austria (112.01 Mbps), France (110.98 Mbps), and Belgium (110.40 Mbps). Romania and Spain were the only countries to have fixed broadband beat Starlink for fastest median download speed, achieving 131.41 Mbps and 127.19 Mbps, respectively.

For upload, Starlink in Greece and Austria was the only satellite provider to achieve faster upload speeds than all fixed broadband providers combined at 19.34 Mbps to 5.14 Mbps, and to 17.14 Mbps to 15.90 Mbps, respectively. Fixed broadband providers in Spain (99.21 Mbps), Romania (94.23 Mbps), Sweden (92.77 Mbps), France (88.22 Mbps), Lithuania (83.54 Mbps), and Portugal (73.13 Mbps) all recorded median upload speeds greater than 70 Mbps, with the closest satellite provider being Starlink in Portugal at 28.52 Mbps.

All satellite providers fell far behind fixed broadband providers in the whole of Europe for latency during Q2 2022. Starlink in Spain and the United Kingdom recorded the lowest satellite latencies at 37 ms and 39 ms, respectively — still a far cry from the closest fixed broadband latency, which was 14 ms in Germany, Greece, and Italy.

Starlink in Brazil was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in South America

Our analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data found Starlink in Brazil was the fastest satellite provider in South America with a median download speed of 128.38 Mbps during Q2 2022, followed by Starlink in Chile at 94.79 Mbps. Chilean fixed broadband internet was still much faster for those who could get access to it. The Speedtest Global Index™ found Chile had the second fastest fixed broadband internet in the world with a median download speed of 211.43 Mbps during August 2022. Starlink in Brazil was the only satellite provider to be faster than its country’s fixed broadband providers combined.

Like last quarter, South American fixed broadband providers surpassed satellite providers in each respective upload speeds during Q2 2022. All satellite providers had a higher median latency than fixed broadband, though Starlink in Brazil and Chile had latencies of 38 ms.

Starlink in New Zealand was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania 

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Oceania

Starlink’s fastest median download speed in Oceania was in New Zealand at 105.99 Mbps, though this still fell short of fixed broadband providers in the country. Starlink in Australia was faster than fixed broadband providers by a wide margin at 102.76 Mbps to 51.46 Mbps during Q2 2022. Starlink outperformed fixed broadband providers in new-to-our-list Tonga 45.25 Mbps to 22.32 Mbps. 

New Zealand’s fixed broadband dominated for the fastest median upload speed in Oceania at 87.29 Mbps during Q2 2022, while Australia’s fixed broadband fell far behind with an upload speed of 17.86 Mbps. Both speeds were still faster than Starlink’s median upload speeds in New Zealand and Australia (12.31 Mbps and 10.45 Mbps, respectively). Tonga didn’t have a statistical winner for fastest upload speed, but Starlink reached 19.26 Mbps and fixed broadband 18.11 Mbps. Fixed broadband also had a lower median latency than Starlink during Q1 2022, which clocked in at 49 ms in Australia, 78 ms in New Zealand, and 98 ms in Tonga.

Biggest questions lie ahead, but competition will be good for consumers

Satellite connectivity is coming to mobile, with Starlink’s new partnership with T-Mobile and new mobile devices becoming satellite enabled. This will cause ripples across North America, which is a net positive for consumers who live in areas with low mobile and fixed broadband connectivity. Connecting with the world won’t be a question of how anymore, it will be a question of how good your experience is. That’s hopefully a win-win for consumers, especially as more providers vie for the fastest and best satellite experience — a true global space race.

Starlink isn’t stopping there — they’re trying to get into airplanes, cruise ships, and cars. But they’re not the only satellite provider making moves; Viasat is launching its Viasat-3 fleet, OneWeb is combining business with Eutelsat, and Amazon is sending 3,236 Project Kuiper satellites into orbit. We’ll be here monitoring the skies in our ongoing satellite series. Take a Speedtest® to help us provide an accurate and more complete picture of real-world performance. And if we’re missing data on your satellite network, send us a screenshot of your speed on Twitter or Facebook.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 28, 2022

Here’s How Fast Starlink Has Gotten Over the Past Year

Network Evolution

It’s been a year since we first examined SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet, which launched its public beta in November 2020. Today we’re updating our ongoing series on satellite internet performance with data from Q1 2022 in Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America, including results from 10 additional countries. We’re also examining how Starlink’s internet performance has changed over the past year in the United States and Canada.

Starlink speeds increased nearly 58% in Canada and 38% in the U.S. over the past year

chart of Starlink and fixed broadband performance in Canada and the United States

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that median download speeds for Starlink dramatically increased from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022 in the U.S. and Canada, as did speeds for all fixed broadband providers combined. In the U.S., Starlink median download speeds improved roughly 38% from 65.72 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 90.55 Mbps in Q1 2022. In Canada, Starlink’s download speed leapt ahead nearly 58% from 61.84 Mbps to 97.40 Mbps during the same time period.

However, Speedtest Intelligence also showed that upload speeds for Starlink decreased at least 33% in the U.S. (16.29 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 9.33 Mbps in Q1 2022) and at least 36% in Canada (16.69 Mbps to 10.70 Mbps) during the same time period. Median latency on Starlink marginally increased from 40 ms to 43 ms in the U.S. and from 51 ms to 55 ms in Canada during the past year. For many Starlink users, we suspect these changes are negligible.

Starlink in Mexico was the fastest satellite provider in North America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in North America

Starlink in Mexico had the fastest satellite internet in North America during Q1 2022 with a median download speed of 105.91 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Canada (97.40 Mbps) and the U.S. (90.55 Mbps). Mexico’s fixed broadband download speed (40.07 Mbps) was much slower than Starlink, while Starlink download speeds were slower than fixed broadband for all providers combined in the U.S. (144.22 Mbps) and Canada (106.86 Mbps). Puerto Rico, new to our list, showed HughesNet had the fastest satellite internet on the island territory at 20.54 Mbps, though fixed broadband was much faster at 68.88 Mbps.

Starlink in Lithuania was the fastest satellite provider in Europe

Chart of satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Europe

Speedtest Intelligence showed that Starlink blazed ahead in Europe during Q1 2022, with Starlink achieving a 100+ Mbps median download speed in every country where it was commercially available. In contrast, fixed broadband only achieved median download speeds over 100 Mbps in Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands during Q1 2022. Starlink was fastest for download speed in Lithuania at 160.08 Mbps, followed by Belgium (147.85 Mbps), Slovakia (146.25 Mbps), Croatia (136.00 Mbps), and Austria (132.61 Mbps). Spain was the only country to have its fixed broadband beat Starlink for fastest median download speed, achieving 131.99 Mbps to Starlink’s 108.43 Mbps within the country.

For upload, fixed broadband providers in Spain (100.65 Mbps), France (86.02 Mbps), Portugal (74.42 Mbps), and Lithuania (73.95 Mbps) all recorded median speeds greater than 70 Mbps, while the closest satellite provider, Starlink in Portugal, trailed at 32.05 Mbps.

All satellite providers fell far behind fixed broadband providers in the whole of Europe for latency during Q1 2022, with Starlink in Spain and the United Kingdom recording the highest satellite latencies at 35 ms and 36 ms, respectively — a far cry from the lowest fixed broadband latency, which was 15 ms in the U.K.

Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in South America

Our analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data found Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America with a median download speed of 110.49 Mbps during Q1 2022. Although Chilean fixed broadband internet was much faster for those who could get access to it. In fact, during May 2022, the Speedtest Global Index™ found Chile had the second fastest fixed broadband internet in the world with a median download speed of 206.97 Mbps, just a hair shy of Singapore’s first place speed of 209.21 Mbps. 

No South American satellite provider surpassed its country’s fixed broadband download or upload speeds during Q1 2022. Viasat in Brazil had a noteworthy median download speed of 62.07 Mbps, though still fell short of the country’s fixed broadband speed of 90.20 Mbps. All satellite providers had a higher median latency than fixed broadband, though Starlink in Chile had a latency of 38 ms.

Starlink in Australia was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Oceania

Starlink raced ahead in Oceania, recording faster median download speeds than fixed broadband in both Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, Starlink had a median download speed of 124.31 Mbps, much faster than Australian fixed broadband at 50.87 Mbps for download during Q1 2022. The comparison in New Zealand was much closer with Starlink’s median download speed at 118.70 Mbps and fixed broadband at 116.83 Mbps during Q1 2022.

New Zealand’s fixed broadband dominated for the fastest median upload speed in Oceania at 84.34 Mbps during Q1 2022, while Australia’s fixed broadband fell far behind with an upload speed at 17.85 Mbps. Both speeds were still faster than Starlink’s median upload speeds in New Zealand and Australia (13.09 Mbps and 11.71 Mbps, respectively). Fixed broadband also had a faster median latency than Starlink during Q1 2022, which clocked in at 47 ms in Australia and 78 ms in New Zealand.

Consumers are flocking to Starlink, but competitors are close behind

As we’ve continued to see over the past year, Starlink’s low-earth orbit satellites (LEOs) provide a life-changing service for consumers in rural areas that might not otherwise have access to high-speed internet. However, more companies are looking to compete with Starlink and launch their own LEO constellations, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which recently received FCC permission to test their own satellite service and is slated to launch later this year, and Viasat which is set to merge with Inmarsat and launch new constellations by 2023.

We’ll continue to monitor the skies in our ongoing satellite series, but if you’re using satellite internet, take a Speedtest® to help us provide an accurate and more complete picture of real-world performance.

Editor’s note: This article was amended on June 28 to clarify percentage increases in the U.S. and Canada and to update the percent change for upload for Canada.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| March 16, 2022

Starlink Hits 100+ Mbps Download Speed in 15 Countries During Q4 2021

Network Evolution

Fast satellite internet has become increasingly available to more and more people across the globe. It’s already a huge boon to rural communities that might otherwise be too remote for fixed broadband service. Starlink, Viasat, HughesNet, and other satellite providers are all placing big bets on low-earth orbital (LEO) satellite constellations, and Starlink is even introducing a new premium service with speeds expected to be around 150-500 Mbps. It’s a gamble, as Starlink recently learned after losing about 40 satellites to a geomagnetic storm, but it’s a gamble worth making. The European Commission is even planning a multibillion Euro investment to connect the continent to satellite internet. 

We’ve analyzed fresh satellite internet performance data from Q4 2021 including results from seven additional countries to update our ongoing series.

United States: Starlink was the fastest satellite provider during Q4 2021 and speeds increased over Q3 2021

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed in USA

U.S. consumers saw mixed satellite performance when comparing Q3 2021 to Q4 2021, while the United States government has been trying to increase satellite internet competition. Starlink’s median download speed increased from 87.25 Mbps during Q3 2021 to 104.97 Mbps in Q4 2021 — an important benchmark that inches Starlink closer to reaching the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund’s (RDOF) baseline of download speeds greater than 100 Mbps. Viasat overtook HughesNet to follow Starlink distantly at 21.81 Mbps (comparable to the 18.75 Mbps we saw in Q3 2021) and HughesNet followed at 20.92 Mbps (19.30 Mbps in Q3 2021). SES, new to our list this quarter, trailed far behind at 2.19 Mbps. For comparison, the median download speed for all fixed broadband providers rose moderately in the U.S. during Q4 2021 from 119.84 Mbps in Q3 2021 to 131.30 Mbps in Q4 2021.

Starlink saw a slight decrease in median upload speed from 13.54 Mbps during Q3 2021 to 12.04 Mbps in Q4 2021, still short of the median upload speed for all fixed broadband, which rose to 19.49 Mbps in Q4 2021 from 18.03 Mbps in Q3 2021. Viasat followed at 2.88 Mbps (2.96 Mbps in Q3 2021), then HughesNet at 2.54 Mbps (2.13 Mbps in Q3 2021), and SES at 1.19 Mbps.

As we’ve seen over the past year, Starlink, which uses only low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, was once again the only satellite internet provider with a median latency anywhere close to fixed broadband in Q4 2021 (40 ms and 14 ms, respectively). SES, Viasat, and HughesNet, which all utilize higher geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites for now, had much higher median latencies at 613 ms, 627 ms, and 725 ms, respectively.

Starlink performance continues to vary widely at the county level

Median Download Speed for Starlink in Selected US Counties

During Q4 2021, we saw about a 130 Mbps range in performance between the U.S. county with the fastest median download speed over Starlink (Miami Dade County in Florida at 191.08 Mbps) and the county with the slowest median download speed (Columbia County in Oregon at 64.95 Mbps). Even the lower-end speeds were well above the FCC’s baseline performance tier for broadband internet of at least a 25 Mbps download speed.

Satellite internet performance elsewhere in the world

We examined satellite internet performance in countries with an established market share to see how well their speeds compare to local fixed broadband. We’re excited to add analyses on satellite performance in Austria, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal this quarter. We’ve also added Starlink to the list of providers in Chile. With Starlink continuing to launch in additional countries, we’re looking forward to seeing how Starlink performs during Q1 2021.

Australia: Starlink nearly triples fixed broadband download average

Starlink performed well in Australia during Q4 2021 with a median download speed of 141.55 Mbps. The median download speed for all fixed broadband providers was 51.35 Mbps. Starlink’s 14.84 Mbps median upload speed fell behind fixed broadband providers’ 18.01 Mbps. Starlink is a clear alternative to traditional fixed broadband for speeds, however Starlink can’t yet compete for latency, with Starlink showing a median latency of 43 ms vs. 10 ms for all fixed broadband combined.

Austria: Starlink download speed outpaces fixed broadband by more than double

New to our list this quarter, Austrian consumers had fast speeds over Starlink during Q4 2021, achieving faster median download speeds than that of all fixed broadband providers combined at 131.84 Mbps vs. 50.33 Mbps on fixed broadband. Starlink also had a faster median upload speed at 19.91 Mbps vs. 14.34 Mbps on fixed broadband. Starlink trailed fixed broadband on median latency during Q4 2021, 52 ms vs. 13 ms.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Austria

Belgium: Starlink much faster than fixed broadband

Starlink’s median download speed of 155.15 Mbps during Q4 2021 was much faster than the country’s median download for all fixed broadband of 76.94 Mbps. That’s also a large increase from Starlink’s median download speed of 127.46 Mbps in Q3 2021. For median upload speed, Starlink was only slightly slower at 15.15 Mbps than the median fixed broadband upload speed of 18.05 Mbps. However, Starlink’s 45 ms latency was higher than the country’s median latency of 13 ms. Starlink was the only satellite internet provider with adequate samples to analyze in Belgium during Q4 2021. For rural Belgians, Starlink is a strong option.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Belgium

Brazil: Viasat fell further behind as national fixed broadband sped up

Viasat’s median download speed in Brazil dipped slightly from 66.32 Mbps during Q3 2021 to 62.80 Mbps during Q4 2021. This fell further away from the national median for fixed broadband, which sped up to 83.03 Mbps during Q4 2021 (71.50 Mbps in Q3 2021). Viasat’s median upload speed (1.07 Mbps) was much slower than that on fixed broadband (40.76 Mbps), and Viasat’s latency was much higher (610 ms vs 6 ms). With Starlink slated to enter the Brazilian market soon, we’ll be watching these numbers closely to see if additional competition spurs the market.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Brazil

Canada: Starlink performance reaches milestone during Q4 2021

In our last article, Starlink’s median download speed decreased to slower than fixed broadband in Canada during Q3 2021 (84.55 Mbps vs. 90.67 Mbps). But in Q4 2021, Starlink’s median download speed leapt ahead, achieving 106.64 Mbps while median download speed for fixed broadband increased to 96.39 Mbps. Starlink’s median upload speed was slower than fixed broadband (12.82 Mbps vs. 21.66 Mbps) and latency on Starlink was still much higher (55 ms vs. 11 ms). Starlink should be considered a viable option compared to fixed broadband in Canada, especially for rural consumers or those without access to fast fixed broadband options like fiber.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Canada

Starlink faster than overall fixed broadband in nearly every province

Median Download Speed for Starlink in Canadian Provinces

Starlink showed enough samples to analyze performance in all 10 provinces in Canada during Q4 2021 — all of which showed substantial increases in Starlink’s download speed during Q4 2021 compared to Q3 2021. Starlink’s median download speed was faster than the median download for all fixed broadband in seven provinces during Q4 2021: Manitoba (101.66 Mbps vs. 83.06 Mbps), Newfoundland and Labrador (195.30 Mbps vs. 131.58 Mbps), Nova Scotia (143.52 Mbps vs. 121.57 Mbps), Ontario (106.24 Mbps vs. 95.06 Mbps), Prince Edward Island (139.11 Mbps vs. 75.95 Mbps), Quebec (123.50 Mbps vs. 84.50 Mbps), and Saskatchewan (116.24 Mbps vs. 68.43 Mbps).

Download speeds were comparable between Starlink and overall fixed broadband in New Brunswick (130.67 Mbps vs. 132.65 Mbps), and overall fixed broadband was faster than Starlink in Alberta (107.32 Mbps vs. 96.56 Mbps) and British Columbia (130.97 Mbps vs. 94.74 Mbps) — with the latter two provinces having better access to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH).

Chile: Starlink debuts fast speeds, but still much slower than scorching fast fixed broadband

Chilean fixed broadband providers have continued to achieve some of the fastest speeds in the world, recording the fastest speed on the Speedtest Global Index™ during February 2022, and we were interested to see how Starlink would compete. Starlink reached 118.95 Mbps in Chile during Q4 2021, which was faster than HughesNet (15.30 Mbps) but much slower than Chile’s median download speed for all fixed broadband providers (168.92 Mbps). 

Median upload speeds also showed a wide gap in Chile between satellite and fixed broadband during Q4 2021 (23.46 Mbps for Starlink and 3.42 Mbps for HughesNet vs. 89.76 Mbps on fixed broadband). Fixed broadband was also much faster for latency: 7 ms for fixed broadband vs. 38 ms for Starlink and 615 ms for HughesNet.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Chile

Colombia: HughesNet decreased over download and upload speeds

HughesNet’s median download speed decreased in Q4 2021 to 11.75 Mbps from 12.12 Mbps during Q3 2021, while Colombia’s fixed broadband increased to 54.60 Mbps (46.08 Mbps in Q3 2021). Median upload speed was also slower for HughesNet than fixed broadband (2.88 Mbps vs. 11.86 Mbps), and latency was much higher on HughesNet (717 ms vs. 14 ms).

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Colombia

France: Starlink download speed increased, still faster than fixed broadband

Starlink users in France saw a median download speed of 121.21 Mbps in Q4 2021 (up from 102.15 Mbps in Q3 2021). Starlink’s download speed easily beat the country-wide median for fixed broadband of 90.88 Mbps (up from 75.47 Mbps in Q3 2021). Starlink’s upload speed during Q4 2021 was slower than the fixed broadband median (17.20 Mbps vs. 69.49 Mbps), and Starlink’s latency was higher (51 ms vs. 12 ms). Satellite provider SES, on this list for the first time, trailed behind both Starlink and fixed broadband with a 14.88 Mbps download speed, 1.83 Mbps upload speed, and 649 ms latency. Starlink remains an good option for rural French consumers.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in France

Germany: Starlink blazes ahead of fixed broadband download speed

Starlink’s median download speed in Germany of 115.58 Mbps was much faster than the fixed broadband median of 65.86 Mbps during Q4 2021 (and Starlink’s Q3 2021 download speed of 95.40 Mbps). Starlink was slightly slower for upload speed than overall fixed broadband (15.17 Mbps vs. 22.40 Mbps) and Starlink showed a higher latency (47 ms) than fixed broadband (14 ms).

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Germany

Ireland: Starlink download debuts nearly double that of fixed broadband

Starlink’s debut on our list is noteworthy in Ireland, where it achieved a download speed almost double that of Ireland’s combined fixed broadband average during Q4 2021 (123.51 Mbps vs. 65.89 Mbps). Median upload speeds were almost level, with Starlink recording a median upload speed at 24.35 Mbps vs. 22.63 Mbps for fixed broadband. Starlink lagged for latency at 45 ms vs. 11 ms for fixed broadband. Starlink is a great option for those who are looking for fast speeds in Ireland and can’t get access to fixed broadband.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Ireland

Italy: Starlink dominates against fixed broadband

Starlink enters our list in Italy with a decisive statement during Q4 2021: It achieved a median download speed of 124.39 Mbps, a huge leap ahead of Italy’s fixed broadband average of 49.56 Mbps. Upload speeds were comparable between the two, with Starlink recording a median of 18.90 Mbps to 18.29 on fixed broadband. Starlink had a higher latency at 52 ms vs. 14 ms on fixed broadband. Starlink is an attractive option for fast internet in Italy.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Italy

Mexico: Starlink impresses during Q4 2021 debut

Starlink, which only became commercially available in Mexico during November 2021, made a significant splash during its brief Q4 2021 debut, achieving a median download speed of 141.94 Mbps. That was significantly faster than Viasat (16.34 Mbps), HughesNet (10.63 Mbps), and all fixed broadband providers combined (36.56 Mbps). 

Starlink also outpaced fixed broadband for fastest upload speed (22.32 Mbps vs. 9.53 Mbps). HughesNet and Viasat followed at 3.10 Mbps and 2.06 Mbps, respectively. Starlink was the only satellite provider that came close to fixed broadband median latency, 64 ms to 11 ms. Viasat and HughesNet were distantly behind at 676 ms and 763 ms, respectively. With Starlink making such an impressive entrance into Mexico, we’ll be interested to see if the performance holds up in the coming months.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Mexico

Netherlands: Starlink faster for median download, lagging on upload and latency

The Netherlands, which is new to this list, has some of the fastest median mobile and fixed broadband speeds in the world according to the Speedtest Global Index. We were eager to see how Starlink would perform against this competition. During Q4 2021, Starlink achieved a median download speed of 138.40 Mbps compared to 95.55 Mbps over fixed broadband. Starlink lagged noticeably behind for upload speed at 15.60 Mbps vs. 30.87 Mbps on fixed broadband. Starlink also had a higher latency at 45 ms vs. 11 ms on fixed broadband.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Netherlands

New Zealand: Starlink slowed slightly, still faster than fixed broadband download

Starlink’s Q4 2021 median download speed (116.44 Mbps, down slightly from 120.10 Mbps Mbps in Q3 2021, likely due to increased adoption) was faster than New Zealand’s median fixed broadband download speed (98.61 in Q4 2021, up from 84.98 Mbps in Q3 2021). Starlink was much slower than New Zealand’s median fixed broadband upload speed for Q4 2021 (13.79 Mbps vs. 59.26 Mbps, which was a huge increase from 23.62 Mbps on fixed broadband during Q3 2021). Starlink’s median latency during Q4 2021 was comparable to Q3 2021 (79 ms vs. 81 ms) which was still much slower than New Zealand’s median for all fixed broadband of 6 ms during Q4 2021.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in New Zealand

Poland: Starlink a fast option for Poles

Starlink launched in Poland during September 2021 and is already recording fast speeds. The median download speed for Starlink was much faster than fixed broadband at 129.29 Mbps to 83.88 Mbps during Q4 2021. Upload speed was roughly comparable, with Starlink recording a slightly slower median upload speed of 24.17 Mbps and fixed broadband ahead at 28.60 Mbps. Starlink’s latency was higher at 58 ms to 10 ms on fixed broadband. That’s still acceptable for online gaming, but higher than what’s considered optimal.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Poland

Portugal: Starlink far ahead on download speed in debut, fixed broadband much faster on upload

Another newcomer to this list this quarter, Portugal was a place where Starlink dominated with a much faster median download speed than fixed broadband at 140.35 Mbps to 94.62 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021. Upload speed was a different story, with fixed broadband notching a median upload speed of 65.52 Mbps to Starlink’s 30.16 Mbps. Starlink also had a much higher latency than fixed broadband at 44 ms to 7 ms. Starlink remains a good option if you don’t have access to good fixed broadband in Portugal. 

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in Portugal

United Kingdom: Starlink still nearly twice as fast as fixed broadband median

Starlink showed a faster median download speed in the U.K. (121.94 Mbps in Q4 2021, up from 111.66 Mbps in Q3 2021) than the country’s median for fixed broadband (57.66 Mbps in Q4 2021, up from 53.16 Mbps in Q3 2021). Starlink’s median upload speed (13.96 Mbps) was comparable to the median upload for all fixed broadband in the U.K. (16.84 Mbps), and the latency was relatively fast given the distance traveled (36 ms for Starlink vs. 15 ms for all fixed broadband) — enough to be able to reliably play online multiplayer games. Satellite provider SES trailed far behind during Q4 2021 with a 3.79 Mbps median download speed, 3.74 Mbps median upload, and 636 ms median latency.

Satellite Internet Performance vs Fixed Broadband in United Kingdom

Competition among satellite providers is rapidly increasing and we’ll continue watching closely

We look forward to updating this data again next quarter with new locations as satellite internet continues to become a more viable option for many. If you’re using satellite internet, take a Speedtest® to help us provide an accurate picture of real-world performance.

Editor’s note: The section on Australia was amended on March 24 to remove performance details for Viasat which was determined not to be a consumer offering at this time.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 12, 2020

How Roaming Affects Mobile Speeds in Europe

Global Speeds

Last year, we conducted an expansive analysis of mobile roaming in the European Union. We’re updating our data to see which countries have the best roaming speeds and how roaming affects time spent on Wi-Fi. This analysis is based on Speedtest data from Android devices in Europe during Q3-Q4 2019. Despite Brexit, we’ve included data from the United Kingdom to keep parity year-over-year, as the roaming agreement remains in place for 2020 and this data involves travel within a specific set of countries.

Roaming in Europe typically means slower download speeds

Mobile roaming speeds are affected by the deals struck between individual mobile operators on a country-by-country basis. This means roaming speeds can depend on the plan a subscriber has selected in their home country and on what is offered in the country of destination.

Out of the 28 countries we examined, residents of 22 countries experienced slower speeds when roaming elsewhere in Europe than they do in their home countries. Travelers from the Netherlands experience the most significant loss in speed, with a roaming download speed that is 54.7% slower than at home. However, users in Slovakia barely notice a change in download speed with a roaming download speed only 2.6% slower than the mean download speed in Slovakia during this period.

Roaming vs. Local Mobile Download Speeds in Europe
Speedtest® Data | Q3-Q4 2019
Country Local Speeds (Mbps) Roaming Speed Upload (Mbps) % Change
Austria 46.30 35.93 -22.4%
Belgium 50.95 33.38 -34.5%
Bulgaria 55.32 30.95 -44.1%
Croatia 52.40 43.73 -16.6%
Cyprus 43.50 21.04 -51.6%
Czech Republic 47.00 36.37 -22.6%
Denmark 48.38 32.28 -33.3%
Estonia 42.61 43.90 3.0%
Finland 43.38 41.46 -4.4%
France 44.34 34.00 -23.3%
Germany 34.07 30.48 -10.5%
Greece 39.90 45.03 12.9%
Hungary 45.53 29.55 -35.1%
Ireland 26.73 32.05 19.9%
Italy 33.64 40.98 21.8%
Latvia 33.20 38.54 16.1%
Lithuania 46.72 39.73 -15.0%
Luxembourg 52.55 34.61 -34.1%
Malta 48.88 32.30 -33.9%
Netherlands 62.52 28.31 -54.7%
Poland 33.07 25.57 -22.7%
Portugal 34.49 36.34 5.4%
Romania 37.84 33.69 -11.0%
Slovakia 34.74 33.83 -2.6%
Slovenia 39.34 32.67 -16.9%
Spain 34.28 27.56 -19.6%
Sweden 48.52 36.55 -24.7%
United Kingdom 36.36 34.96 -3.8%

Upload speeds locally are also mostly faster than those experienced while roaming. Cyprus, Denmark, and the Netherlands all had relatively high mean upload speeds locally, but they also had the largest loss in roaming upload speeds ranging from 31.3% to 36.7% slower upload speeds on mobile roaming.

Residents of some European countries do benefit from faster speeds when roaming on mobile. Users from Estonia, Portugal, Greece, Latvia, Ireland, and Italy all experienced faster download speeds when roaming elsewhere in Europe than they did in their home countries during Q3-Q4 2019. Italian and Irish travelers gained the most when roaming with download speeds that were 21.8% and 19.9% faster than their local speeds, respectively.

A total of 12 countries had higher mean upload speeds while roaming than they experienced locally during this period. France, Latvia, and Ireland benefitted the most with an increase in upload speeds that ranged from 26.5% to 21.4% while roaming.

Latency increases dramatically while roaming in Europe

Unlike mean download and upload speeds, latency is almost always dramatically different while roaming. This is because roaming signals are routed through a user’s home network, making latency a significant issue for Europeans when traveling.

Local vs. Roaming Latency in Europe
Speedtest® Data | Q3-Q4 2019
Country Local Latency (ms) Roaming Latency (ms) % Change
Austria 26 84 220.4%
Belgium 27 83 205.7%
Bulgaria 27 127 368.3%
Croatia 33 89 166.0%
Cyprus 23 213 825.5%
Czech Republic 26 74 187.6%
Denmark 26 100 287.9%
Estonia 25 76 201.5%
Finland 27 97 254.6%
France 41 82 98.8%
Germany 38 87 128.1%
Greece 29 129 349.8%
Hungary 25 93 272.6%
Ireland 35 100 185.0%
Italy 50 91 81.2%
Latvia 26 95 268.2%
Lithuania 27 107 302.2%
Luxembourg 23 83 262.6%
Malta 19 136 611.6%
Netherlands 28 87 208.3%
Poland 35 109 209.2%
Portugal 30 109 258.8%
Romania 30 113 275.3%
Slovakia 31 76 105.5%
Slovenia 24 74 208.2%
Spain 45 107 137.4%
Sweden 29 118 304.3%
United Kingdom 38 103 173.1%

In their home country, residents of Malta (19 ms), Luxembourg (22 ms) and Cyprus (23 ms) enjoyed the lowest latencies in Europe. Residents of France, Spain and Italy experienced the highest latencies in their home countries at 41 ms, 45 ms and 50 ms, respectively.

European residents experienced an increase of at least 81.2% in their latency when visiting other countries within Europe. Residents from Cyprus, Malta and Bulgaria experience the biggest increase in latency when visiting other countries in Europe, ranging from Cyprus’ 825.5% to Bulgaria’s 368.3%. The countries that experienced the smallest increase in latency were Italy (81.2%), France (98.8%) and Germany (128.1%).

Locals spend more time on Wi-Fi than visitors in Europe

While there are no roaming changes within the E.U., users often opt to connect to Wi-Fi to avoid additional data overages at home and abroad. The following table compares the percentage of time spent on Wi-Fi by a resident of a country with that of a visitor to the same country during Q3-Q4 2019.

Percentage of Time Spent on Wi-Fi in Europe
Speedtest® Data | Q3-Q4 2019
Country Local Customers Visitors % Change
Austria 75.5% 40.5% -46.3%
Belgium 77.9% 35.8% -54.1%
Bulgaria 74.0% 60.3% -18.5%
Croatia 74.3% 53.8% -27.5%
Cyprus 79.3% 70.2% -11.5%
Czech Republic 80.1% 46.6% -41.8%
Denmark 78.7% 60.3% -23.4%
Estonia 70.3% 51.9% -26.2%
Finland 63.0% 60.3% -4.4%
France 69.3% 48.7% -29.7%
Germany 80.0% 47.1% -41.1%
Greece 79.3% 64.3% -19.0%
Hungary 76.8% 47.8% -37.8%
Ireland 75.6% 58.9% -22.0%
Italy 70.9% 55.1% -22.2%
Latvia 68.8% 49.2% -28.4%
Lithuania 73.8% 52.2% -29.2%
Luxembourg 72.4% 30.8% -57.4%
Malta 79.4% 65.9% -17.1%
Netherlands 81.8% 49.1% -40.1%
Poland 70.2% 58.2% -17.1%
Portugal 76.5% 61.9% -19.0%
Romania 69.6% 64.1% -7.9%
Slovakia 76.2% 40.1% -47.4%
Slovenia 70.7% 24.7% -65.2%
Spain 78.3% 62.8% -19.7%
Sweden 81.8% 53.8% -34.3%
United Kingdom 79.3% 60.9% -23.1%

As we saw last year, Finnish residents spent the least amount of time on Wi-Fi at 63.0%. Latvia showed the second lowest time spent on Wi-Fi (68.8%), followed by France (69.3%). Residents from the Netherlands, Sweden and the Czech Republic spent the most time on Wi-Fi at 81.8%, 81.8%, and 80.1%, respectively.

Visitors to Cyprus, Malta and Greece spent the most amount of time on Wi-Fi during this period. Time spent on Wi-Fi by visitors ranged from 64.3% in Greece to 70.2% in Cyprus. Visitors to Slovenia, Luxembourg and Belgium as a destination country spent the least amount of time on Wi-Fi at 25.7%, 30.8% and 35.8%, respectively.

Are you interested in more data on roaming performance? Read more here!

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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Maria Gómez

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 21, 2020

ICYMI: Ookla Data and Research from November 2020

Global Speeds


Highlights from the Speedtest Global IndexTM

Global-Index-Tweet-Image-Nov-2020

These are the top stories from November 2020:

  • Thailand is back in third place for fixed broadband. The country has seen steady increases in fixed broadband since November 2019 when it was in 19th place.
  • New 5G rollouts were the likely cause for the United Kingdom’s 10-spot climb to 32nd place in mobile.
  • Kuwait has reached its highest mobile ranking to date — 11th place. This is most likely due to all major operators offering 5G in the country.
  • Monaco showed a sharp increase in download speed over fixed broadband. The country jumped six places since October and is now fourth for fixed broadband.

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5G Advances Across the U.K., but Access Varies Widely by Country


A comprehensive look at the state of 5G in the United Kingdom, this report reveals differences in speed by country and by operator.

Exploring the Relationship Between Network Performance and NPS in Germany, Austria and Switzerland


Does network performance impact customer satisfaction? Find out in this analysis of network performance, NPS and five-star ratings of top providers in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

The Relationship Between Network Performance and Customer Satisfaction in the Philippines


Internet speeds in the Philippines have increased dramatically in recent years. Discover how network performance of top providers has affected customer satisfaction.

Treat Yourself to a Hack Day: Make a Physical Speedtest Gauge


Create the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one and build your own ethernet-enabled physical Speedtest gauge with these simple instructions.

Prioritizing Broadband Funding to Close the Digital Divide [Webinar]


Policymakers need accurate, reliable data to make broadband funding decisions that benefit their constituents. Watch the 30-minute webinar recording to learn how network data from Speedtest® can help policymakers improve their jurisdictions’ broadband availability and performance.

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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Maria Gómez

Ookla Research™ Articles
| April 15, 2021

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 21 Countries

Global Speeds

Speedtest Global Index™ Market Analyses from Ookla® identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 21 markets about top mobile and fixed broadband providers as well as device and chipset manufacturers and some city-level data. Click a country in this list to see highlights or scroll through the article to learn about all 21 markets:

United States | Canada | China

Algeria | Austria | Belgium

Denmark | Finland | Hong Kong (SAR)

Hungary | Kenya | Luxembourg

Malta | Morocco | Nigeria

Portugal | Serbia | Slovakia

South Africa | Taiwan | Vietnam

Algeria

  • Mobile provider Ooredoo attained the best Speed Score™ and Consistency Score™ in Algeria during Q1 2021.
  • DJEZZY had the best 4G Availability in Algeria.
  • Devices from Apple provided the fastest mean download speeds in Algeria during Q1 2021 with 20.86 Mbps, 47.1% faster than Samsung.

Austria

  • A1 was the fastest mobile operator in Austria with a Speed Score of 66.21 while yesss! ranked second at 58.60.
  • yesss! edged out A1 for Consistency Score, earning a 93.8% to A1’s 93.5%.
  • Magenta blazed ahead of the competition with the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score of 123.45 and highest Consistency Score with 85.8%.

Belgium

  • Speedtest Intelligence® shows that Telenet had the fastest fixed broadband in Belgium during Q1 2021 with a Speed Score of 97.13, and it had the fastest Speed Score on mobile at 69.74.
  • Telenet also had the best fixed broadband Consistency Score with 87.9%, while BASE had the best mobile Consistency Score with 92.9%.
  • Ghent edged out Antwerp for Belgium’s fastest median download speed over mobile and fixed broadband.

Canada

  • In Q1 2021, Shaw was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Canada with a Speed Score of 164.40, edging out Rogers.
  • The fastest mobile provider was TELUS with a Speed Score of 87.54. Videotron had the highest mobile Consistency Score at 91.3%.
  • TELUS and Bell Canada tied for the lowest median latency for fixed broadband at 6 ms.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador had the fastest median fixed broadband speed among Canada’s provinces at 112.64 Mbps.
  • Calgary had Canada’s fastest median fixed broadband speed of any major city at 115.40 Mbps.

China

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows that China Mobile was the fastest mobile operator in China during Q1 2021 with a Speed Score of 101.62.
  • Competition for fastest median 5G performance was high, but China Telecom outpaced other providers with a 316.02 Mbps median download speed. Speedtest® results show that China Mobile’s 5G performance was second fastest with a median download speed of 308.44 Mbps and China Unicom was third.
  • Huawei’s P40 5G had the fastest median 5G download speed among the most popular devices in China at 291.77 Mbps. This contributed to Huawei’s top position as the device manufacturer with the fastest median download speed with a combined median download speed of 89.11 Mbps. That was 79.4% faster than the next fastest manufacturer, Apple.
  • China Telecom was the fastest fixed broadband provider, achieving a Speed Score of 107.10.
  • Tianjin was the Chinese city with the fastest fixed broadband with tests showing median download speeds of 180.61 Mbps, 29.7% faster than the next fastest city, Chengdu.

Denmark

  • According to Q1 data from Speedtest Intelligence, YouSee was the fastest mobile operator in Denmark with a Speed Score of 86.40.
  • Hiper was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Denmark with a Speed Score of 205.32.
  • The iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was the fastest popular device in Denmark, with a median download speed of 96.90 Mbps.

Finland

  • Telia was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Finland during Q1 2021 with a Speed Score of 77.05. Telia was also the most consistent, earning a Consistency Score of 80.3%.
  • DNA had the fastest mobile Speed Score (61.73) as well as the highest Consistency Score (93.6%).
  • DNA also had the fastest 5G performance with a median download speed of 337.21 Mbps.

Hong Kong (SAR)

  • During Q1 2021, China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest mobile provider in Hong Kong, achieving a Speed Score of 65.16.
  • Huawei’s P40 Pro 5G edged out Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G as the fastest popular device in Hong Kong. The P40 Pro 5G achieved a median download speed of 150.67 Mbps, beating the Galaxy 220 Ultra 5G by 1.5 Mbps.
  • Samsung had the best combined performance by a major cell phone manufacturer with its devices reaching mean download speeds of 76.41 Mbps.
  • Devices using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G had the fastest mean download speed of any chipset at 137.76 Mbps. Devices with Hisilicon’s Kirin 990 came in second at 136.52 Mbps.

Hungary

  • Magyar Telekom had the fastest mobile Speed Score in Hungary during Q1 2021, as well as the best mobile Consistency Score (90.9%) and highest 4G availability (97.7%).
  • DIGI beat out Vodafone as the fastest fixed broadband provider in Hungary by attaining a Speed Score of 138.74 to Vodafone’s 137.06 and UPC’s 134.08.
  • Apple devices had the fastest median mobile download speeds among popular manufacturers at 36.59 Mbps.

Kenya

  • Safaricom had the fastest Speed Score among mobile providers in Kenya during Q1 2021 at 29.80 as well as the top mobile Consistency Score (86.3%) and highest 4G Availability (88.1%).
  • Mombasa had the fastest mean mobile download speed at 27.79 Mbps while Nairobi was the fastest over fixed broadband with a download speed of 22.65 Mbps.
  • Faiba had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score at 22.70 and best Consistency Score at 44.0%.

Luxembourg

  • POST was Luxembourg’s fastest mobile operator in Q1 2021 as well as Luxembourg’s most consistent. POST had a Speed Score of 86.31 and a Consistency Score of 95.9%.
  • Orange had the best 4G Availability in Luxembourg at 98.7%.
  • Apple beat out Samsung as the fastest popular device manufacturer by earning a median download speed of 51.13 Mbps to Samsung’s 46.40 Mbps.
  • Tango had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score at 120.35, while Eltrona had the best fixed broadband Consistency Score with 85.9%.

Malta

  • Mobile providers GO and epic were in close competition for the fastest Speed Score in Q1 2021. GO beat out epic by a fraction by scoring 47.82 to epic’s 47.36.
  • Apple devices had the fastest mean download speed in Malta among popular manufacturers at 51.31 Mbps.
  • Melita had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score at 118.58 and highest fixed broadband Consistency Score at 84.2%.

Morocco

  • Maroc Telecom was the fastest provider for both fixed broadband and mobile in Morocco during Q1 2021. Maroc Telecom achieved the fastest mobile Speed Score (54.32) and the highest mobile Consistency Score (92.0%).
  • Maroc Telecom also narrowly beat out inwi for the highest 4G Availability with 91.5% to inwi’s 91.3%.
  • Apple devices had the fastest mean download speed in Morocco among popular manufacturers at 50.31 Mbps.
  • Casablanca had the fastest fixed broadband speeds, achieving a mean download speed of 25.93 Mbps while Marrakesh had the fastest mean mobile download speed at 38.33 Mbps.

Nigeria

  • During Q1 2021, tests showed that Airtel had Nigeria’s fastest mobile Speed Score (27.18) and best mobile Consistency Score (84.7%).
  • Port Harcourt had the fastest mean mobile download speed in Nigeria at 23.02 Mbps.
  • ipNX was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 18.00. ipNX also had the best fixed broadband Consistency Score at 36.2%.

Portugal

  • Vodafone was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Portugal during Q1 2021 with a Speed Score of 113.75, the lowest mean latency (11 ms) and highest Consistency Score (81.9%).
  • MEO was the fastest mobile operator with a Speed Score of 46.92.
  • OnePlus had the fastest mean download speed of any popular device manufacturer at 56.93 Mbps.
  • Among Portugal’s most populous cities, Vila Nova de Gaia had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed at 155.61 Mbps, while Braga had the fastest mean mobile download speed at 70.95 Mbps.

Serbia

  • During Q1 2021, SBB was Serbia’s fastest fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 78.09 and showed the highest Consistency Score of any provider at 81.3%.
  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that Telenor narrowly edged out VIP for the fastest mobile Speed Score at 50.63 to VIP’s 50.47.
  • Telenor had the highest mobile Consistency Score with 93.4%. Telenor also delivered the highest 4G Availability in Serbia with 90.3%.
  • Devices using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G delivered Serbia’s fastest median mobile download speeds at 76.14 Mbps.

Slovakia

  • During Q1 2021, UPC beat out Antik for the fastest fixed broadband operator in Slovakia with a Speed Score of 113.17 to Antik’s 110.46.
  • Antik had the lowest median fixed broadband latency in the country at 3 ms.
  • Orange had the fastest mobile Speed Score in the country with a score of 52.41, followed by Telekom at 49.09.
  • Devices using Samsung’s Exynos 2100 chipset achieved the fastest median download speed (70.13 Mbps).

South Africa

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows that MTN had the fastest mobile download Speed Score in South Africa during Q1 2021 at 54.38.
  • MTN also had the highest 4G Availability in the country with 90.5%.
  • Cool Ideas was the fastest fixed broadband provider in South Africa with a Speed Score of 37.80, followed by Afrihost at 31.32 and Webafrica at 30.87.
  • Johannesburg had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed at 53.48 Mbps and the fastest download speed over mobile at 54.64 Mbps.

Taiwan

  • According to a Speedtest Intelligence, Chunghwa Telecom was the fastest mobile operator in Taiwan during Q1 2021 with a Speed Score of 71.73.
  • FarEasTone had the fastest median download speed on 5G at 361.48 Mbps.
  • Sony’s Xperia 1 II 5G achieved the fastest mean download speed among popular devices (181.93 Mbps). Apple devices overall attained the fastest mean mobile download speed among popular manufacturers (82.57 Mbps).
  • Taichung had the fastest mean download speed among Taiwan’s most populous cities at 83.35 Mbps. Taipei was second fastest with 80.50 Mbps.

United States

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that T-Mobile overtook AT&T in Q1 2021 as the fastest mobile operator in the United States, achieving a Speed Score of 50.21 to AT&T’s 48.38.
  • T-Mobile also had the fastest 5G performance of any operator, achieving a median download speed of 82.35 Mbps while having the highest 5G time spent in the country at 65.4%.
  • OnePlus devices had the fastest mean download speed among popular devices at 50.79 Mbps.
  • Qualcomm had all five of the fastest chipsets in the United States. The Snapdragon X55 5G was fastest with a median download speed of 66.63 Mbps, followed by the Snapdragon 888 5G at 64.63 Mbps and the Snapdragon 865 at 56.50 Mbps.
  • Verizon was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 160.07, outperforming Cox and XFINITY, which scored 153.57 and 139.33, respectively.
  • Spectrum displayed the most consistent speeds among fixed broadband providers with a Consistency Score of 88.3%.

    • Verizon had the best median fixed broadband latency at 8 ms, while Cox ranked second (12 ms) and XFINITY third (14 ms).

Vietnam

  • Viettel achieved Vietnam’s fastest mobile and fixed broadband during Q1 2021. Viettel showed a Speed Score of 59.76 for fixed broadband and 38.55 for mobile.
  • Vinaphone had the best mobile Consistency Score with 91.1%.
  • Viettel had the highest 4G Availability with 94.4%.
  • Xiaomi’s Mi 10T Pro 5G achieved the fastest mean download speed at 80.17 Mbps and beat out Samsung’s Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, which had a median download speed of 59.96 Mbps.

Read the full market analyses and follow monthly ranking updates on the Speedtest Global Index.

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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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 16, 2021

How COVID-19 Affected Roaming for Mobile Speeds in Europe

Global Speeds

Roaming might seem like an unusual topic in a time when inter-country travel has been largely prohibited, but we wanted to build on our previous analysis to see how roaming performance and behaviors evolved over the past year. This analysis examines Speedtest data from Android devices in the European Union (E.U.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.) from Q1 2020 through Q1 2021. We’ve included the U.K. to maintain continuity with pre-Brexit reports.

Roaming speeds were slower in most European countries in Q1 2021

Speedtest Intelligence® again showed that consumers who are roaming outside their home countries often experience slower speeds. During Q1 2021, 19 out of the 26 European countries with statistically viable roaming sample sizes experienced slower median roaming download speeds than median local download speeds. Cyprus and Malta had too few roaming samples to be included in this year’s analysis for Q1 2021.

For the seven countries that saw increased speeds, Latvians experienced the largest increase in median download speed when roaming elsewhere in Europe at 23.4%, which was followed closely by Estonia (22.8%) and Ireland (19.5%). Greece, Romania and Slovenia saw increases of more than 5%. The U.K. saw about the same speeds roaming and locally with an increase of only 0.5% when roaming. Hungary also saw comparable roaming download speeds to local speeds with a decrease of only 0.5% when roaming.

Median Local vs. Roaming Download Speeds in Europe
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2021
Country Local Download (Mbps) Roaming Download (Mbps) % Change
Austria 36.19 26.13 -27.8%
Belgium 43.90 27.52 -37.3%
Bulgaria 61.76 29.74 -51.8%
Croatia 48.23 31.3 -35.1%
Czechia 31.35 19.74 -37.0%
Denmark 50.11 22.18 -55.7%
Estonia 34.34 42.16 22.8%
Finland 43.02 31.68 -26.4%
France 34.68 29.62 -14.6%
Germany 27.56 20.14 -26.9%
Greece 32.38 35.51 9.7%
Hungary 28.66 28.51 -0.5%
Ireland 14.99 17.91 19.5%
Italy 25.24 21.66 -14.2%
Latvia 22.69 28.00 23.4%
Lithuania 33.66 30.80 -8.5%
Luxembourg 40.65 26.31 -35.3%
Netherlands 77.52 26.48 -65.8%
Poland 26.51 23.13 -12.7%
Portugal 26.16 23.74 -9.3%
Romania 25.12 26.80 6.7%
Slovakia 23.79 20.94 -12.0%
Slovenia 27.63 29.58 7.1%
Spain 23.78 18.21 -23.4%
Sweden 38.26 23.16 -39.5%
United Kingdom 27.96 28.09 0.5%

Every other country on our list saw decreases in median download speeds of 8.5% or more while roaming, with customers from the Netherlands experiencing the largest drop (65.8%) from a local speed of 77.52 Mbps to 26.48 Mbps while roaming. Customers from Denmark and Bulgaria experienced roaming speeds less than half of what they’re accustomed to at home with decreases of 55.7% and 51.8%, respectively.

Roaming decreased during the pandemic while speeds increased

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended countless lives with multiple lockdowns throughout 2020 and 2021 and severe limits to movement across borders. Data from Speedtest Intelligence reflects this decrease in roaming with roaming samples markedly down when comparing Q1 2021 to Q1 2020. We saw the most roaming samples during Q3 2020 and Q1 2020, which corresponds to increased lockdowns and movement restrictions in Q2 and Q4 2020 in response to the first and second waves of the pandemic.

Roaming speeds for all European countries combined increased 6.9% between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021, though the increase was not linear. Median download speed while roaming decreased from 22.89 Mbps in Q1 2020 to 22.09 in Q2 2020 and slipped down to 20.68 Mbps in Q3 2020. Roaming speeds began to increase in Q4 2020 with the median download speed rising to 23.42 Mbps, and Q1 2021 saw a further increase to 24.47 Mbps.

ookla_roaming_quarter_change_eu_0621-1

Estonia saw the biggest year-over-year increase in median roaming download speed, Slovakia and Italy saw the largest decrease

Median European Roaming Download Speeds
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2020 – Q1 2021
Country Q1 2020 Download (Mbps) Q1 2021 Download (Mbps) % Change
Europe (All Countries Combined) 22.89 24.47 6.9%
Austria 24.39 26.13 7.1%
Belgium 23.78 27.52 15.7%
Bulgaria 22.81 29.74 30.4%
Croatia 29.28 31.30 6.9%
Czechia 20.23 19.74 -2.4%
Denmark 21.38 22.18 3.7%
Estonia 27.82 42.16 51.5%
Finland 32.18 31.68 -1.6%
France 24.57 29.62 20.6%
Germany 20.74 20.14 -2.9%
Greece 41.07 35.51 -13.5%
Hungary 25.10 28.51 13.6%
Ireland 22.08 17.91 -18.9%
Italy 26.98 21.66 -19.7%
Latvia 26.38 28.00 6.1%
Lithuania 22.60 30.80 36.3%
Luxembourg 18.82 26.31 39.8%
Netherlands 18.39 26.48 44.0%
Poland 17.01 23.13 36.0%
Portugal 23.78 23.74 -0.2%
Romania 23.64 26.80 13.4%
Slovakia 26.16 20.94 -20.0%
Slovenia 25.30 29.58 16.9%
Spain 15.05 18.21 21.0%
Sweden 21.36 23.16 8.4%
United Kingdom 29.48 28.09 -4.7%

2020 also posed many challenges for telecom operators around the world as customers shifted use patterns. Despite these challenges, many Europeans saw increases in median roaming speeds year-over-year. In fact, customers in 17 out of the 26 countries analyzed saw faster download speeds while roaming elsewhere in Europe when comparing Q1 2020 to Q1 2021. Estonians saw the largest increase at 51.5% (from 27.82 Mbps to 42.16 Mbps), the Netherlands was next with a 44.0% jump (from 18.39 Mbps to 26.48 Mbps) and Luxembourg saw a 39.8% increase in download speed (from 18.82 Mbps to 26.31 Mbps).

Countries whose customers experienced year-over-year decreases in median downloads speed while roaming include Slovakia (20.0% decrease), Italy (19.7%), Ireland (18.9%), Greece (13.5%), the U.K. (4.7%), Germany (2.9%), Czechia (2.4%), Finland (1.6%) and Portugal (0.2%).

While the year-over-year change is an interesting baseline metric, it’s also important to note only Denmark, Germany, Poland and Spain had consistently slower median roaming download speeds than the European average during every quarter from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021. Every other country had at least one quarter where speeds were faster than the European average.

Outbound roaming speeds varied drastically from country to country from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021

Roaming speeds are heavily dependent on agreements between individual operators, which means they can vary dramatically by country and by operator. We looked closely at outbound roaming for individual countries to see how different countries’ networks performed during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Customers from the Netherlands roaming in France saw the fastest median roaming download speed in all of Europe during Q1 2021 at 70.46 Mbps. Customers from Germany roaming in Portugal experienced the slowest median roaming download speed during Q3 2020 at 0.42 Mbps.

Here were some of the fastest roaming speeds from select countries to other countries within Europe between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021:

  • Netherlands to France (70.46 Mbps in Q1 2021)
  • Bulgaria to the U.K. (58.21 Mbps in Q4 2020)
  • Netherlands to Poland (55.77 Mbps in Q1 2021)
  • Denmark to Sweden (40.46 Mbps in Q4 2020)
  • Finland to Estonia (48.41 Mbps in Q1 2020)

Here were some of the slowest roaming speeds between Q1 2020 and Q1 2021:

  • Germany to Portugal (0.42 Mbps in Q3 2020)
  • Czechia to France (4.98 Mbps in Q3 2020)
  • France to Portugal (5.54 Mbps in Q3 2020)
  • Hungary to France (5.95 Mbps in Q3 2020)
  • Poland to Belgium (7.59 Mbps in Q1 2020)

We’ll continue to watch roaming speeds over the next year to see how roaming changes as more countries reopen and travel picks up again. If you’re interested in learning more about roaming speeds for your business or country, please click here.

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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 15, 2021

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 37 Countries

Global Speeds

Speedtest Global IndexTM Market Analyses from Ookla® identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 37 markets that includes details on fastest mobile and fixed broadband providers, performance of most popular devices and chipsets and internet speeds in cities. Click a country on the list below to see highlights or scroll through the article to learn what Speedtest Intelligence® revealed in all 37 markets:

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria | Jordan | Kenya
Morocco | Nigeria | Qatar
South Africa | Tunisia | Turkey

Asia and Oceania

China | Hong Kong (SAR) | Indonesia
Malaysia | Singapore | Taiwan
Vietnam

Europe

Austria | Belgium | Czechia
Denmark | Finland | France
Germany | Hungary | Latvia
Luxembourg | Malta | Serbia
Slovakia | Spain

North and South America

Argentina | Brazil | Canada
Ecuador | Mexico | Peru
United States

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria

  • For the second quarter in a row, mobile provider Ooredoo had the highest Speed Score™ (24.27) and Consistency Score™ (84.5%) in Algeria during Q2 2021.
  • Apple devices achieved a mean download speed of 26.37 Mbps during Q2 2021, 26.4% faster than Apple’s speeds in Q1 2021 (20.86 Mbps).
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was the fastest popular device in Algeria with a mean download speed of 38.15 Mbps.

    Jordan

  • Fixed broadband provider Orange had the highest Speed Score (70.99) and Consistency Score (72.6%) in Jordan during Q2 2021.
  • Umniah achieved the fastest mobile Speed Score at 34.28 and best Consistency Score at 93.4%.
  • Amman had the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds among the most populous cities in Jordan at 43.27 Mbps and 40.29 Mbps, respectively.
  • Among popular mobile devices, Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G narrowly beat out the iPhone 12 Pro 5G for fastest median download and upload speeds at 36.06 Mbps and 17.90 Mbps.

    Kenya

  • Mobile provider Safaricom had the highest Speed Score (27.54) and Consistency Score (84.0%) in Kenya during Q2 2021, though both these scores were slightly lower than in Q1 2021.
  • For fixed broadband, Faiba was the provider that had the best Speed Score (23.19) and Consistency Score (43.9%) in Kenya during Q2 2021.
  • Mombasa had the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds in Kenya’s most populous cities at 32.12 Mbps and 17.13 Mbps, respectively.
  • Eldoret had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed in Kenya during Q2 2021 at 23.68 Mbps. Nairobi dropped three places from the fastest city for mean fixed broadband download speed during Q1 2021.

    Morocco

  • Fixed broadband provider Orange beat out Q1 2021 winner Maroc Telecom for fastest provider in Morocco with a Speed Score of 19.27, a 35.0% increase from Q1 2021.
  • For fixed broadband, Maroc Telecom continued to have the best Consistency Score at 32.4% during Q2 2021.
  • On mobile, Maroc Telecom achieved the best Speed Score (59.24) and Consistency Score (92.6%) during Q2 2021.
  • Salé surpassed Marrakesh as the fastest city among Morocco’s most populous cities with the fastest mobile download and upload speeds at 40.78 Mbps and 13.80 Mbps, respectively.

    Nigeria

  • For the second quarter in a row, mobile provider Airtel had the fastest Speed Score in Nigeria at 28.82 during Q2 2021. While MTN was second, it improved its Speed Score 37.9% quarter over quarter, 18.70 to 25.78.
  • MTN edged out Airtel’s Q1 2021 top spot for best Consistency Score on mobile during Q2 2021, 83.4% to Airtel’s 82.5%.
  • Fixed broadband provider ipNX continued to have the best Speed Score (19.25) and Consistency Score (39.6%) in Nigeria during Q2 2021.
  • Port Harcourt continued to have the best mobile mean download speeds of any Nigerian city at 26.34 Mbps, but Kano made huge strides forward, improving its download speed by 61.8% over Q1 2021.

    Qatar

  • Ooredoo had the best mobile and fixed broadband Speed Scores in Qatar during Q2 2021 at 149.01 and 69.45, respectively.
  • 5G performance was extremely competitive with Ooredoo achieving the fastest median 5G download speed at 393.89 Mbps, while Vodafone achieved 354.27 Mbps.
  • Ooredoo also had the best fixed broadband Consistency Score at 81.5%.
  • Vodafone had the best mobile Consistency Score at 93.7%, edging out Ooredoo’s 92.9%.
  • Umm Salal Muhammed had the fastest median mobile and fixed broadband download speeds in Qatar at 147.65 Mbps and 80.57 Mbps, respectively.
  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals that among popular devices, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G achieved the fastest median mobile download speed at 284.32 Mbps, edging out Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G (278.42 Mbps).

    South Africa

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows Cool Ideas had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score (45.76) and Consistency Score (65.4%) during Q2 2021. That was an increase in Speed Score of 21.1% from Q1 2021.
  • Among mobile providers, MTN had the fastest Speed Score (60.44) and best Consistency Score (90.5%).
  • Apple devices had the fastest combined mean download speed at 52.59 Mbps and fastest mean upload speed at 12.22 Mbps during Q2 2021. The iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G took top honors as the fastest popular device, achieving a mean download speed of 93.36 Mbps.
  • Johannesburg had the fastest mean fixed broadband and mobile download speeds during Q2 2021 at 61.85 Mbps and 58.06 Mbps, respectively.

    Tunisia

  • During Q2 2021, Ooredoo achieved the highest mobile Speed Score in Tunisia at 46.47.
  • Tunisie Telecom edged out Ooredoo for the highest fixed broadband Speed Score with 9.07 and 8.28, respectively.
  • Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest mean download speed in Tunisia among popular devices during Q2 2021 at 73.21 Mbps.
  • Among popular chipsets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G had the fastest mean download speed at 70.43 Mbps.
  • Sfax had the fastest mean mobile download speed in Tunisia during Q2 2021 at 45.53 Mbps.

    Turkey

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed mobile provider Turkcell had the highest Speed Score and Consistency Score in Turkey during Q2 2021 at 61.39 and 93.2%, respectively.
  • For fixed broadband, Turksat Kablo had the highest Speed Score (35.67).
  • During Q2 2021, Turknet had the highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband at 66.6%.
  • Istanbul had the fastest mean fixed broadband and mobile download speed at 40.16 Mbps and 50.21 Mbps, respectively.
  • Among top device manufacturers, Apple beat out Samsung for fastest mean download speed at 51.62 Mbps to 41.69 Mbps.

    Asia and Oceania

    China

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, China Telecom was the fastest fixed broadband provider in China during Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 117.02, 9.3% higher than Q1 2021.
  • However, China Mobile continued to have the highest Consistency Score in China for fixed broadband during Q2 2021 at 90.0%, edging out China Telecom’s 86.8% and China Unicom’s 86.5%.
  • China Mobile achieved the highest Speed Score (113.06) and Consistency Score (92.1%) among China’s top mobile providers during Q2 2021.
  • During Q2 2021, China Telecom achieved a median 5G download speed of 304.55 Mbps, edging out China Mobile’s 303.44 Mbps. China Unicom was third at 292.04 Mbps.
  • Among top device manufacturers, Huawei had the fastest median download speed at 86.33 Mbps in China during Q2 2021. Vivo followed at 56.68 Mbps, then Xiaomi (56.48 Mbps), Oppo (55.35 Mbps) and Apple (49.65 Mbps).
  • Among popular devices, Huawei also dominated. The Huawei P40 Pro 5G had the fastest median download speed in China during Q2 2021 at 287.18 Mbps.
  • During Q2 2021, Huawei’s Kirin 9000 5G was the fastest chipset in China, achieving a median download speed of 284.74 Mbps.
  • Tianjin had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed among China’s most populous cities at 199.91 Mbps, 10.7% faster than its first place Q1 2021 results.
  • Hangzhou had the fastest median mobile download speed among China’s most populous cities at 72.97 Mbps, followed closely by Shenzhen at 70.74 Mbps and Nanjing at 69.22 Mbps.

    Hong Kong (SAR)

  • For the second quarter in a row, China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest mobile operator in Hong Kong, earning a Speed Score of 72.21 in Q2 2021, 10.8% higher than Q1 2021.
  • China Mobile Hong Kong also blazed ahead of the competition for the fastest 5G download speed, achieving a median speed of 218.60 Mbps during Q2 2021, 7.2% faster than its Q1 2021 results. Mobile provider 3 followed at 165.35 Mbps, csl at 134.75 Mbps and SmarTone at 124.31 Mbps.
  • Among top manufacturers during Q2 2021, Samsung had the fastest median download speed at 44.68 Mbps.
  • Samsung devices also took the top four spots for fastest popular devices in Hong Kong during Q2 2021 with the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G achieving the top spot at 124.25 Mbps, edging out the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G’s 123.28 Mbps.
  • During Q2 2021, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G achieved the fastest median download speed among modern chipsets at 111.91 Mbps.

    Indonesia

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Biznet was Indonesia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 40.66. MyRepublic was second at 35.63.
  • Biznet also had the highest Consistency Score in Indonesia during Q2 2021, edging out MyRepublic 66.6% to 63.5%.
  • Telkomsel was the fastest major mobile provider in Indonesia during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 28.02. Telkomsel also achieved the top Consistency Score at 84.1%, beating out IM3 Ooredoo’s 83.5%.
  • Jakarta had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed of Indonesia’s most populous cities at 32.86 Mbps, while Tangerang achieved the fastest mean mobile download speed at 24.69 Mbps.

    Malaysia

  • During Q2 2021, Speedtest Intelligence reveals that TIME was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Malaysia, earning a Speed Score of 116.36. TIME also achieved the highest Consistency Score (86.7%).
  • On mobile, Digi edged out Maxis for the fastest mobile provider, earning a Speed Score of 30.20 to Maxis’ 29.92. U Mobile was third at 27.40.
  • Apple earned the top spot as Malaysia’s fastest device manufacturer during Q2 2021, with Apple devices achieving a mean download speed of 34.22 Mbps. Samsung was second at 28.77 Mbps and Huawei third at 27.68 Mbps.
  • Among Malaysia’s most populous cities, Nusajaya had the fastest mean fixed broadband speed during Q2 2021, achieving 125.88 Mbps download and 81.29 Mbps upload. Petaling Jaya was second, achieving 122.91 Mbps download and 82.56 Mbps upload.
  • Nusajaya also had the fastest mean mobile download speed at 38.51 Mbps during Q2 2021.

    Singapore

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows ViewQuest was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Singapore in Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 268.70.
  • During Q2 2021, Singtel was the fastest mobile provider in Singapore, achieving a Speed Score of 83.83.
  • Singtel also blew the competition away for fastest median 5G download speed at 189.55 Mbps during Q2 2021. M1 was second at 110.43 Mbps.
  • Apple edged out Samsung for fastest device manufacturer during Q2 2021, with Apple devices achieving a mean download speed of 87.66 Mbps to Samsung’s 85.48 Mbps. Oppo followed in third with 82.10 Mbps.

    Taiwan

  • Speedtest Intelligence® reveals Chunghwa Telecom was the fastest mobile operator among top providers in Taiwan in Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 66.47 on modern chipsets — edging out FarEasTone’s 64.46.
  • During Q2 2021, Chunghwa Telecom surpassed FarEasTone as the fastest 5G provider in Taiwan. Chunghwa Telecom achieved a blazing median download speed of 471.73 Mbps — 42.2% faster than its Q1 2021 median download speed.
  • FarEasTone had the highest Consistency Score in Taiwan during Q2 2021 at 92.1%. Chunghwa Telecom followed at 89.4% and Taiwan Mobile was third at 87.5%.
  • Among top device manufacturers during Q2 2021, Apple devices achieved the fastest mean download speed at 79.30 Mbps, edging out Oppo (77.53 Mbps) and Samsung (74.23 Mbps).
  • The Sony Xperia 1 II 5G had the fastest mean download speed at 235.44 Mbps during Q2 2021.

    Vietnam

  • Viettel once again claimed the top spot as Vietnam’s fastest mobile and fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, earning a mobile Speed Score of 44.16 and fixed broadband Speed Score of 66.77.
  • Viettel also achieved the best fixed broadband Consistency Score at 80.9%, tightly edging out FPT Telecom’s 80.0% and Vinaphone’s 79.6% for the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed
  • Vinaphone had the highest mobile Consistency Score at 94.1%.
  • Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro 5G had the fastest mean download speed at 99.43 Mbps.
  • Ho Chi Minh City overtook the top spot for the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed among Vietnam’s most populous cities with 77.14 Mbps (69.92 Mbps upload).
  • Hanoi edged out Ho Chi Minh City (43.70 Mbps) and Da Nang (43.22 Mbps) for fastest mean mobile download speed at 43.83 Mbps.

    Europe

    Austria

  • Magenta retained its top spot as Austria’s fastest fixed broadband provider, increasing its Speed Score 28.8% from Q1 2021 from 123.45 to 158.94 in Q2 2021.
  • Magenta also had the highest Consistency Score at 88.8% for fixed broadband in Q2 2021.
  • A1 was the fastest mobile provider in Austria during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 72.64. yesss! followed at 62.49.
  • For the second quarter in a row, yesss! narrowly edged out A1 for the highest mobile Consistency Score in Austria with yesss! achieving 93.7% and A1 achieving 93.4%. Magenta Telekom ad 3 followed at 90.5%.

    Belgium

  • During Q2 2021 — much like Q1 2021 — Telenet and VOO had a fierce competition for Belgium’s fastest fixed broadband provider. However, Telenet earned the top spot again, achieving a Speed Score of 104.24 to VOO’s 102.64.
  • VOO also challenged Telenet for the highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband providers, but Telenet edged VOO out for the top place, 87.8% to 86.8%.
  • Among mobile providers, Telenet fended off competition from BASE as the fastest mobile provider, earning a mobile Speed Score of 72.34 to BASE’s 68.50.
  • Antwerp overtook Ghent for the fastest median fixed broadband download speed 81.31 Mbps to Ghent’s 80.13 Mbps.
  • However, Ghent retained its top place for fastest median mobile download speed among Belgium’s most populous cities achieving a median speed of 72.56 Mbps during Q2 2021.

    Czechia

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals T-Mobile was Czechia’s fastest mobile provider during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 60.73.
  • However, Vodafone claimed the best mobile Consistency Score during Q2 2021, earning 94.6% to O2’s 91.1%.
  • There was no statistical winner for fastest median 5G download speed in Czechia during Q2 2021, though O2 achieved a median download speed of 128.01 Mbps and T-Mobile achieved 124.69 Mbps.
  • Vodafone dominated as Czechia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021. Vodafone achieved a Speed Score of 100.26.
  • Vodafone also had the best Consistency Score for fixed broadband during Q2 2021 at 79.4%.
  • Pilsen had the fastest mean fixed broadband speeds among Czechia’s most populous cities, achieving a mean download of 111.01 Mbps and a mean upload of 82.82 Mbps.

    Denmark

  • During Q2 2021 in Denmark, Fastspeed was the fastest fixed broadband provider, earning a Speed Score of 303.16 — an increase of 47.7% from Q1 2021. Hiper was second at 231.14 and Fibia third at 164.80.
  • YouSee once again earned the top spot as Denmark’s fastest mobile provider during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 91.19.
  • An analysis of performance on some of the most popular phones in Denmark revealed the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest median download speed during Q2 2021 at 111.80 Mbps. The iPhone Pro 5G was second at 109.79 Mbps, edging out the iPhone 12 5G at 109.63 Mbps.

    Finland

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, DNA retained its top spot as Finland’s fastest mobile provider in Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 68.20. DNA also edged out Telia for the highest Consistency Score, achieving 90.9% to Telia’s 90.0%.
  • Telia overtook DNA in Q2 2021 as Finland’s fastest 5G provider, achieving a median download speed of 304.22 Mbps to DNA’s 276.20 Mbps.
  • Telia retained its top spot as the fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, increasing its Speed Score 11.2% from Q1 2021. Telia was also the most consistent, achieving a Consistency Score of 82.7%.
  • Among popular device manufacturers, OnePlus had the fastest median download speed in Finland during Q2 2021 at 67.23 Mbps. However, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G had the fastest median download speeds among major devices at 121.57 Mbps.

    France

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed a fierce competition for France’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, though Orange narrowly edged out Free with a Speed Score of 117.15 to 115.89.
  • SFR achieved the highest Consistency Score at 68.2%.
  • Orange earned the top spot as France’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider, earning a mobile Speed Score of 81.00 and a Consistency Score of 89.9%.
  • Orange also blew away the competition as France’s fastest 5G provider by achieving a median 5G download speed of 345.10 Mbps. SFR was next fastest at 204.98 Mbps.
  • Lyon achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 127.51 Mbps and 93.46 Mbps, respectively. Nice had the fastest median mobile download speed at 64.63 Mbps.

    Germany

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Vodafone was Germany’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 120.68.
  • 1&1 edged out Vodafone for the highest Consistency Score, 80.4% to Vodafone’s 79.3%.
  • For mobile providers, Telekom achieved the highest Speed Score (76.79) and Consistency Score (91.7%) during Q2 2021.
  • O2 was the fastest 5G provider during Q2 2021 earning the fastest median 5G download speed at 172.24 Mbps. Telekom followed at 154.30.
  • The iPhone 12 Pro 5G had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Germany during Q2 2021, edging out the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G 92.25 Mbps to 91.94 Mbps.

    Hungary

  • Vodafone overtook DIGI as Hungary’s fastest fixed broadband provider in Q2 2021, achieving an 8.6% increase in Speed Score from 137.06 in Q1 2021 to 148.79. Vodafone retained the top spot for highest Consistency Score at 87.2% during Q2 2021.
  • Magyar Telekom retained its top spot as Hungary’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 52.59 and Consistency Score of 90.9%.
  • OnePlus overtook Apple during Q2 2021 as the fastest device manufacturer, with OnePlus devices achieving a combined median download speed of 47.29 Mbps to Apple’s 41.81 Mbps.
  • However, Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G achieved the fastest median download speed among popular devices during Q2 2021, with an increase in download speed of 17.3% from 70.12 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 82.22 Mbps in Q2 2021.

    Latvia

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that Balticom was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Latvia during Q2 2021 achieving a Speed Score of 171.56 and Consistency Score of 90.5%.
  • LMT was the fastest provider in Latvia during Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 41.13.
  • Tele2 narrowly edged out BITE and LMT as Latvia’s most consistent provider, earning a Consistency Score of 86.0% to BITE’s 85.1% and LMT’s 83.3%.
  • Olaine had the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds, 94.16 Mbps and 94.51 Mbps, respectively.

    Luxembourg

  • Tango retained its top spot as Luxembourg’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021 by achieving a Speed Score of 125.73, an increase of 4.5% over Q1 2021.
  • Tango and Eltrona tied for the highest Consistency Score during Q2 2021 at 86.3%.
  • POST again was the fastest mobile provider in Luxembourg during Q2 2021, achieving an 18.3% increase in Speed Score from 86.31 in Q1 2021 to 102.09 in Q2 2021. POST also remained the most consistent provider with a Consistency Score of 96.3%.
  • Among Luxembourg’s most populous cities, Differdange achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 131.26 Mbps and 93.32 Mbps, respectively.
  • Ettelbruck had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds at 117.76 Mbps and 21.64 Mbps, respectively.

    Malta

  • Melita retained its top spot as Malta’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 113.64 and Consistency Score of 83.9%.
  • GO was Malta’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 56.36 and Consistency Score of 92.8%.
  • Among popular devices, Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G achieved the fastest mean download speed at 75.81 Mbps.

    Serbia

  • SBB retained its top spot as Serbia’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 81.09 and Consistency Score of 81.8%.
  • A1 knocked Telenor out of the top place during Q2 2021 as Serbia’s fastest mobile provider, achieving a Speed Score of 54.26 to Telenor’s 49.99.
  • A1 and Telenor tied for the most consistent provider by earning a Consistency Score of 92.5%. mts trailed at 91.0%
  • The fastest chipset in Serbia during Q2 2021 was Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G, which had a median download speed of 74.21 Mbps. Samsung’s Exynos 2100 was second at 57.97 Mbps and Hisilicon’s Kirin 990 at 57.49 Mbps.

    Slovakia

  • Telekom knocked Orange out of first place as Slovakia’s fastest mobile operator during Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 58.17 to Orange’s 56.22. Telekom increased its Speed Score 18.5% from Q1 2021 to Q2 2021.
  • UPC retained its top spot as Slovakia’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 139.35 — an increase of 23.1% from Q1 2021 — and a Consistency Score of 87.2%.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest median download speed among popular devices at 86.11 Mbps during Q2 2021, an increase of 33.3% over Q1 2021.

    Spain

  • DIGI sped ahead of the competition, earning its place as fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 259.90 and Consistency Score of 91.5%. Orange was second at 154.03, Movistar third (139.65) and Yoigo fourth (134.71).
  • Movistar provided the fastest and most consistent mobile experience among Spanish mobile providers with a Speed Score of 58.47 and Consistency Score of 90.8%.
  • Vodafone more than doubled its closest competitor as Spain’s fastest 5G provider by achieving a median download speed of 322.81 Mbps.
  • Madrid had the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 142.97 Mbps and 111.48, respectively, as well as the fastest median mobile download speed at 41.66 Mbps. Barcelona trailed closely behind for fixed broadband at 134.73 Mbps download and 104.54 Mbps upload, as well as for mobile download at 40.10 Mbps.

    North and South America

    Argentina

  • Telecentro achieved the highest fixed broadband Speed Score (57.16) in Argentina during Q2 2021.
  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed Personal was the fastest mobile operator in Argentina during Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 38.49.
  • Buenos Aires achieved the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed among Argentina’s most populous cities, recording a download speed of 77.79 Mbps.
  • For mobile download speeds, La Plata recorded the fastest mean mobile download speed in Argentina at 40.28 Mbps during Q2 2021.

    Brazil

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Brazil among top providers during Q2 2021, achieving the highest Speed Score of 42.61 and Consistency Score of 87.8%.
  • Vivo was the fastest fixed broadband provider among top providers in Brazil in Q2 2021 with a Speed Score of 93.23.
  • Among Brazil’s most populous cities, seven cities achieved mean fixed broadband download speeds of over 100 Mbps, with Goiânia having the fastest download and upload speeds at 130.15 Mbps and 76.98 Mbps, respectively.
  • Brasilia had the fastest mean mobile download speed at 43.74 Mbps.

    Canada

  • Shaw and Rogers blazed above the competition for Canada’s fastest fixed broadband providers in Q2 2021, earning Speed Scores of 181.66 and 179.95, respectively.
  • Rogers edged out Shaw for the highest Consistency Score in Canada during Q2 2021 by earning 89.0% to Shaw’s 87.0%.
  • TELUS retained its top spot as the fastest mobile operator in Canada during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 82.93.
  • Videotron also retained its top spot during Q2 2021 as Canada’s most consistent mobile operator, achieving a Consistency Score of 89.6%.
  • Competition for the fastest median 5G download speed was competitive with no statistical winner during Q2 2021. Bell achieved a median download speed of 191.26 Mbps and TELUS achieved 184.45 Mbps.
  • Rogers achieved the highest 5G Availability in Canada during Q2 2021.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador retained its top spot as Canada’s fastest region for fixed broadband during Q2 2021, achieving a median download speed of 119.77 Mbps.
  • Calgary also retained its top spot among the most populous cities with the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 129.60 Mbps. Winnipeg retained its top spot for mobile download speed by edging out Edmonton 93.12 Mbps to 91.25 Mbps.
  • Samsung devices had the fastest combined performance, achieving a median download speed of 70.72 Mbps. The Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G edged out the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G for the fastest popular device median download speed 141.44 Mbps to 137.97 Mbps.

    Ecuador

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Netlife was Ecuador’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 38.72 and Consistency Score of 69.6%.
  • CNT was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Ecuador during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 38.11 and Consistency Score of 86.9%.

    Mexico

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Telcel was Mexico’s fastest mobile operator during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 47.80.
  • Telcel was also Mexico’s most consistent mobile operator, achieving a Consistency Score of 89.2%.
  • Veracruz showed the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds among Mexico’s most populous cities during Q2 2021, recording a mean download speed of 46.24 Mbps and mean upload speed of 19.36 Mbps.
  • Apple devices had the five fastest mean download speeds in Mexico. The iPhone 12 Pro 5G narrowly beat out the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G and iPhone 12 5G for the fastest popular device during Q2 2021, achieving respective speeds of 74.65 Mbps, 72.63 Mbps and 72.37 Mbps.

    Peru

  • Among Peru’s top providers, Claro was the fastest mobile provider during Q2 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 36.91.
  • Apple devices achieved the highest mean download speeds among top device manufacturers during Q2 2021, recording a mean download speed of 40.32 Mbps.
  • Among popular mobile devices, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G had the fastest mean download speed at 80.30 Mbps. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was second at 77.02 Mbps and the Apple iPhone 12 5G third at 75.63 Mbps.

    United States

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Verizon was the fastest fixed broadband provider in the United States during Q2 2021, earning a Speed Score of 170.22 — 6.3% increase over Q1 2021.
  • Speedtest Intelligence also reveals that T-Mobile was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in the United States during Q2 2021, achieving a median download speed of 54.13 Mbps and a Consistency Score of 84.8%.
  • After looking at tests taken only on 5G, T-Mobile achieved the fastest median 5G download speed during Q2 2021 at 99.84 Mbps, a 21.2% increase over Q1 2021.
  • During Q2 2021, T-Mobile had the best 5G Availability of 69.0%.
  • Mobile download speeds blazed ahead in the most populous U.S. cities during Q2 2021 with Tampa, Florida supplanting St. Paul, Minnesota as the fastest city for median mobile download speed during Q2 2021 at 79.75 Mbps, an increase of 14.6% over St. Paul’s fastest median speed during Q1 2021.
  • San Antonio, Texas knocked Gilbert, Arizona out of first place as the fastest city for fixed broadband among the United State’s most populous cities, edging out Raleigh, North Carolina with a median download speed of 183.60 Mbps to Raleigh’s 183.04 Mbps.

    Read the full market analyses and follow monthly ranking updates on the Speedtest Global Index. Want to see how your internet speeds compare? Take a Speedtest® now.

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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 27, 2021

Oslo Tops the List of World Capitals with the Fastest 5G in Q1-Q2 2021

Global Speeds

Mobile operators are rapidly expanding 5G deployments across the globe, with 16,410 new 5G deployments across 109 countries added to the Ookla 5G Map™ in June 2021 alone. Huge investments in 5G are being made to increase performance, especially in major cities. We used Speedtest Intelligence® to see which world capitals have the best 5G speeds and availability, based on locations with commercially available 5G during Q1-Q2 2021.

Oslo, Norway was the fastest world capital for 5G during Q1-Q2 2021

ookla_fastest_5g_download_speed_world_capitals_0721

The race for fastest 5G performance among world capitals was extremely competitive during Q1-Q2 2021. Oslo, Norway had the fastest 5G of any world capital, clocking in with a median download speed of 526.74 Mbps. Seoul, South Korea had the second fastest median download speed over 5G at 467.84 Mbps; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates was third (421.26 Mbps); Doha, Qatar fourth (413.40 Mbps) and Stockholm, Sweden fifth (401.30 Mbps). Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (384.66 Mbps); Kuwait City, Kuwait (338.97 Mbps), Muscat, Oman (318.95 Mbps); Beijing, China (291.19 Mbps); and Taipei, Taiwan (287.86 Mbps); rounded out the top 10. Helsinki, Finland showed a median 5G download speed of 279.59 Mbps; Sofia, Bulgaria 260.55 Mbps; Canberra, Australia 258.39 Mbps; Bangkok, Thailand 253.73 Mbps; Manama, Bahrain 249.71; Dublin, Ireland 223.01; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 209.98 Mbps; Paris, France 208.48 Mbps and Bucharest, Romania 203.44 Mbps.

We saw median 5G download speeds between 150 Mbps and 200 Mbps in the following world capitals during Q1-Q2 2021: Ottawa, Canada (196.11 Mbps); Hanoi, Vietnam (195.99 Mbps); Bratislava, Slovakia (188.23 Mbps); Madrid, Spain (183.37 Mbps); Bern, Switzerland (175.69 Mbps); Rome, Italy (171.79 Mbps); London, United Kingdom (167.50 Mbps); Tokyo, Japan (167.02 Mbps); Athens, Greece (164.95 Mbps); Copenhagen, Denmark (162.75 Mbps); Ljubljana, Slovenia (158.50 Mbps); Hong Kong (153.78) and Washington, D.C., United States (151.80 Mbps).

Cape Town, South Africa was the slowest world capital for 5G in Q1-Q2 2021

ookla_slowest_5g_download_speed_world_capitals_0721

Speedtest Intelligence shows Capetown, South Africa had the slowest median download speed over 5G during Q1-Q2 2021 at 53.33 Mbps. Other world capitals with slower median 5G download speeds included: Brasilia, Brazil (62.18 Mbps); San Juan, Puerto Rico (72.59 Mbps); Warsaw, Poland (80.18 Mbps); Singapore (111.20 Mbps); Manila, Philippines (112.23 Mbps); Prague, Czechia (116.30 Mbps); Budapest, Hungary (137.54 Mbps); Amsterdam, Netherlands (139.75 Mbps); Zagreb, Croatia (140.92 Mbps); Vienna, Austria (144.93 Mbps); Jerusalem, Israel (145.17 Mbps); and Berlin, Germany (148.16 Mbps).

Capitals not mentioned on either of these lists did not have sufficient 5G samples during Q1-Q2 2021 to be included in this report.

The fastest 5G speeds are yet to come

5G is rapidly improving across the world and we’re eager to see how countries, cities and operators continue to perform during Q3 2021 and beyond. If you want to see how your 5G network performs against these benchmarks, please download the Android or iOS app, and take a Speedtest®. Learn more about 5G provider performance in select cities here, and visit the Ookla 5G MapTM to see which providers are offering 5G in your area.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on July 28 to reorganize the content for clarity.

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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon