Tag: Australia

Ookla Research™ Articles
| March 12, 2025

Cyclone Alfred Tests the Resilience of Telecom Infrastructure in Queensland, Australia

Network Resilience

Ex-cyclone caused widespread power outages across south Queensland and north New South Wales, putting the focus on Australian network resilience and the efforts of local government, utilities and telecom operators in restoring power and connectivity.

South Queensland and north New South Wales are in recovery mode after ex-cyclone Alfred made landfall over the weekend, leading to widespread flooding and power outages and severely impacted the availability and performance of telecom networks across the region. While the recovery effort is underway, we examine the impact of the ex-cyclone on Speedtest users in the region. Australia is an interesting case.

Key Takeaways:

  • Cyclone Alfred triggered a severe decline in mobile performance across all operators in Queensland. On the day the storm made landfall (early on March 8th local time), we saw a substantial uptick in outages reported on Downdetector across all mobile operators and the National Broadband Network (NBN), while median mobile download speeds declined strongly – Telstra’s dipped from 111.33 Mbps on Thursday March 6th, to a low of 51.76 Mbps on March 8th, with significant declines also observed for Optus and Vodafone.
  • Network hardening efforts and cyclone predictability appear to have helped reduce the impact on network infrastructure. In contrast to other major weather events that have impacted telecom networks, for example Storm Éowyn in Ireland and the UK, network performance in Queensland has shown a somewhat milder impact, and started to rebound quicker. The impact in Ireland was greater — with over 725,000 premises affected vs. over 450,000 in Queensland — but the predictable arrival of the cyclone combined with the targeted grant funding as part of the Mobile Network Hardening program likely played a role in Queensland ability to rebound. The program, currently in its third stage, specifically targets improved resilience and response to network outages from natural disasters.
  • The resulting impact on Starlink’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) service underscores user needs during severe network outages, and reinforces the importance of direct-to-cellular (D2C ) satellite services in outage scenarios. Cyclone Alfred reinforced the importance of planned D2C services as a “game changer,” in ensuring the continuity of connectivity during natural disasters, especially for a market such as Australia, with low population density and vast stretches of rural black spots. This comes hot on the heels of a recent government announcement that mobile operators will need to cover the bulk of the Australian continent by 2027 with voice, SMS and emergency service, as part of as revised Universal Service Obligation. Starlink Speedtest samples climbed by 166% on the day cyclone Alfred made landfall, and performance deteriorated under increased demand, highlighting the severity of the telecoms infrastructure disruptions as consumers scrambled to troubleshoot issues and turned to alternative connectivity solutions such as satellite.

Regional energy grid operator Energex, which manages the electricity grid in the parts of south Queensland hardest hit by the cyclone, reported “the greatest number of power outages in Queensland history caused by a natural disaster,” with more than 450,000 premises affected. Recovery efforts have proceeded rapidly, with 392,000 premises back online as of Wednesday March 12th. Energex forecasted that theremaining customers in the more challenging locations will have power restored by March 16th.

This cyclone, the first to hit this far south since Tropical Cyclone Zoe in 1974, has reinforced the importance of recent measures to ensure adequate communication with customers around network outages, introduced at the end of last year by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). While outages linked to natural disasters are currently excluded from the ACMA’s rules, it has indicated it is set to examine how to incorporate these kinds of outages in future, but with a view to avoiding impact on critical communications from emergency services. In the meantime, it is clear that the Australian network operators have really stepped up their communications during the outage, and have quickly moved to start restoring connectivity to affected areas. The relatively predictable path and timing of this cyclone has aided preparatory efforts.

Downdetector users highlight the impact of Cyclone Alfred across fixed and mobile services

Analysis of Downdetector® data highlights the uptick in outage reports as Cyclone Alfred made landfall, and began to disrupt the power grid and impact telecommunications infrastructure early on Saturday local time. While Telstra saw the highest number of outage reports, Optus, Vodafone and the NBN also saw spikes in user outage reports, which as of Tuesday, March 11th had still not returned to their pre-cyclone values.

Cyclone Alfred Triggers Surge in Downdetector Network Outage Reports
Downdetector® | March 2025

Mobile users in Queensland see marked declines across all performance metrics, with network impacts continuing

The impact of the cyclone has been significant across all network operators. Optus noted a total of 419 mobile sites down, with just over 60% of those restored as of 8am AEDT on March 12th, via a combination of generators, and satellite-powered mobile base stations (SatCats). At the same time, Vodafone reported they had restored power to more than 100 mobile sites, but that 117 remained without power, of which only 15 lacked overlapping coverage. In addition, Telstra noted on X that it had been able to bring 85% of its impacted mobile sites back online as of the same timeline. The NBN, the national wholesale provider which manages the fixed broadband access infrastructure across Australia, mapped out a peak of 252,000 of its connections (both wired and FWA) impacted by the cyclone on Sunday March 9th, which by March 11th had fallen to 147,000. Network outages such as these present a dual strain: increased network load as fixed broadband outages shift traffic to mobile infrastructure, and a diminished mobile site grid due to power outages at mobile sites. Together, these factors significantly degrade mobile network performance, reducing overall network availability and pushing more subscribers into the cell edge, or into overlapping cells which will tend to have poorer performance.

Analysis of Speedtest Intelligence® data highlights the significant impact of Cyclone Alfred on mobile network performance in Queensland. Download and upload speeds have witnesses sustained declines, accompanied by increased latency and jitter across all operators in the state. While some recovery has been observed from Sunday (March 9th) onwards, all performance metrics remain materially below pre-storm levels. Outages such as this will reinforce calls for greater national roaming provision and mutual assistance in the event of outages, as outlined in the recommendations of a Parliamentary report presented following the review of Optus’ major network outage in November 2023.

Cyclone Alfred Blows Down Mobile Performance in Queensland Across All Metrics and Operators
Speedtest Intelligence® | March 2025

In addition to a decline in metrics like Consistency—designed to measure the proportion of Speedtest samples reflecting a consistent quality of experience (QoE)—the storm-induced network disruptions led to a substantial increase in failed or partially completed Speedtest sessions across all operators on the day of the storm. Similarly, the severe decline in 10th percentile performance—where aggregate download speeds fell, from a high of 9.10 Mbps on March 4th, to a low of 2.56 Mbps on March 8th. 10th percentile upload speeds plummeted to a low of just 0.24 Mbps, while latency rocketed to 293 ms—highlighting the extent of performance degradation experienced by mobile users at the bottom end of the scale.

Cyclone Alfred Triggers Deterioration in Consistency Across All Operators
Speedtest Intelligence® | March 2025

LEO satellites pick up some of the slack

While significant amounts of fixed traffic will have migrated to mobile as power outages occurred, and where mobile signal was still available, we also witnessed an uptick in Starlink Speedtest samples during the ex-cylone’s passage across southern Queensland. Starlink samples hit a high on Sunday March 9th, representing an increase of 166% over samples observed at the start of March. This additional demand on the service pushed performance levels down, hitting a low of 47.11 Mbps median download speed, but recovering swiftly afterwards.

Starlink Performance During Cyclone Alfred – Queensland
Speedtest Intelligence® | March 2025

Starlink’s performance here is interesting to observe in light of the recent Australian government announcement that all mobile providers in the country should provide near nationwide coverage for voice and SMS and Triple Zero (emergency) services by 2027, as part of the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO), itself part of an updated Universal Service Obligation (USO). D2C services via LEO satellites are imminent in the country, with both Telstra and Optus having inked deals with Starlink, while Vodafone (TPG Group) has an agreement in place with Lynk Global. We will continue to monitor network resilience around the world in the face of severe network outages, and highlight best practice. For more information on how Downdetector and Speedtest can help respond to outages, detect areas of poor performance and optimise networks, please contact us.

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 Resilience

About the Author

Mark Giles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 20, 2021

Starlink Expands but Q3 2021 Performance Flattens in Some Areas

Network Evolution


Satellite internet is making headlines across the globe as Starlink continues to launch service in new countries and Viasat plans to acquire Inmarsat. We’re here to check in on our ongoing series on satellite internet performance around the globe with fresh data from Q3 2021 to see if Starlink’s performance is holding up and how satellite internet compares to fixed broadband in 12 countries.

United States: Starlink fastest, speeds decreasing

Consumers in the U.S. looking to use satellite service to connect to the internet will find that performance was mostly flat when comparing Q3 2021 to Q2 2021. Starlink’s median download speed decreased from 97.23 Mbps during Q2 2021 to 87.25 Mbps in Q3 2021, which could be a function of adding more customers. HughesNet followed distantly at 19.30 Mbps (comparable to the 19.73 Mbps we saw in Q2 2021) and Viasat third at 18.75 Mbps (18.13 Mbps in Q2 2021). For comparison, the median download speed for all fixed broadband providers in the U.S. during Q3 2021 was 119.84 Mbps (115.22 Mbps in Q2 2021).

ookla_satellite-performance_us_1221-01-1

Starlink’s median upload speed of 13.54 Mbps (down from 13.89 Mbps in Q2 2021) was much closer to that on all fixed broadband (18.03 Mbps in Q3 2021 and 17.18 Mbps in Q2 2021). Viasat and HughesNet followed at 2.96 Mbps (3.38 Mbps in Q2 2021) and 2.54 Mbps (2.43 Mbps in Q2 2021), respectively.
As we saw last quarter, Starlink, which uses low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, was the only satellite internet provider with a median latency anywhere near that seen on fixed broadband in Q3 2021 (44 ms and 15 ms, respectively). Viasat and HughesNet, which both utilize higher “geosynchronous” orbits, had median latencies of 629 ms and 744 ms, respectively.

Starlink performance varies at the county level

We saw sufficient samples during Q3 2021 to analyze Starlink performance in 304 counties in the U.S. While there was about a 100 Mbps range in performance between the county with the fastest median download speed (Santa Fe County, New Mexico at 146.58 Mbps) and the county with the slowest median download speed (Drummond Township, Michigan at 46.63 Mbps), even the lower-end speeds are well above the FCC’s Baseline performance tier of at least a 25 Mbps download speed.

ookla_united_states_median_download_starlink_map_1221g-01-1

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 analysis on satellite performance in Australia and Belgium this quarter.

Australia: Starlink outperformed Viasat and fixed broadband average

Starlink radically outperformed Viasat in Australia during Q3 2021 with a median download speed of 138.12 Mbps to Viasat’s 15.60 Mbps. Starlink also outpaced Viasat for median upload speed at 22.63 Mbps and 1.04 Mbps, respectively. Compared to the median download speed over all fixed broadband of 51.17 Mbps, Starlink could be an attractive alternative to traditional fixed broadband on all levels except latency where Starlink showed 42 ms vs. 10 ms for all fixed broadband combined.

ookla_satellite-performance_au_1221-01-1

Belgium: Starlink dramatically faster than fixed broadband

Starlink’s median download speed of 127.46 Mbps during Q3 2021 was dramatically faster than the country’s median download for all fixed broadband of 72.90 Mbps. At 16.73 Mbps, Starlink’s median upload speed was only slightly slower than the overall median of 17.98 Mbps. However, Starlink’s 49 ms latency was higher than the country’s average of 13 ms. Starlink was the only satellite internet provider with adequate samples to analyze in Belgium during Q3 2021.

ookla_satellite-performance_be_1221-01

Brazil: Viasat close to national average

Viasat’s median download speed in Brazil improved to 66.32 Mbps during Q3 2021 (up from 60.30 Mbps in Q2 2021. This was close to the national median for fixed broadband of 71.50 Mbps. Viasat’s median upload speed (1.06 Mbps) was much slower, however, than that on fixed broadband (36.37 Mbps), and Viasat’s latency was much higher (615 ms vs 6 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_br_1221-01-1

Canada: Starlink performance relatively flat

Our previous article showed that Starlink’s median download speed exceeded that of fixed broadband in Canada during Q2 2021 (86.92 Mbps vs. 84.24 Mbps). In Q3 2021, Starlink’s median download speed decreased slightly to 84.55 Mbps while that over all fixed broadband increased to 90.67 Mbps. This is in line with what we expect to see on new technologies as additional users are added to a system. Starlink’s median upload speed was slower than fixed broadband (13.87 Mbps vs. 20.67 Mbps). Latency on Starlink was much higher (56 ms vs. 12 ms). Starlink is still a viable alternative to fixed broadband in Canada, especially for consumers without access to other options.

ookla_satellite-performance_ca_1221-01-1

Starlink faster than overall fixed broadband in 5 provinces

Starlink showed enough samples to analyze performance in nine out of 10 provinces in Canada during Q3 2021. Starlink’s Q3 2021 median download speed was faster than the median for all fixed broadband in five provinces: Manitoba (81.04 Mbps vs. 65.91 Mbps), Nova Scotia (109.60 Mbps vs. 99.82 Mbps), Prince Edward Island (118.02 Mbps vs. 46.86 Mbps), Quebec (92.59 Mbps vs. 72.07 Mbps) and Saskatchewan (97.67 Mbps vs. 57.59 Mbps). Download speeds were comparable between Starlink and overall fixed broadband in New Brunswick (104.56 Mbps vs. 104.28 Mbps), and overall fixed broadband was faster than Starlink in Alberta (92.65 Mbps vs. 82.48 Mbps), British Columbia (111.36 Mbps vs. 87.34 Mbps) and Ontario (86.26 Mbps vs. 79.54 Mbps).

ookla_canada_median_download_starlink_map_1221g-01

Chile: HughesNet slower than fixed broadband average

HughesNet was hard pressed to compete with Chile’s fixed broadband, which ranked fourth in the world during October 2021. HughesNet showed a 15.21 Mbps median download speed compared during Q3 2021 with the country’s fixed broadband average of 133.81 Mbps during the same period. Median upload speeds also showed a wide gap (3.50 Mbps for HughesNet to 62.18 Mbps on fixed broadband), and HughesNet’s latency was very high (626 ms vs. 8 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_cl_1221-01-1

Colombia: HughesNet slow but improving

HughesNet’s median download speed increased in Q3 2021 to 12.12 Mbps (up from 9.28 Mbps during Q2 2021), compared with Colombia’s 46.08 Mbps for fixed broadband overall (35.90 Mbps in Q2 2021). Median upload speed was also slower using the satellite internet provider (3.05 Mbps) than fixed broadband (10.50 Mbps), and latency was much higher on satellite (753 ms vs. 15 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_co_1221-01-1

France: Starlink speeds decreasing, remains faster than fixed broadband average

Starlink users in France saw a median download speed of 102.15 Mbps in Q3 2021 (down from 139.39 Mbps in Q2 2021, likely due to increased usage). Starlink’s download speed easily beat the country-wide median for fixed broadband of 75.47 Mbps (up from 70.81 Mbps in Q2 2021). Starlink’s upload speed during Q3 2021 was slower than the fixed broadband median (19.84 Mbps vs. 56.66 Mbps), and Starlink’s latency was higher (54 ms vs. 13 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_fr_1221-01

Germany: Starlink faster than country average for fixed broadband

Starlink’s median download speed in Germany of 95.40 Mbps was much faster than the country median of 60.99 Mbps during Q3 2021. Starlink was slightly slower for upload speed than overall fixed broadband (17.63 Mbps vs. 21.05 Mbps) and Starlink showed a higher latency (45 ms vs. 15 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_de_1221-01-1

Mexico: Viasat faster than HughesNet for downloads

Viasat, with a median download speed of 14.94 Mbps during Q3 2021 (up from 13.95 Mbps in Q2 2021), was faster than HughesNet (10.64 Mbps in Q3 2021, down from 11.92 Mbps in Q2 2021) but slower than the country’s median for fixed broadband (33.14 Mbps in Q3 2021, 29.99 Mbps in Q2 2021). HughesNet was slightly faster than Viasat for upload speed during Q3 2021 (3.21 Mbps vs. 2.03 Mbps). While Viasat’s latency was high (675 ms vs 12 ms for fixed broadband), it was lower than HughesNet’s (748 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_mx_1221-01-1

New Zealand: Starlink slowed slightly, remained faster than fixed broadband average

Starlink’s Q3 2021 median download speed (120.10 Mbps, down from 127.02 Mbps in Q2 2021, likely due to increased usage) was much faster than New Zealand’s median fixed broadband download speed (84.98 in Q3 2021 up from 78.85 Mbps in Q2 2021). Starlink was slower than New Zealand’s overall fixed broadband for Q3 2021 upload speed (16.87 Mbps vs. 23.62 Mbps). While Starlink’s median latency improved from 101 ms in Q2 2021 to 81 ms in Q3 2021, it was still slower than New Zealand’s median for all fixed broadband of 7 ms during Q3 2021.

ookla_satellite-performance_nz_1221-01-1

United Kingdom: Starlink nearly twice as fast as fixed broadband average

Starlink showed a much faster median download speed in the U.K. during Q3 2021 (111.66 Mbps, up from 108.30 Mbps in Q2 2021) than the country’s median for fixed broadband (53.16 Mbps in Q3 2021, up from 50.14 Mbps in Q2 2021). Starlink’s upload speed was comparable to the median for all fixed broadband in the U.K. (16.02 Mbps vs. 15.77 Mbps), and the latency was pretty good, given the distance traveled (37 ms vs. 15 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_uk_1221-01-1

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.

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

Isla McKetta

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
| December 22, 2024

Ringing in the New Year - How do 5G Networks Cope Under Stress?

Analyst Download

5G Networks Support NYE Festivities Across Major Cities

Major events present a unique challenge for mobile networks, particularly sporting events where users congregate in concentrated numbers, and where sharing of video to social media, and to friends and family is a key use case. Ringing in the New Year is another case in point – for many years network operators published statistics on the number of voice calls made, messages sent, and the amount of data traffic their networks handled. While the rise of over-the-top (OTT) communications platforms such as WhatsApp have put a damper on these press releases, there remains a sizeable impact on operators’ networks. For example, Belgian operator Proximus noted a 95% increase in mobile data traffic on New Year’s Eve in 2023 compared to 2022. The trend isn’t uniform across markets, with Australia’s Telstra consistently seeing lower data usage on New Year’s Eve, with its customers using 30% less data than average, according to a news source. What is clear is that the New Year presents network operators with the challenge of serving sufficient bandwidth to customers attending major New Year celebrations, allowing them to share the moment, but also to support the mass wishing of “Happy New Year” across a variety of channels.

We reviewed Speedtest Intelligence data for New Year’s Eve 2023/24, to analyse how 5G networks coped with the surge in demand and change in traffic patterns at New Year, across a selection of major cities featuring some of the largest New Year celebrations around the globe. We focused in on median performance alongside the 10th percentile, in order to evaluate the spread of performance from the median user to those experiencing more challenging network conditions which would impact their experience at New Year.

Worst 10% of Speedtest samples reveal network challenges

We zeroed in on 5G upload performance first. Network operators universally allocate more spectral capacity to the downlink, as most mobile use cases lean more heavily on downloading data to the end-user device. However, the usage profile at the New Year is different, with video sharing, video streaming and calling, as well as uploading content to social media, more prevalent. These are all activities that are supported by uplink from the device.

Our data shows a significant gap between upload performance for the median user, and those in the lower 10th percentile – those experiencing the worst 10% of performance samples. Half the cities in our analysis recorded 10th percentile upload performance of less than 1 Mbps, with speeds ranging from 0.30 Mbps in Berlin, to 6.09 Mbps in Dubai. These sub-par speeds make it nearly impossible to upload photos or videos.

User Experience – Assessing the Worst 10% of Performance Samples on New Year's Eve
Speedtest data, New Year's Eve 23/24, 8pm – 1am

It was a similar picture for New Year revellers based on download speeds and latency. Despite more capacity being allocated to the downlink, performance for the lowest 10% of samples tumbled significantly compared to the median experience, with cities in APAC (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Sydney and Tokyo) in particular suffering, recording 10th percentile 5G download speeds of less than 10 Mbps. Latency was more of a mixed story across cities. At one end of the scale, Tokyo recorded a variance in latency between the median and 90th percentile (the worst 10% of latency samples) of just 19 ms, while Sydney saw a much wider gap of almost 200 ms. At 200 ms of latency users are likely to experience frustratingly slow loading times, unresponsive applications, and poor video quality.

Our data also showed the degree to which New Year usage pulled down 5G performance for the worst 10% of samples. New York, and cities in Europe saw less of an impact at New Year’s Eve compared to their global counterparts. Berlin, London, New York and Paris saw 5G download speeds for 10th percentile drop by between 1.13 Mbps and 6.88 Mbps. In contrast, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Sydney saw performance drop by between 15.13 Mbps and 21.44 Mbps. Dubai and Rio de Janeiro recorded the largest variance, however with faster 5G speeds they still outpaced the remaining markets by a significant margin. Upload performance for the worst 10% of samples followed a similar trend to download, however latency performance was more varied. Berlin, Dubai, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo saw very little difference between New Year Eve latency performance and the Q4 2023 average. However, Paris, Hong Kong and London saw an increase in latency for the worst 10% off samples of between 22 ms and 36 ms, while Bangkok and Sydney fared worst, with an increase of 61 ms and 171 ms respectively.

Impact of New Year's Eve Traffic on Users With the Worst 10% of Samples
Speedtest data, Q4 2023 vs New Year's Eve 23/24, 8pm – 1am

Addressing network pain points

Addressing network pain points for users affected by poor performance in dense urban areas is a challenging task. For major events like the recent Paris Olympics, which we reported on earlier this year, network operators will typically deploy temporary network assets such as cells on wheels (CoWs) to add extra network capacity, which can then be removed once the event concludes. Network operators can also look to build private networks, to provide dedicated capacity to support the operations of the event, including routing traffic for broadcasting purposes. However, city authorities also have an important role to play here, as highlighted in our recent whitepaper with Dublin City Council and the City Telecoms Association. Having a holistic view of network performance and its evolution across a city, as well as international benchmarks, provides city authorities with the data and insights to engage more constructively with network operators and regulators, and help introduce more effective policies to deliver meaningful change for end-users. We’ll continue to benchmark and report on city and state performance, based on Speedtest Intelligence data. For more information, please contact us.

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.

Analyst Download

About the Author

Mark Giles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 14, 2020

The Most Significant Online Service Outages in Q2 2020

Downdetector

“Try again later” was a phrase that frustrated users all over the world during the multiple online service outages in Q2 2020. This article is the third installment in our quarterly series tracking the most significant web and online service outages. Analyzing Downdetector® data from Q2 2020, we focused on user-reported service disruptions in five categories: social media, communications service providers, collaboration platforms, gaming and financial institutions.

Social media

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Snapchat (April 8, 2020): 93,671 reports at peak

Snapchat users began to report problems with the mobile app early on April 8. At the peak of outage reports, there were 93,671 reported issues in the U.S in one 15-minute period. User reports rolled in over a total period of approximately two hours. Users in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands also reported problems with Snapchat during the same time period.

TikTok (May 6, 2020): 49,701 reports at peak

Many U.S. and U.K. users of the popular video-based social media platform struggled to log into their accounts on May 6. Over 49,000 users in the U.S. reported problems logging in, viewing and uploading videos to TikTok that evening.

Tinder (June 12, 2020): 6,967 reports at peak

Users of the mobile dating app Tinder rushed to Downdetector when they encountered problems logging in, sending and receiving messages on the morning of June 12. Almost 7,000 users from the U.S. reported problems with the app, and issues were also reported in the U.K. and Germany.

Communications service providers

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T-Mobile (June 15, 2020): 113,980 reports at peak

U.S. mobile operator T-Mobile suffered a major outage on June 15. Customers reported problems with their mobile phone service, mobile internet connection and their ability to text friends and family. Reports came in over a period of almost ten hours that evening, peaking with 113,980 reports in one 15-minute period. Other mobile network operators also received a significant volume of problem reports that day as their own customers were unable to reach T-Mobile customers, leading to perceived service issues.

U.K. Mobile Operators: Virgin Media (April 27), TalkTalk (May 29) and Vodafone (June 9)

U.K. telecom providers Virgin Media, TalkTalk and Vodafone each struggled with outages in Q2 2020. Virgin Media UK customers rushed to Downdetector on April 27 when they started having problems with their service. Users reported problems throughout the day over a period of about six hours. About 77% of Downdetector reports cited a problem with their cable internet service. The outage had multiple peaks during the day, with 40,397 reports during the highest peak.

TalkTalk users reported problems with their internet connection on May 29, with a peak of 31,942 user reports. According to Downdetector data, the majority of reports came from Manchester, London, Glasgow and Birmingham.

On June 9, Vodafone UK experienced a smaller, but not insignificant outage. During the outage, 94% of Downdetector problem reports cited issues with the mobile network service. At the peak of reported issues, 9,686 Downdetector users reported problems with the network.

Telcel (May 27, 2020): 5,091 reports at peak

Customers of Mexican operator Telcel reported problems with their network on May 27. Over 5,000 reports were recorded during the peak of problem reporting, 95% of which were about Telcel’s mobile network. Most reports came from Mexico City.

Collaboration platforms

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Zoom (May 17, 2020): 7,523 reports at peak

Video conferences and virtual dates were interrupted on May 17 when Zoom experienced problems in multiple countries. Downdetector measured a peak of 7,523 user-reported issues in one 15-minute period in the U.S., but the outage was also felt in Europe. Most users reported problems with the video conferencing feature of the online service.

Slack (May 12, 2020): 4,163 reports at peak

The popular business communication provider Slack experienced a disruption in their service on May 12, with a peak of 4,163 user-reported issues in 15 minutes. Most users who reported problems on Downdetector were located in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, and Seattle. Most reports pointed to problems connecting to the online service.

Office 365 (June 14, 2020): 2,056 reports at peak

On June 14, Australian users of Microsoft’s subscription service Office 365 reported issues, with a peak of 2,056 over 15 minutes. Users were unable to log into any of the Office 365 apps and experienced problems connecting to the server. Users in New Zealand also reported issues that day.

Gaming

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Call of Duty (April 12, 2020): 46,278 reports at peak

U.S. players of Call of Duty were unable to connect to the game’s servers on April 12. Users from Dallas, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and New York City flooded Downdetector with reports when they encountered problems with the game. At the peak of Downdetector reports, more than 46,000 users reported issues.

Financial institutions

Downdetector_BBVA_Outage_0720-1

BBVA Bancomer (June 10, 2020): 1,198 reports at peak

On June 10, customers of BBVA Bancomer in Mexico reported issues with their online banking service. More than 1,000 reports were recorded at the peak of reporting, with many users unable to log in or use the app over a period of approximately four hours The majority of reported issues came from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Want to know when an online service is down? Keep up with outages by visiting Downdetector.

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.

Downdetector

About the Author

Maria Gómez

Ookla Research™ Articles
| November 18, 2020

ICYMI: Ookla Data and Research from October 2020

Global Speeds

Highlights from the Speedtest Global IndexTM

Global-Index-Tweet-Image-Oct-2020
These are the top stories from October 2020:

  • Australia is back in the top 5 for mobile for the first time since November 2019.
  • Luxembourg had a substantial rank change on mobile, moving up 11 places. This is likely due to two thirds of Luxembourg’s top providers now providing 5G.
  • The U.S. has finally broken the top thirty on mobile for the first time, coming in at 27th. Again, this is likely due to new 5G developments.
  • With Andorra’s largest fixed broadband provider offering 300 Mbps and 700 Mbps service plans, the country has seen a steady increase in monthly performance since February of this year.
  • Cyprus has seen steady increases in fixed broadband speed over the last few months, with one of the country’s top providers now offering fixed broadband plans up to 300 Mbps. The country now ranks 68th.

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Discover which online services around the world suffered the most widely reported incidents in Q3 2020 based on data from Downdetector®.

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Learn how Downdetector spots outages, assesses the geography of issues and determines how many problem reports it takes to indicate an incident with a site or online service.

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 27, 2021

5G Speeds in Australia are Almost Twice the Global Average

Global Speeds

After launching 5G in 2019, Australia now has some of the fastest mobile speeds in the world with a median 5G download speed of 283.56 Mbps during Q1 2021, nearly double the global average of 142.05 Mbps. This success is due in large part to the years Australia and its mobile operators have spent investing in 5G infrastructure across the country. Australia is primed to continue to be at the forefront of global 5G performance in the future, as well, with increases in 5G deployments and recent spectrum auctions in the works that will only expand access for Australian 5G consumers.

This article examines the state of Australia’s 5G mobile performance, including which provider has the best 5G speeds and availability, and data at the province and city-level to determine which areas are best served by 5G.

Australia has third fastest 5G among major trading partners

ookla_median_mobile_5g_speeds_australia_0421

Countries that have spent time and resources investing in mobile and 5G networks are already reaping the benefits of fast internet speeds. Among Australia’s top trading partners, we saw that South Korea had the fastest median download speed over 5G during Q1 2021, China was second and Australia third.

Australia continues to see fast median 5G download and upload speeds as it continues to build out its 5G network, though its year-over-year median 5G download speed remained remarkably flat. In comparison, China and South Korea were the only countries on this list that sustained consistent growth in median 5G download speeds over the past year. Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States saw their median 5G download speeds decline or fluctuate over the same period.

Australia has consistently ranked as a one of the speediest countries in the world for mobile download speeds. Australia ranked seventh during March 2021, according to the Speedtest Global Index™, with a median download speed over mobile of 109.33 Mbps.

Optus had the fastest median 5G download speed

ookla_median_5g_speeds_australia_top_providers_0421

The race for the fastest 5G provider is fierce throughout Australia, but Optus edged out Telstra during Q1 2021 as the fastest operator with a median download speed over 5G of 309.86 Mbps. Telstra was second with a median 5G download speed of 295.00 Mbps, while Vodafone came in third at 184.98 Mbps.

Telstra beat out Optus for fastest median upload speed over 5G during Q1 2021 with a speed of 28.27 Mbps. Optus had 21.56 Mbps and Vodafone was third at 16.70 Mbps.

Over the past several years, Australians have been enjoying some of the fastest LTE speeds available. At the tail end of 2016, Telstra became the first mobile operator in the world to launch a Gigabit-Class LTE service, aggregating three LTE component carriers coupled with 4-Layer MIMO technique and advanced modulation scheme (256 QAM). At the time, the operator was uniquely positioned to utilize multiple mid-band paired frequency division duplex (FDD) 20 MHz component carriers in the 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz ranges. This was in addition to low-band 700 MHz as well as 850 MHz spectrum assets.

Similarly, Optus has been able to efficiently leverage its combination of FDD spectrum assets for LTE service, but also holds unpaired time division duplex (TDD) licenses in the 2300 MHz band, which provides excellent capacity and is well-suited for the use of massive-MIMO and 5G.

Vodafone also holds a good mix of low- and mid-band FDD spectrum licenses ranging from 700 to 2600 MHz, which is vastly used for LTE.

Australian operators spearheading efforts to deliver outstanding 5G user experiences

Optus, in partnership with Nokia, has recently achieved a peak aggregate throughput of 10 Gbps. The company achieved this using 800 MHz of mmWave spectrum in Brisbane and aggregating it with 3.5 GHz spectrum (sub-6 GHz) and the existing LTE spectrum layers. These aggregate speeds are measured at the site level, while the current single user sub-6 GHz 5G speeds are closer to 2 Gbps, and will peak closer to 4 Gbps once the 5G mmWave layer is fully commercialized.

The Optus 5G network currently consists of two TDD dedicated swaths of spectrum in the sub-6 range (2300 MHz and 3500 MHz). For over a year now, this allowed the operator to deliver 5G using TDD+TDD aggregation to users with capable devices. This “5G Dual Band” network has been delivering impressive speeds over the past few quarters. In addition, the operator is testing FDD+TDD 5G aggregation by the way of dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) leveraging 5G FDD 2100 MHz band with 5G TDD 3.5 GHz band, which aims to extend coverage with the added benefits of 5G capacity.

Not to be outdone, Telstra has been conducting mmWave tests with Ericsson and Qualcomm, reaching single user speeds of 5 Gbps leveraging 800 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz band. A commercial rollout is expected sometimes this year following the auction of the mmWave spectrum. It’s worth noting that Australia’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications is making efforts to allocate the legacy low-band spectrum bands (850 MHz, 900 MHz) for LTE and 5G use, which should allow operators to provide a depth of broadband coverage across much wider geographies.

Telstra had the best 5G Availability

ookla_median_5g_availability_australia_top_providers_0421

5G Availability — the proportion of users spending the majority of their time on 5G connections — is a key indicator of the development of a provider’s network. In Australia during Q1 2021, the best 5G Availability wasn’t even close: Telstra showed a 5G Availability of 32.8%, which was more than double that of Optus (13.6%) and nearly 10 times that of Vodafone (3.4%).

This aligns with Telstra’s planned investments in growing its 5G network across the country. In fact, Telstra set a goal to provide 5G coverage for 75% of Australia’s population by June 2021. While it remains to be seen if they achieve that benchmark, Australians will continue to benefit from Telstra’s ambition to bring 5G to cities across the country and from the competitive pressure it surely provides.

Queensland and Victoria led 5G Availability in Australia

ookla_median_5g_availability_australia_states_0421

While Speedtest Intelligence® revealed no clear statistical winner the best state in Australia for 5G Availability, Queensland had a 5G Availability of 23.5%, Victoria had 23.3%, South Australia had 21.6%, Western Australia had 19.3% and New South Wales had 19.2%. We omitted Tasmania from this analysis as it didn’t show sufficient samples.

Melbourne had the fastest median 5G download speed in Australia

ookla_5g_download_speeds_australia_provider_map_0421-1

Speedtest Intelligence reveals Melbourne had the fastest median 5G download speed among Australia’s largest cities in Q1 2021 at 316.66 Mbps. Sydney was second (304.67 Mbps), Adelaide third (301.52 Mbps), Perth fourth (251.96 Mbps), Brisbane fifth (247.64 Mbps) and Canberra sixth (244.54 Mbps). Darwin and Hobart did not have sufficient 5G samples to rank during this period.

Telstra has the fastest median 5G download and upload speeds for Q1 2021 in Adelaide (348.57 Mbps download/35.51 Mbps upload), Brisbane (310.06 Mbps download/25.67 Mbps), and Canberra (281.98 Mbps download/22.73 Mbps upload). Optus had the fastest median 5G download speeds in Melbourne (398.87 Mbps) and Sydney (356.60 Mbps). There was not a statistical winner in Perth, though Optus attained a median 5G download speed of 262.17 Mbps while Telstra achieved 261.75 Mbps. Vodafone did not have the fastest median 5G download in any of the cities analyzed.

Brisbane and Canberra led in 5G Availability

ookla_5g_availability_australia_provider_map_0421-1

While Speedtest data did not show a clear winner for the city with the best 5G Availability, Brisbane had a 5G Availability of 32.0% and Canberra had 31.9%. Adelaide was next at 26.8%, followed by Perth (26.1%) and Melbourne (25.9%). Sydney had the lowest 5G Availability of any major Australian city at 22.8%. Darwin and Hobart were again not ranked due to insufficient samples.

As Telstra aims to provide 5G to 75% of Australia’s population, many Australians are already benefiting: Telstra had the best 5G Availability in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Optus came in second in those cities, followed by Vodafone in third. There was not a statistically significant difference in 5G Availability in Canberra and neither Darwin nor Hobart showed sufficient samples to fully analyze.

We’ll continue using data from Speedtest Intelligence to see how 5G in Australia improves with additional operator investment and how consumers benefit. If you have access to 5G in Australia, take a Speedtest® on Android or iOS to report how your operator is performing.

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

Ookla Research™ Articles
| January 18, 2022

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 41 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 41 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 41 markets:

Africa and the Middle East

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

Asia and Oceania

China | Hong Kong (SAR) | New Zealand | Philippines | Singapore
Taiwan | Thailand | Vietnam

Europe

Austria | Belgium | Czechia | Denmark | Estonia
Finland| France | Germany | Hungary | Luxembourg
Malta | Poland | Slovakia | Spain

North and South America

Argentina | Brazil | Canada | Chile | Colombia
Ecuador | Guatemala | Mexico | Peru | United States

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria

  • Mobile provider Ooredoo had the highest Speed Score™ (25.05) and Consistency Score™ (82.0%) in Algeria during Q4 2021.
  • Apple devices were the fastest devices in Algeria during Q4 2021, achieving a mean download speed of 26.44 Mbps.
  • Xiaomi’s Redmi K40 5G and Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G took the top spots among popular devices with mean download speeds at 35.71 Mbps and 35.40 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.

Jordan

  • Speedtest Intelligence found Umniah was once again the fastest mobile operator in Jordan during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 34.82.
  • Umniah also had the highest Consistency Score at 94.2% during Q4 2021.
  • For the third quarter in a row, fixed broadband provider Orange held the fastest Speed Score at 81.62 during Q4 2021.
  • Fixed broadband provider DAMAMAX had the highest Consistency Score at 86.2% during Q4 2021.
  • Among popular mobile devices in Jordan, Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G edged out the iPhone 12 5G for fastest median download at 38.91 Mbps to 38.35 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.
  • Amman had the fastest median fixed broadband and mobile download speeds among Jordan’s most populous cities at 57.31 Mbps and 19.99 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.

Kenya

  • Mobile provider Safaricom had the highest mobile Speed Score (29.67) in Kenya during Q4 2021.
  • Airtel edged out Safaricom for highest mobile Consistency Score (83.1%) during Q4 2021.
  • For fixed broadband, Faiba had the highest Speed Score (28.58) and Consistency Score (52.0%) in Kenya for the third quarter in a row during Q4 2021.
  • Apple took four out of the top five spots among popular devices in Kenya during Q4 2021, with the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G achieving the highest mean download speed at 39.19 Mbps.
  • Mombasa had the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds among Kenya’s most populous cities at 30.32 Mbps and 17.05 Mbps, respectively.
  • Mombasa also had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed at 22.91 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Morocco

  • Mobile operator Maroc Telecom achieved the highest Speed Score (67.26) and Consistency Score (93.4%) during Q4 2021, both increases from Q3 2021 results.
  • Salé (44.92 Mbps), Marrakesh (44.32 Mbps) and Fes (43.57 Mbps) took the top spots for fastest mean mobile download speeds among Morocco’s most populous cities during Q4 2021.

Nigeria

  • For the fourth quarter in a row, mobile provider Airtel had the fastest Speed Score in Nigeria at 35.35 during Q4 2021 — a slight increase from 33.43 during Q3 2021.
  • Airtel maintained the top spot for highest Consistency Score on mobile during Q4 2021 at 87.5% to MTN’s 85.8%.
  • Fixed broadband provider ipNX once again had the fastest Speed Score (22.05) and highest Consistency Score (42.8%) in Nigeria during Q4 2021.
  • The iPhone 12 Pro 5G was the fastest popular device in Nigeria during Q4 2021, achieving a mean download speed of 47.20 Mbps.
  • Kano retained the top spot among Nigeria’s most populous cities for fastest mean mobile download speed at 29.35 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Qatar

  • Ooredoo had the fastest Speed Score over mobile in Qatar for the third quarter in a row at 156.85 during Q4 2021.
  • 5G performance in Qatar was extremely competitive with Vodafone overtaking Ooredoo for the fastest median 5G download speed during Q4 2021 at 421.42 Mbps to Ooredoo’s 390.59 Mbps.
  • Vodafone had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Qatar at 93.2%, beating out Ooredoo’s 87.7% during Q4 2021.
  • Ooredoo had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score at 77.45 and highest Consistency Score at 81.1% in Qatar during Q4 2021.
  • Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max beat out the iPhone 13 Pro for fastest popular device in Qatar during Q4 2021 with a median download speed of 431.49 Mbps to 399.06 Mbps, respectively. All top five devices during Q4 2021 achieved median download speeds greater than 240 Mbps.
  • Al Khor once again had the fastest median mobile download speed among Qatar’s most populous cities at 137.43 Mbps during Q4 2021 .
  • Umm Salal Muhammed had the fastest fixed broadband download speeds in Qatar at 90.79 Mbps during Q4 2021.

South Africa

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows Cool Ideas had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score (54.46) and highest Consistency Score (73.0%) for the second quarter in a row during Q4 2021.
  • Among mobile operators, MTN had the fastest Speed Score (65.21) and highest Consistency Score (89.1%) during Q4 2021.
  • Apple devices had the fastest combined median download speed in South Africa at 37.98 Mbps and fastest median upload speed at 7.66 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro Max took top honors as the fastest popular device in South Africa during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 97.59 Mbps, much faster than the Q3 2021 winning speed of 79.56 Mbps.

Tunisia

  • During Q4 2021, Ooredoo achieved the highest mobile Speed Score in Tunisia at 51.46, a slight increase from Q3 2021.
  • Tunisie Telecom had the highest fixed broadband Speed Score in Tunisia at 10.70 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest mean download speed in Tunisia among popular devices at 77.55 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Among popular chipsets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X60 5G had the fastest mean download speed in Tunisia at 77.08 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Gabes and Kairouan had the fastest mean mobile download speeds among Tunisia’s most populous cities at 50.78 Mbps and 50.47 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.

Turkey

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed mobile provider Turkcell had the highest Speed Score and Consistency Score in Turkey during Q4 2021 at 71.49 and 94.6%, respectively. Both scores were slight increases from Q3 2021.
  • For fixed broadband in Turkey, TurkNet had the highest Speed Score (44.60) and Consistency Score (75.0%) during Q4 2021.
  • Istanbul had the fastest mean fixed broadband and mobile download speed among Turkey’s most populous cities at 53.29 Mbps and 54.05 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.
  • Among top device manufacturers, Apple beat out Samsung for fastest mean download speed in Turkey at 59.20 Mbps to 45.02 Mbps, respectively, both slight increases from Q3 2021.

Asia and Oceania

China

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, China Telecom was the fastest fixed broadband provider in China during Q4 2021 with a Speed Score of 152.31, a moderate gain over Q3 2021.
  • On mobile, China Mobile achieved the highest Speed Score (161.10) and Consistency Score (92.9%) among China’s top providers during Q4 2021 — both increases from Q3 2021.
  • During Q4 2021, China Telecom achieved the fastest median 5G download speed at 300.00 Mbps, ahead of China Mobile (295.44 Mbps) and China Unicom (287.73 Mbps).
  • Among top device manufacturers, Huawei had the fastest median download speed at 130.28 Mbps in China during Q4 2021 — a substantial gain over Q3 2021’s top speed of 96.66 Mbps. Oppo followed at 103.57 Mbps, then Apple (101.52 Mbps), Vivo (98.26 Mbps) and OnePlus (94.78 Mbps).
  • Among popular devices in China, Huawei’s Mate 40 Pro 5G edged out Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max for the fastest median download speed during Q4 2021 at 284.81 Mbps to 270.06 Mbps. All five top devices achieved download speeds above 250 Mbps.
  • During Q4 2021, MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 5G chipset had the fastest median download speed in China at 291.77 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Tianjin once again had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed among China’s most populous cities at 247.84 Mbps, a moderate rise from its Q3 2021 results.
  • Tianjin also had the fastest median mobile download speed among China’s most populous cities at 139.19 Mbps during Q4 2021, edging out Shenzhen’s 130.27 Mbps. Across all major cities, there was a noticeable rise in speeds from Q3 2021 results.

Hong Kong (SAR)

  • China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest mobile operator in Hong Kong for the fourth quarter in a row, earning a Speed Score of 84.79 in Q4 2021, a moderate increase from Q3 2021.
  • China Mobile Hong Kong once again showed the fastest 5G download speed, achieving a median speed of 179.20 Mbps during Q4 2021, a decline from its Q3 2021 results. Mobile provider 3 followed at 169.40 Mbps, then SmarTone at 148.15 Mbps and csl at 127.24 Mbps.
  • Among top device manufacturers in Hong Kong during Q4 2021, Apple overtook Samsung for fastest median download speed 50.30 Mbps to 45.20 Mbps.
  • During Q4 2021, the iPhone 13 Pro Max retained the top spot among popular devices in Hong Kong with a median download speed of 128.22 Mbps.
  • Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X60 5G was the fastest chipset in Hong Kong for median download speed at 114.13 Mbps during Q4 2021.

New Zealand

  • During Q4 2021, Vodafone was the fastest mobile operator in New Zealand, earning a Speed Score of 83.72, a moderate increase from Q3 2021.
  • Vodafone also achieved the fastest median 5G download speed in New Zealand at 344.06 Mbps during Q4 2021, an increase from Q3 2021. Spark followed at 298.85 Mbps.
  • For fixed broadband, MyRepublic blazed ahead in New Zealand with a Speed Score of 233.83 during Q4 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in New Zealand at 193.18 during Q4 2021, a huge increase over Q3 2021’s top speed of 92.26 Mbps.
  • Among popular device manufacturers, Apple took the top spot for the fastest median download speed in New Zealand at 51.64 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Hamilton overtook Christchurch for the fastest median mobile download speed at 80.98 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Wellington took the top spot for fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speed at 133.59 Mbps and 84.21 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.

Philippines

  • During Q4 2021, Smart had the highest Speed Score (68.78) among top mobile operators in the Philippines, a moderate increase from Q3 2021.
  • Smart also had the fastest median 5G download speed in the Philippines during Q4 2021 at 220.89 Mbps, much faster than Globe’s 117.93 Mbps.
  • Competition for the fastest popular device wasn’t close during Q4 2021, with the iPhone 13 Pro Max dominating the closest competitor — the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G — for fastest median download at 113.82 Mbps to 78.89 Mbps.
  • Caloocan retained top spot for fastest median download speed among the Philippines’ most populous cities at 25.24 Mbps during Q4 2021, a slight increase from its top speed in Q3 2021 of 22.05 Mbps.

Singapore

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows MyRepublic overtook ViewQuest as the fastest fixed broadband provider in Singapore in Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 258.01 to ViewQuest’s 254.53.
  • Singtel was the fastest mobile provider in Singapore during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 113.80, a moderate increase from its Q3 2021 Speed Score of 99.74.
  • Singtel also blazed ahead of the competition for fastest median 5G download speed in Singapore at 289.01 Mbps during Q4 2021 — a notable rise from its median 5G download speed of 248.45 during Q3 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Singapore during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 138.40 Mbps.
  • Apple beat out Samsung for fastest device manufacturer in Singapore during Q4 2021, with Apple devices achieving a median download speed of 75.81 Mbps to Samsung’s 64.68 Mbps.

Taiwan

  • During Q4 2021, Chunghwa Telecom had the fastest median 5G download speed in Taiwan at 429.63 Mbps. FarEasTone followed at 309.35 Mbps, then Taiwan Mobile (285.05 Mbps), GT (242.23 Mbps) and TSTAR (147.95 Mbps).
  • FarEasTone had the highest Consistency Score in Taiwan during Q4 2021 at 93.9%, followed closely by Chunghwa Telecom (92.1%) and Taiwan Mobile (91.9%).
  • Among top device manufacturers during Q4 2021, Apple devices achieved the fastest median download speed in Taiwan at 63.02 Mbps, a moderate increase over Q3 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Taiwan at 168.43 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • The Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G had the fastest median download speed among popular chipsets in Taiwan at 139.56 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Taipei had the fastest median mobile download speed among Taiwan’s most populous cities at 56.60 Mbps in Q4 2021, followed by New Taipei (52.54 Mbps), Taichung (51.69 Mbps) and Taoyuan (51.47 Mbps).

Thailand

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that AIS had the fastest Speed Score on mobile in Thailand at 74.02 during Q4 2021, beating out TrueMove H (68.12) and dtac (26.05).
  • AIS also had the fastest median 5G download speed in Thailand during Q4 2021 at 289.12 Mbps, followed by TrueMove H (217.84 Mbps) and dtac (35.73 Mbps).
  • Apple was the fastest major device manufacturer in Thailand with Apple devices achieving a median download speed of 43.82 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Thailand, edging out the iPhone 13 Pro for fastest median download at 158.97 Mbps to 152.09 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Vietnam

  • Viettel once again claimed the top spot as Vietnam’s fastest mobile provider during Q4 2021, earning a mobile Speed Score of 48.23, just faster than Vinaphone (45.51).
  • Viettel overtook Vinaphone for the highest mobile Consistency Score in Vietnam during Q4 2021 at 91.2%.
  • For fixed broadband, Vinaphone overtook Viettel as Vietnam’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 75.49 to Viettel’s 73.38. FPT Telecom followed at 71.10.
  • Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Vietnam at 72.39 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Ho Chi Minh City retained the top spot for the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds among Vietnam’s most populous cities at 75.10 Mbps and 72.48 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.
  • Da Nang retained the top spot for fastest median mobile download speed among Vietnam’s most populous cities at 43.88 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Europe

Austria

  • Magenta retained its top spot as Austria’s fastest fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 123.76 during Q4 2021. LIWEST was the closest competitor (85.16).
  • Magenta also had the highest Consistency Score in Austria for fixed broadband at 88.7% in Q4 2021.
  • A1 was once again the fastest mobile provider in Austria during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 74.06. Operator 3 followed at 58.01.
  • A1 also had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Austria during Q4 2021 at 93.2%.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Austria at 116.24 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Belgium

  • Telenet decisively claimed its spot as Belgium’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 128.13. VOO followed at 109.76.
  • Among mobile operators, Telenet edged out BASE for the fastest Speed Score in Belgium at 65.61 to 65.59, respectively, during Q4 2021. It should be noted that Telenet owns the BASE brand. Proximus followed at 62.96 then Orange at 47.23.
  • Competition for fastest popular mobile device was tight in Belgium, with the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Pro achieving median download speeds of 98.53 Mbps and 98.31 Mbps, respectively.
  • Once again, Ghent retained its top place for fastest median mobile download speed among Belgium’s most populous cities, achieving a median speed of 79.69 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Competition for the fastest median fixed broadband download speed among Belgium’s most populous cities was close with Antwerp achieving a median download speed at 83.51 Mbps and Ghent achieving 83.02 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Czechia

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals T-Mobile was Czechia’s fastest mobile provider during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 69.69, a moderate increase from 58.82 during Q3 2021.
  • Competition was extremely tight for highest mobile Consistency Score in Czechia during Q4 2021, with T-Mobile achieving 93.9%, followed by O2 (93.4%) and Vodafone (93.2%).
  • Vodafone dominated as Czechia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 99.16, a slight increase from Q3 2021.
  • Vodafone once again had Czechia’s highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband during Q4 2021 at 77.6%.
  • Pilsen had the fastest median fixed broadband speed among Czechia’s most populous cities during Q4 2021, achieving a median download of 59.37 Mbps.
  • Pilsen edged out Brno for the fastest median mobile download speed at 63.65 Mbps to Brno’s 63.26 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Denmark

  • Fastspeed was once again Denmark’s fastest fixed broadband provider, earning a Speed Score of 301.58 during Q4 2021. Hiper followed at 260.78.
  • YouSee overtook Telenor as Denmark’s fastest mobile operator, earning a Speed Score of 101.72 to Telenor’s 91.91. Telia (89.84) and 3 (77.89) followed.
  • An analysis of performance on some of the most popular phones in Denmark revealed the iPhone 13 Pro edged out the iPhone 13 Pro Max for the fastest median download speed during Q4 2021 148.17 Mbps to 144.68 Mbps.

Estonia

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Elisa was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Estonia during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 85.58.
  • Telia once again had the fastest mobile Speed Score in Estonia at 85.27 during Q4 2021, a slight increase from Q3 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro was the fastest popular device in Estonia, earning a median download speed of 107.31 Mbps during Q4 2021. The iPhone 13 Pro Max followed closely at 105.15 Mbps.
  • Among major cell phone manufacturers, OnePlus had the fastest median download speed in Estonia at 70.40 Mbps during Q4 2021, a moderate increase from Q3 2021.

Finland

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, DNA retained its top spot as Finland’s fastest mobile provider in Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 86.43, a moderate increase from 79.26 during Q3 2021. DNA also edged out Telia for the highest Consistency Score 94.2% to 92.5%.
  • Telia beat out Elisa and DNA in Q4 2021 for the fastest 5G download speed in Finland, achieving a median download speed of 273.07 Mbps to DNA’s 243.87 Mbps and Elisa’s 231.13 Mbps.
  • Lounea overtook Telia as the fastest fixed broadband provider in Finland during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 122.33 to Telia and Elisa’s 98.06.
  • Lounea also took the top spot for Finland’s highest fixed broadband Consistency Score at 90.2% during Q4 2021.
  • Among popular device manufacturers, OnePlus had the fastest median download speed in Finland at 80.49 Mbps during Q4 2021, a moderate increase from Q3 2021. However, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices at 157.23 Mbps.

France

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed a fierce competition for France’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, with Bouygues narrowly edging out Free and Orange with a Speed Score of 135.66 to 134.09 and 134.07, respectively.
  • Orange once again earned the top spot as France’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider with a mobile Speed Score of 99.88 and a Consistency Score of 90.5% during Q4 2021.
  • During Q4 2021, Orange blew away the competition as France’s fastest 5G provider by achieving a median 5G download speed of 342.29 Mbps, slightly slower than in Q3 2021. SFR followed at 232.09 Mbps.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in France during Q4 2021, edging out the iPhone 13 Pro with a median download speed of 149.83 Mbps to 136.57 Mbps.
  • During Q4 2021, Lyon achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 161.82 Mbps and 109.91 Mbps, respectively. Nice had the fastest median mobile download speed at 88.39 Mbps.

Germany

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Vodafone was once again Germany’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 130.99.
  • Telekom achieved the highest Speed Score (91.86) and Consistency Score (91.5%) among German mobile operators during Q4 2021.
  • Telekom retained the top spot for the fastest median 5G download speed in Germany at 187.99 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Germany during Q4 2021, edging out the iPhone 13 Pro 131.71 Mbps to 127.45 Mbps.

Hungary

  • Vodafone retained its top spot as Hungary’s fastest fixed broadband provider in Q4 2021, edging out Telekom with a Speed Score of 156.98 to 151.40. Vodafone also had the highest Consistency Score at 87.2% during Q4 2021.
  • Telenor overtook Magyar Telekom as Hungary’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 69.40 and Consistency Score of 90.8%.
  • Apple devices took the top spot among major device manufacturers in Hungary during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 45.14 Mbps, a slight increase from Q3 2021.
  • The Apple 13 Pro dominated as the fastest popular device in Hungary during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 93.66 Mbps.

Luxembourg

  • Eltrona overtook Tango as Luxembourg’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021 by achieving a Speed Score of 131.60 to Tango’s 127.96.
  • POST was again the fastest mobile operator in Luxembourg during Q4 2021, achieving a large increase in Speed Score from 109.64 in Q3 2021 to 123.86 in Q4 2021.
  • POST also remained the most consistent mobile operator in Luxembourg with a Consistency Score of 96.9% during Q4 2021.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro was the fastest popular device in Luxembourg, achieving a median download speed of 161.69 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Differdange once again achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds among Luxembourg’s most populous cities at 140.24 Mbps and 94.55 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2021.
  • Ettelbruck had the fastest median mobile download speed in Luxembourg at 113.73 Mbps Q4 2021.

Malta

  • Melita retained its top spot as Malta’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 128.11 and Consistency Score of 84.6%, both moderate increases from Q3 2021.

Poland

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that UPC was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Poland during Q4 2021 achieving a Speed Score of 184.12 and Consistency Score of 88.8%.
  • T-Mobile had the highest Speed Score and Consistency Score among mobile operators in Poland during Q4 2021 at 61.88 and 93.7%, respectively.
  • Mobile operator Plus had the fastest median 5G download speed in Poland at 158.74 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Poland during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 81.93 Mbps.
  • Warsaw had the fastest fixed broadband download speed among Poland’s most populous cities at 132.99 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Łódz edged out Warsaw for the fastest mobile download speed in Poland 47.23 Mbps to 45.09 Mbps.

Slovakia

  • Orange retained the top spot as Slovakia’s fastest mobile operator during Q4 2021 with a Speed Score of 60.65, edging out Telekom’s 57.50.
  • Telekom had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Slovakia during Q4 2021 at 93.4%.
  • UPC retained its top spot as Slovakia’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 145.52 and a Consistency Score of 87.3%.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Slovakia at 80.74 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Spain

  • Movistar once again provided the fastest and most consistent mobile experience among Spanish mobile providers with a Speed Score of 62.67 and Consistency Score of 90.9% during Q4 2021 — both moderate increases from Q3 2021.
  • Vodafone was again Spain’s fastest 5G provider by a wide margin during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 277.11 Mbps, a noticeable dip from Q3 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed in Spain at 95.55 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • During Q4 2021, Madrid had the fastest median mobile download speed in Spain at 44.96 Mbps, edging out Barcelona at 44.28 Mbps.

North and South America

Argentina

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed Personal remained Argentina’s fastest mobile operator during Q4 2021 with a Speed Score of 39.30.
  • La Plata edged out Buenos Aires for mobile download speeds in Argentina’s most populous cities with a median speed of 27.26 Mbps to Buenos Aires’ 25.65 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Brazil

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Claro remained the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Brazil among top providers during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 48.10 and Consistency Score of 88.7%, both slight increases from Q3 2021.
  • Claro achieved the fastest median 5G download speed in Brazil at 71.16 Mbps during Q4 2021, followed by TIM (56.21 Mbps) and Vivo (55.95 Mbps).
  • Vivo edged out Oi and Claro for fastest Speed Score over fixed broadband in Brazil 105.49 to 99.62 and 98.44, respectively, during Q4 2021.
  • Among popular device manufacturers during Q4 2021, Apple had the fastest median download speed in Brazil at 30.68 Mbps. Apple devices took four out of five top spots among popular devices in Brazil with the iPhone 13 Pro Max achieving the fastest mean download speed at 59.00 Mbps.
  • For fixed broadband speeds among Brazil’s most populous cities, Brasilia edged out Goiânia for the fastest median download speed 105.01 Mbps to 102.93 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • Brasília also had the fastest median mobile download speed among Brazil’s most populous cities at 35.08 Mbps during Q4 2021, a slight increase from Q3 2021.

Canada

  • Shaw was Canada’s fastest fixed broadband provider in Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 197.22, a moderate increase from Q3 2021.
  • Rogers edged out Shaw for the highest fixed broadband Consistency Score in Canada during Q4 2021 with 89.0% to Shaw’s 87.7%.
  • TELUS retained its top spot as the fastest mobile operator in Canada during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 98.29, a notable increase from Q3 2021.
  • Videotron remained Canada’s most consistent mobile operator during Q4 2021, achieving a Consistency Score of 91.2%.
  • Competition for the fastest 5G was fierce during Q4 2021 with no statistical winner. Bell and TELUS achieved median 5G download speeds of 171.39 Mbps and 167.74 Mbps, respectively. Bell had the fastest median 5G download speed when looking at the full period of Q3-Q4 2021.
  • There was no statistical winner for highest 5G Availability in Canada during Q4 2021, with Rogers at 41.3% and TELUS at 39.9%.
  • New Brunswick was Canada’s fastest province for fixed broadband during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 132.65 Mbps. Newfoundland and Labrador was the fastest province for mobile in Canada at 81.94 Mbps during Q4 2021.
  • St. John’s achieved the fastest median fixed broadband and mobile download speeds among Canada’s most populous cities at 166.11 Mbps and 160.48 Mbps, respectively.
  • Google devices had the fastest combined performance in Canada during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 83.98 Mbps.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Canada during Q4 2021, with a median download speed of 144.24 Mbps.

Chile

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Chile with a Speed Score of 26.18 during Q4 2021, a slight increase from Q3 2021. Claro also had the highest Consistency Score at 81.0%.
  • The Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G had the fastest mean download speed among popular devices in Chile at 84.29 Mbps during Q4 2021, edging out the Xiaomi 11T Pro.
  • Among device manufacturers in Chile during Q4 2021, Samsung had the fastest mean download speed at 30.13 Mbps, edging out Xiaomi (27.32 Mbps). Apple, Motorola and Huawei followed.
  • Valparaíso had the fastest mobile download speed in Chile during Q4 2021, achieving a mean of 33.59 Mbps. Temuco and Viña del Mar were close followers at 31.25 Mbps and 27.74 Mbps, respectively.

Colombia

  • Tigo was the fastest mobile operator in Colombia during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 24.02. WOM followed at 19.24. Tigo also had the highest Consistency Score at 82.9%.
  • Among popular devices in Colombia during Q4 2021, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max edged out the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G for fastest mean download speed at 33.91 Mbps to 31.12 Mbps.
  • Barranquilla edged out Cali for the fastest mean mobile download speed among Colombia’s most populous cities at 22.41 Mbps to 22.21 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Ecuador

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Netlife was Ecuador’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 43.58 and Consistency Score of 74.0%.
  • CNT was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Ecuador during Q4 2021, with a Speed Score of 35.82 and Consistency Score of 88.6%.
  • During Q4 2021, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G was the fastest popular device in Ecuador, recording a mean download speed of 40.01 Mbps. Apple devices took all of the five top spots on this list.
  • Guayaquil had the fastest fixed broadband among Ecuador’s most populous cities during Q4 2021, earning a mean download speed of 42.86 Mbps. This edged out Quito’s mean download of 41.27 Mbps.
  • Machala had the fastest mean mobile download speed in Ecuador during Q4 2021 at 28.25 Mbps.

Guatemala

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Guatemala during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 37.29 and Consistency Score of 87.0%.
  • Tigo was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Guatemala during Q4 2021 with a Speed Score of 20.89 and Consistency Score of 41.3%.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Guatemala during Q4 2021, edging out the iPhone 12 5G with a mean download speed of 49.31 Mbps to the iPhone 12 5G’s 48.68 Mbps.
  • Villa Canales had the fastest mean mobile download speed among Guatemala’s most populous cities at 37.93 Mbps, during Q4 2021.
  • Villa Nueva had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed in Guatemala at 30.04 Mbps during Q4 2021.

    Mexico

    • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Telcel remained Mexico’s fastest mobile operator during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 46.91.
    • Telcel was also Mexico’s most consistent mobile operator, achieving a Consistency Score of 87.6% during Q4 2021.
    • Totalplay was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Mexico during Q4 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 50.37 and Consistency Score of 73.7%
    • Apple devices had the five fastest mean download speeds among popular phones in Mexico during Q4 2021. The iPhone 13 Pro Max narrowly beat out the iPhone 12 Pro 5G for the fastest popular device during Q4 2021, achieving respective speeds of 69.45 Mbps and 68.36 Mbps.
    • Veracruz once again showed the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds among Mexico’s most populous cities during Q4 2021, recording a download speed of 45.09 Mbps and mean upload speed of 19.04 Mbps.
    • Monterrey beat out Mexico City for the fastest fixed broadband download speed, earning a mean speed of 75.10 Mbps to Mexico City’s 70.99 Mbps during Q4 2021.

    Peru

    • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Winet Telecom was Peru’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q4 2021 by a wide margin, achieving a Speed Score of 99.23. Winet Telecom also had the highest Consistency Score on fixed broadband at 90.6% during Q4 2021.
    • Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Peru during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 36.91.
    • Claro also had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Peru during Q4 2021, narrowly edging out Entel at 78.1% to 77.5%.
    • Among major device manufacturers, Apple devices achieved the fastest mean download speed by a wide margin in Peru during Q4 2021, achieving 43.46 Mbps to Samsung’s 25.41 Mbps.

    United States

    • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Verizon was once again the fastest fixed broadband provider in the United States during Q4 2021, earning a Speed Score of 201.10, much higher than in Q3 2021 when it achieved 178.38.
    • T-Mobile was once again the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in the U.S. during Q4 2021, achieving a median download speed of 90.65 Mbps and a Consistency Score of 87.3% — both large increases over Q3 2021.
    • Looking at tests taken only on 5G, T-Mobile achieved the fastest median 5G download speed during Q4 2021 at 187.12 Mbps — a significant increase from 135.17 Mbps during Q3 2021.
    • During Q4 2021, T-Mobile also had the best 5G Availability in the U.S. at 61.4%.
    • T-Mobile had the highest 5G Consistency Score at 81.5% during Q4 2021.
    • The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro were the fastest popular devices in the U.S. during Q4 2021 at 90.58 Mbps and 89.61 Mbps, narrowly faster than the Google Play 6 5G (89.05 Mbps).
    • Among popular device manufacturers in the U.S., Google devices were the fastest, achieving a median download speed of 60.82 Mbps during Q4 2021.
    • Looking at the fastest chipsets in the U.S., there was no statistical winner during Q4 2021, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G achieving 88.56 Mbps and the Google Tensor 86.73 Mbps.
    • Jersey City, New Jersey had the fastest median mobile download speed in the U.S. at 107.20 Mbps during Q4 2021. Tampa, Florida (106.50 Mbps) and Washington, DC (103.49 Mbps) were the only other U.S. cities to achieve median mobile download speeds above 100 Mbps.
    • Charlotte, North Carolina had the fastest fixed broadband speed among the U.S.’s most populous cities during Q4 2021, edging out Raleigh, North Carolina 204.61 Mbps to 202.93 Mbps.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 18, 2021

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 43 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 43 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 43 markets:

Africa and the Middle East


Algeria | Jordan | Kenya | Morocco

Nigeria | Qatar | South Africa | Tunisia | Turkey

Asia and Oceania


Australia | China | Hong Kong (SAR) | Indonesia

Malaysia | New Zealand | Philippines | Singapore

Taiwan | Vietnam

Europe


Austria | Belgium | Czechia | Denmark

Estonia | Finland | France | Germany

Hungary | Latvia | Luxembourg | Malta

Slovakia | Spain

North and South America


Argentina | Brazil | Canada | Chile

Colombia | Ecuador | Guatemala | Mexico

Peru | United States

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria

  • Mobile provider Ooredoo had the highest Speed Score™ (25.69) and Consistency Score™ (83.4%) in Algeria during Q3 2021.
  • Apple devices were the fastest devices in Algeria during Q3 2021, achieving a mean download speed of 27.53 Mbps.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was the fastest popular device in Algeria for the second quarter in a row with a mean download speed of 39.66 Mbps.
  • Apple devices took four out of the top five spots among popular devices, with Xiaomi’s Redmi K40 5G taking the runner-up spot on this list at 35.78 Mbps.

Jordan

  • Speedtest Intelligence found Umniah was the fastest mobile operator in Jordan during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 35.86.
  • Umniah also had the highest Consistency Score at 93.9%.
  • For the second quarter in a row, fixed broadband provider Orange had the fastest Speed Score (77.30).
  • Fixed broadband provider DAMAMAX overtook Orange for the highest Consistency Score at 86.5%.
  • Among popular mobile devices, Apple’s iPhone 12 5G narrowly beat out the iPhone 12 Pro 5G for fastest median download and upload speeds at 39.43 Mbps and 18.73 Mbps, respectively.
  • Amman had the fastest median fixed broadband and mobile download speeds among Jordan’s most populous cities at 51.12 Mbps and 19.46 Mbps, respectively.

Kenya

  • Mobile provider Safaricom had the highest Speed Score (29.20) and Consistency Score (85.0%) in Kenya during Q3 2021.
  • For fixed broadband, Faiba had the highest Speed Score (26.47) and Consistency Score (48.7%) in Kenya for the second quarter in a row during Q3 2021.
  • Mombasa had the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds among Kenya’s most populous cities at 28.25 Mbps and 16.26 Mbps, respectively.
  • Mombasa overtook Eldoret as the city with the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 22.61 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Morocco

  • Mobile operator Maroc Telecom achieved the highest Speed Score (56.99) and Consistency Score (90.9%) during Q3 2021, both slight dips from Q2 2021 results.
  • Marrakesh regained the top spot during Q3 2021 as the fastest city among Morocco’s most populous cities with a mean mobile download speed at 40.69 Mbps. Fes and Salé were close at 40.25 Mbps and 40.15 Mbps, respectively.

Nigeria

  • For the third quarter in a row, mobile provider Airtel had the fastest Speed Score in Nigeria at 33.43 during Q3 2021 — a slight increase from 28.82 during Q2 2021.
  • Airtel overtook MTN for the highest Consistency Score on mobile during Q3 2021 at 89.4% to MTN’s 82.7%.
  • Fixed broadband provider ipNX had the best Speed Score (21.66) and Consistency Score (40.2%) in Nigeria during Q3 2021.
  • The iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was the fastest popular device in Nigeria during Q3 2021, achieving a mean download speed of 41.94 Mbps — just faster than the iPhone 12 Pro 5G (41.37 Mbps).
  • Kano took the top spot among Nigeria’s most populous cities for fastest mean mobile download speed at 24.76 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Qatar

  • Ooredoo had the best Speed Score over mobile and fixed broadband in Qatar for the second quarter in a row during Q3 2021 at 145.53 and 71.36, respectively.
  • 5G performance was extremely competitive with Ooredoo achieving the fastest median 5G download speed at 373.98 Mbps and Vodafone achieving 346.91 Mbps.
  • Ooredoo had the highest fixed broadband Consistency Score at 81.8%.
  • Vodafone had the highest mobile Consistency Score at 93.8%, edging out Ooredoo’s 91.4%.
  • Al Khor had the fastest median mobile download speed among Qatar’s most populous cities during Q3 2021 at 135.79 Mbps.
  • Umm Salal Muhammed had the fastest fixed broadband download speeds in Qatar at 83.41 Mbps.
  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals that among popular devices in Qatar during Q3 2021, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G achieved the fastest median mobile download speed at 330.68 Mbps, a significant increase from Q2 2021’s 284.32 Mbps.

South Africa

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows Cool Ideas had the fastest fixed broadband Speed Score (53.85) and Consistency Score (73.0%) for the second quarter in a row during Q3 2021.
  • Among mobile operators, MTN had the fastest Speed Score (63.52) and highest Consistency Score (91.0%).
  • Apple devices had the fastest combined median download speed in South Africa at 38.24 Mbps and fastest median upload speed at 8.11 Mbps during Q3 2021.
  • The iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G took top honors as the fastest popular device, achieving a median download speed of 79.56 Mbps.

Tunisia

  • During Q3 2021, Ooredoo achieved the highest mobile Speed Score in Tunisia at 44.06, a slight dip from Q2 2021.
  • Tunisie Telecom had the highest fixed broadband Speed Score at 9.31.
  • Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest mean download speed in Tunisia among popular devices during Q3 2021 at 64.43 Mbps.
  • Among popular chipsets, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G had the fastest mean download speed for the second quarter in a row at 62.92 Mbps.
  • Sfax had the fastest mean mobile download speed in Tunisia for the second quarter in a row at 47.02 Mbps.

Turkey

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed mobile provider Turkcell had the highest Speed Score and Consistency Score in Turkey during Q3 2021 at 67.19 and 93.3%, respectively. Both scores were slight increases from Q2 2021.
  • For fixed broadband, TurkNet edged out Turksat Kablo for the highest Speed Score 38.14 to 37.57.
  • Turknet also had the highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband at 72.3% during Q3 2021.
  • Istanbul had the fastest mean fixed broadband and mobile download speed at 48.34 Mbps and 56.43 Mbps, respectively.
  • Among top device manufacturers, Apple beat out Samsung for fastest mean download speed at 55.72 Mbps to 43.52 Mbps, respectively.

Asia and Oceania

Australia

  • Aussie Broadband was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Australia, earning a Speed Score of 88.33 during Q3 2021.
  • Aussie Broadband also had the highest Consistency Score, edging out Vodafone 85.7% to 83.2%.
  • Competition for the fastest fixed broadband speed among Australia’s most populous cities was extremely tight, with seven cities achieving between 49.00 Mbps and 53.00 Mbps. Melbourne(52.53 Mbps) edged out Darwin (52.42 Mbps), Brisbane (52.41 Mbps) and Sydney (52.30 Mbps).

China

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, China Telecom was the fastest fixed broadband provider in China during Q3 2021 with a Speed Score of 129.56, a moderate gain over Q2 2021.
  • China Mobile continued to have the highest Consistency Score in China for fixed broadband during Q3 2021 at 90.3%, edging out China Telecom’s 88.4% and China Unicom’s 87.8%.
  • On mobile, China Mobile achieved the highest Speed Score (141.55) and Consistency Score (92.7%) among China’s top providers during Q3 2021.
  • During Q3 2021, China Telecom achieved a median 5G download speed of 304.03 Mbps, edging out China Mobile’s 302.99 Mbps.
  • Among top device manufacturers, Huawei had the fastest median download speed at 96.66 Mbps in China during Q3 2021 — a gain over Q2 2021. OnePlus followed at 85.92 Mbps, then Oppo (82.26 Mbps), Samsung (78.00 Mbps) and Vivo (66.97 Mbps).
  • Among popular devices, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max edged out Huawei’s Mate 40 Pro 5G for the fastest median download speed in China during Q3 2021 at 290.23 Mbps to 280.22 Mbps.
  • During Q3 2021, MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 5G chipset had the fastest median download speed at 295.51 Mbps, supplanting Huawei’s Kirin 9000 5G as the fastest chipset in China.
  • Tianjin once again had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed among China’s most populous cities at 215.33 Mbps, a moderate rise from its Q2 2021 results.
  • Harbin had the fastest median mobile download speed among China’s most populous cities at 92.34 Mbps, edging out Shenzhen’s 92.17 Mbps. This was a noticeable rise from Q2 2021 when Hangzhou was the fastest at 72.97 Mbps.

Hong Kong (SAR)

  • China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest mobile operator in Hong Kong for the third quarter in a row, earning a Speed Score of 74.49 in Q3 2021.
  • China Mobile Hong Kong once again blazed ahead of the competition for the fastest 5G download speed, achieving a median speed of 191.95 Mbps during Q3 2021, a decline from its Q2 2021 results. Mobile provider 3 followed at 165.12 Mbps, then SmarTone at 147.10 Mbps and csl at 121.60 Mbps.
  • Among top manufacturers during Q3 2021, Samsung had the fastest median download speed at 44.64 Mbps, edging out Apple’s median download speed of 43.20 Mbps.
  • During Q3 2021, the iPhone 13 Pro Max took the top spot among popular devices in Hong Kong with a median download speed of 125.92 Mbps.
  • Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X60 5G was the fastest modern chipset for median download speed during Q3 2021 at 122.84 Mbps.

Indonesia

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Biznet was once again Indonesia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 42.17.
  • Biznet also had the highest fixed broadband Consistency Score in Indonesia during Q3 2021, edging out MyRepublic 68.3% to 63.5%.
  • Telkomsel was the fastest major mobile operator in Indonesia during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 30.49. Telkomsel also achieved the top Consistency Score at 85.7%, beating out XL (82.7%) and IM3 Ooredoo (82.6%).
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G edged out the Xiaomi Redmi K40 5G as the fastest popular device with a mean download speed of 44.95 Mbps to 43.18 Mbps.
  • Jakarta had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed of Indonesia’s most populous cities at 33.73 Mbps, while Makassar achieved the fastest mean mobile download speed at 25.30 Mbps.

Malaysia

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals that TIME was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Malaysia during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 120.10. TIME also achieved the highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband at 87.6%.
  • On mobile, Digi edged out Maxis for the fastest mobile operator in Malaysia, earning a Speed Score of 33.19 to Maxis’ 31.94 during Q3 2021.
  • Apple devices showed the fastest speed in Malaysia during Q3 2021 with a mean download speed of 37.51 Mbps.
  • Competition was fierce among popular devices in Malaysia during Q3 2021, with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G edging out the iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G at 55.06 Mbps to 54.78 Mbps. The iPhone 12 5G followed at 54.22 Mbps and then the Xiaomi Redmi K40 5G (54.20 Mbps).
  • Among Malaysia’s most populous cities, Petaling Jaya had the fastest mean fixed broadband speed during Q3 2021, achieving a 129.74 Mbps download and a 89.11 Mbps upload.
  • Nusajaya had the fastest mean mobile download speed at 38.08 Mbps during Q3 2021.

New Zealand

  • During Q3 2021, Vodafone was the fastest mobile operator in New Zealand, earning a Speed Score of 68.79.
  • Vodafone also achieved the fastest median 5G download speed at 326.44 Mbps. Spark was second at 266.75 Mbps.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 5G was very slightly ahead of the iPhone 12 Pro 5G for fastest median download among popular devices in New Zealand with 92.96 Mbps to 92.70 Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2021.
  • Among popular device manufacturers, Oppo edged out Apple for the fastest median download speed in New Zealand during Q3 2021, 44.00 Mbps to 43.47 Mbps.
  • Christchurch had the fastest median mobile download speed at 52.16 Mbps.

Philippines

  • During Q3 2021, Smart had the highest Speed Score (59.71) among top mobile operators in the Philippines.
  • Smart had the fastest median 5G download speed in the Philippines during Q3 2021 at 217.03 Mbps, nearly twice as fast as Globe’s 114.12 Mbps.
  • Competition for the fastest popular device was tight during Q3 2021, with all of the top five devices achieving median download speeds between 72.00 and 76.00 Mbps. However, Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro 5G edged out the iPhone Pro Max 5G at 75.27 Mbps to 74.68 Mbps.
  • Caloocan had the fastest median download speed among the Philippines’ most populous cities at 22.05 Mbps.

Singapore

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows ViewQuest was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Singapore in Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 276.23. MyRepublic, SingTel and StarHub all achieved a Speed Score above 200.00, while M1 followed at 183.83.
  • Singtel was the fastest mobile provider in Singapore during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 99.74, a moderate rise from Q2 2021.
  • Singtel also blazed ahead of the competition for fastest median 5G download speed at 248.45 Mbps during Q3 2021 — a noticeable rise from Q2 2021.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Singapore during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 164.40 Mbps.
  • Apple beat out Samsung for fastest device manufacturer during Q3 2021, with Apple devices in Singapore achieving a median download speed of 71.98 Mbps to Samsung’s 63.73 Mbps.

Taiwan

  • During Q3 2021, Chunghwa Telecom had the fastest median 5G download speed in Taiwan at 440.93 Mbps. FarEasTone followed at 335.17 Mbps, then Taiwan Mobile (262.99 Mbps) and TSTAR (138.51 Mbps).
  • FarEasTone had the highest Consistency Score in Taiwan during Q3 2021 at 92.8%.
  • Among top device manufacturers during Q3 2021, Apple devices achieved the fastest median download speed in Taiwan at 50.25 Mbps.
  • The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Taiwan at 200.90 Mbps.

Vietnam

  • Viettel again claimed the top spot as Vietnam’s fastest mobile and fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, earning a mobile Speed Score of 46.33 and fixed broadband Speed Score of 68.01.
  • Vinaphone had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Vietnam during Q3 2021 at 94.7%.
  • Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Vietnam during Q3 2021 at 62.67 Mbps, edging out the iPhone 12 5G (61.24 Mbps) and iPhone 12 Pro 5G (61.22 Mbps).
  • Ho Chi Minh City took the top spot for the fastest median fixed broadband download speed among Vietnam’s most populous cities with 65.63 Mbps (63.05 Mbps upload).
  • Da Nang took the top spot for fastest median mobile download speed among Vietnam’s most populous cities at 42.66 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Europe

Austria

  • Magenta retained its top spot as Austria’s fastest fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 148.04 during Q3 2021. LIWEST was the closest competitor (83.34).
  • Magenta also had the highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband at 88.4% in Q3 2021.
  • A1 was again the fastest mobile provider in Austria during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 73.85. Operator 3 followed at 52.46.
  • A1 had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Austria during Q3 2021 at 92.8%.

Belgium

  • Telenet decisively claimed its spot as Belgium’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 123.84.
  • Telenet had the highest fixed broadband Consistency Score at 88.0% during Q3 2021.
  • Among mobile operators, BASE earned the fastest Speed Score in Belgium at 66.22, edging out Telenet (64.41) and Proximus (62.30).
  • Once again, Ghent retained its top place for fastest median mobile download speed among Belgium’s most populous cities, achieving a median speed of 86.27 Mbps during Q3 2021.
  • Ghent overtook Antwerp for the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 81.05 Mbps to 79.89 Mbps, respectively.

Czechia

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals T-Mobile was Czechia’s fastest mobile provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 58.82.
  • Vodafone claimed the best mobile Consistency Score during Q3 2021, earning 93.0% to O2’s 90.3%.
  • Vodafone dominated as Czechia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 92.47.
  • Vodafone once again had Czechia’s highest Consistency Score for fixed broadband during Q3 2021 at 76.3%.
  • Pilsen had the fastest median fixed broadband speed among Czechia’s most populous cities, achieving a median download of 53.40 Mbps, edging out Brno’s 52.74 Mbps.
  • Brno had the fastest median mobile download speed at 69.68 Mbps, beating out Pilsen’s 66.66 Mbps.

Denmark

  • Fastspeed was Denmark’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 303.91. Hiper followed at 245.03.
  • Telenor supplanted YouSee as Denmark’s fastest mobile operator, earning a Speed Score of 88.48 to YouSee’s 85.01.
  • An analysis of performance on some of the most popular phones in Denmark revealed the iPhone 13 Pro had the fastest median download speed during Q3 2021 at 124.21 Mbps.

Estonia

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Elisa was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Estonia during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 84.47.
  • Elisa also had the highest Consistency Score at 81.0%, edging out Infonet (77.7%).
  • Telia had the fastest mobile Speed Score in Estonia during Q3 2021 at 78.26.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G was the fastest popular device in Estonia, earning a median download speed of 100.94 Mbps. The iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G followed closely at 98.71 Mbps.
  • Among major cell phone manufacturers, OnePlus had the fastest median download speed in Estonia during Q3 2021 at 59.91 Mbps.

Finland

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, DNA retained its top spot as Finland’s fastest mobile provider in Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 79.26. DNA also edged out Telia for the highest Consistency Score, achieving 92.5% to Telia’s 89.6%.
  • Telia beat out Elisa and DNA in Q3 2021 for the fastest 5G download in Finland, achieving a median download speed of 283.34 Mbps to Elisa’s 231.45 Mbps and DNA’s 218.08 Mbps.
  • Telia retained its top spot as the fastest fixed broadband provider in Finland during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 94.56.
  • Fixed broadband provider Elisa supplanted Telia in Q3 2021 for the highest Consistency Score at 82.2% to Telia’s 80.8%.
  • Among popular device manufacturers, OnePlus had the fastest median download speed in Finland during Q3 2021 at 71.38 Mbps. However, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest median download speed among popular devices at 114.93 Mbps, edging out the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (113.96 Mbps).

France

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed a fierce competition for France’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, with Free narrowly edging out Bouygues with a Speed Score of 121.89 to 118.16.
  • SFR achieved the highest fixed broadband Consistency Score in France during Q3 2021 at 68.1%.
  • Orange once again earned the top spot as France’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider, earning a mobile Speed Score of 82.84 and a Consistency Score of 87.9%.
  • During Q3 2021, Orange blew away the competition as France’s fastest 5G provider by achieving a median 5G download speed of 352.77 Mbps, slightly faster than Q2 2021. SFR followed at 205.19 Mbps.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was the fastest popular device in France during Q3 2021, edging out the iPhone 12 Pro 5G with a median download speed of 103.71 Mbps to 102.21 Mbps.
  • During Q3 2021, Lyon achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 151.09 Mbps and 102.62 Mbps, respectively. Nice had the fastest median mobile download speed at 78.19 Mbps.

Germany

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Vodafone was once again Germany’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 126.45.
  • Vodafone also took the top spot among fixed broadband providers for highest Consistency Score at 80.2%.
  • Telekom achieved the highest Speed Score (80.92) and Consistency Score (90.1%) among German mobile operators during Q3 2021.
  • Telekom supplanted O2 for the fastest median 5G download speed in Germany with 161.14 Mbps and 157.55 Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2021.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro Max had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Germany during Q3 2021, edging out the iPhone 13 Pro with 138.74 Mbps to 134.41 Mbps.

Hungary

  • Vodafone retained its top spot as Hungary’s fastest fixed broadband provider in Q3 2021, edging out DIGI with a Speed Score of 153.79 to 148.05. Vodafone retained the top spot for highest Consistency Score at 86.6% during Q3 2021.
  • Magyar Telekom retained its top spot as Hungary’s fastest and most consistent mobile provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 52.30 and Consistency Score of 89.0%.
  • Apple devices took the top spot among major device manufacturers in Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 41.09 Mbps in Hungary.
  • The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G edged out Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G for the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Hungary during Q3 2021, 77.92 Mbps to 76.08 Mbps.

Latvia

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that Balticom was once again the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Latvia during Q3 2021 achieving a Speed Score of 193.08 and Consistency Score of 90.7% — both slight increases over Q2 2021.
  • LMT was the fastest mobile operator in Latvia during Q3 2021 with a Speed Score of 47.79.
  • Tukums had the fastest median mobile download speed in Latvia at 50.02 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Luxembourg

  • Tango retained its top spot as Luxembourg’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021 by achieving a Speed Score of 126.48.
  • POST was again the fastest mobile operator in Luxembourg during Q3 2021, achieving a small increase in Speed Score from 102.09 in Q2 2021 to 109.64 in Q3 2021.
  • POST also remained the most consistent mobile operator in Luxembourg with a Consistency Score of 96.0%.
  • Differdange achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds among Luxembourg’s most populous cities at 116.46 Mbps and 92.67 Mbps, respectively.
  • Ettelbruck had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds at 148.58 Mbps and 22.41 Mbps, respectively.

Malta

  • Melita retained its top spot as Malta’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 112.49 and Consistency Score of 82.9%.

Slovakia

  • Orange knocked Telekom out of first place as Slovakia’s fastest mobile operator during Q3 2021 with a Speed Score of 55.57 to Telekom’s 53.63.
  • Telekom had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Slovakia during Q3 2021 at 89.6%.
  • UPC retained its top spot as Slovakia’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider with a Speed Score of 139.98 and a Consistency Score of 86.6%.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Slovakia at 67.29 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Spain

  • Movistar provided the fastest and most consistent mobile experience among Spanish mobile providers with a Speed Score of 54.30 and Consistency Score of 88.5%.
  • Vodafone was Spain’s fastest 5G provider by a wide margin during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 323.13 Mbps.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G had the fastest median download speed in Spain during Q3 2021 at 70.14 Mbps.
  • During Q3 2021, Madrid had the fastest median mobile download speed at 41.85 Mbps. Barcelona followed at 38.58 Mbps.

North and South America

Argentina

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed Personal remained Argentina’s fastest mobile operator during Q3 2021 with a Speed Score of 40.08.
  • Buenos Aires edged out La Plata for mobile download speeds in Argentina’s most populous cities with a median speed of 25.45 Mbps to La Plata’s 23.98 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Brazil

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Claro remained the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Brazil among top providers during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 44.76 and Consistency Score of 88.2%.
  • There was no statistically fastest provider for median 5G download speed, though Claro showed 65.92 Mbps, Vivo 64.61 Mbps and TIM 58.14 Mbps.
  • Among popular device manufacturers, Apple had the fastest median download speed in Brazil at 29.98 Mbps. Apple devices took four out of five of the top spots among popular devices in Brazil with the iPhone 12 5G achieving the fastest mean download speed at 53.28 Mbps.
  • Brasília had the fastest median mobile download speed among Brazil’s most populous cities at 31.44 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Canada

  • Shaw was Canada’s fastest fixed broadband provider in Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 184.26.
  • Rogers edged out Shaw for the highest Consistency Score in Canada during Q3 2021 with 89.0% to Shaw’s 86.7%.
  • TELUS retained its top spot as the fastest mobile operator in Canada during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 81.93.
  • Videotron also retained its top spot during Q3 2021 as Canada’s most consistent mobile operator, achieving a Consistency Score of 87.4%.
  • Competition for the fastest 5G was fierce during Q3 2021. Bell achieved the fastest median 5G download speed of 183.39 Mbps and TELUS followed at 176.38 Mbps.
  • Rogers achieved the highest 5G Availability in Canada during Q3 2021 at 35.9%.
  • Newfoundland and Labrador retained its top spot as Canada’s fastest region for fixed broadband during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 124.22 Mbps. This province was also fastest for mobile.
  • Calgary also retained its top spot among the most populous cities with the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 134.33 Mbps. Halifax took the top spot for mobile download speed by a wide margin with a median download speed of 113.10 Mbps.
  • Samsung devices had the fastest combined performance in Canada during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 67.14 Mbps.
  • The iPhone 13 Pro Max was the fastest popular device in Canada during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 164.63 Mbps.

Chile

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Chile with a Speed Score of 24.44 during Q3 2021. Claro also had the highest Consistency Score at 78.1%.
  • The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G had the fastest mean download speed among popular devices in Chile during Q3 2021 at 33.37 Mbps, edging out the iPhone 12 Mini 5G (32.25 Mbps).
  • Among popular device manufacturers in Chile, Apple had the fastest mean download at 22.81 Mbps, a hair faster than Samsung’s 21.56 Mbps. Xioami, Motorola and Huawei followed.
  • Temuco had the fastest mobile speeds in Chile during Q3 2021, achieving a mean download speed of 23.08 Mbps. Valparaíso and Viña del Mar were close followers at 22.97 Mbps and 22.59 Mbps, respectively.

Colombia

  • Tigo was the fastest mobile operator in Colombia during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 26.21. WOM followed at 17.36. Tigo also had the highest Consistency Score at 85.5%.
  • Among popular devices in Colombia during Q3 2021, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G edged out the iPhone 12 Pro 5G for fastest mean download at 32.08 Mbps to 32.01 Mbps.
  • Cartagena narrowly beat out Barranquilla for the fastest mean mobile download speed among Colombia’s most populous cities at 22.78 Mbps to 22.25 Mbps during Q3 2021.

Ecuador

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Netlife was Ecuador’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 41.54 and Consistency Score of 73.0%.
  • CNT was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Ecuador during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 41.65 and Consistency Score of 85.7%.
  • During Q3 2021, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G was the fastest popular device in Ecuador, achieving a mean download speed of 39.89 Mbps. Apple devices took all of the five top spots on this list.
  • Quito had the fastest fixed broadband among Ecuador’s most populous cities during Q3 2021, achieving a mean download speed of 39.07 Mbps. This edged out Guayaquil’s mean download of 38.90 Mbps.
  • Machala had the fastest mean mobile download speed in Ecuador during Q3 2021 at 27.28 Mbps.

Guatemala

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Guatemala during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 38.01 and Consistency Score of 89.2%.
  • Tigo was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Guatemala during Q3 2021 with a Speed Score of 19.97 and Consistency Score of 38.7%.
  • The Apple iPhone 12 5G was the fastest popular device in Guatemala during Q3 2021, edging out the iPhone 12 Pro 5G with a mean download speed of 50.23 Mbps to the iPhone 12 Pro 5G’s 50.20 Mbps.
  • Guatemala City had the fastest mean mobile download speed among Guatemala’s most populous cities at 31.11 Mbps.
  • Villa Nueva had the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed at 29.78 Mbps.

Mexico

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Telcel remained Mexico’s fastest mobile operator during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 46.79.
  • Telcel was also Mexico’s most consistent mobile operator, achieving a Consistency Score of 87.9% during Q3 2021.
  • Totalplay was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Mexico during Q3 2021, achieving a Speed Score of 46.24 and Consistency Score of 71.9%
  • Apple devices had the five fastest mean download speeds among popular phones in Mexico during Q3 2021. The iPhone 12 Pro 5G narrowly beat out the iPhone 12 5G and iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G for the fastest popular device during Q3 2021, achieving respective speeds of 72.22 Mbps, 70.99 Mbps and 69.62 Mbps.
  • Veracruz once again showed the fastest mean mobile download and upload speeds among Mexico’s most populous cities during Q3 2021, recording a speed of 45.76 Mbps and mean upload speed of 19.56 Mbps.
  • Monterrey beat out Mexico City for the fastest fixed broadband download speed, earning a mean speed of 69.32 Mbps to Mexico City’s 65.39 Mbps.

Peru

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Movistar was Peru’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q3 2021, narrowly edging out Claro for fastest Speed Score with 44.39 to 42.22, respectively. Claro had the highest Consistency Score on fixed broadband during Q3 2021, beating out Movistar 72.9% to 65.9%.
  • Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Peru during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 34.05.
  • Entel had the highest mobile Consistency Score in Peru during Q3 2021, narrowly edging out Claro at 78.1% to 77.4%.
  • Among major device manufacturers, Apple devices achieved the fastest mean download speed by a wide margin in Peru during Q3 2021, achieving 40.32 Mbps to Samsung’s 23.90 Mbps.

United States

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Verizon was once again the fastest fixed broadband provider in the United States during Q3 2021, earning a Speed Score of 178.38.
  • T-Mobile was once again the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in the U.S. during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 62.35 Mbps and a Consistency Score of 84.4%.
  • Looking at tests taken only on 5G, T-Mobile achieved the fastest median 5G download speed during Q3 2021 at 135.17 Mbps — a significant increase from 99.84 Mbps during Q2 2021.
  • During Q3 2021, T-Mobile had the best 5G Availability in the U.S. at 64.4%.
  • Competition for the highest 5G Consistency was extremely close in the U.S. during Q3 2021, with Verizon Wireless achieving a 5G Consistency Score of 78.8%, T-Mobile 78.4% and AT&T 73.8%.
  • The recently released iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro blazed ahead of the competition for fastest popular device in the U.S. during Q3 2021, achieving median download speeds of 95.96 Mbps and 94.72 Mbps, respectively. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G was next at 83.81 Mbps.
  • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania had the fastest median mobile download speed in the U.S. during Q3 2021 at 82.94 Mbps.
  • Austin, Texas had the fastest fixed broadband speed among the U.S.’s most populous cities during Q3 2021, achieving a median download speed of 196.28 Mbps.

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

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Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon