Tag: Chile

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 4, 2019

In-Depth Analysis of Changes in World Internet Performance Using the Speedtest Global Index

Global Speeds

A lot has changed in the two years since 2017 when we first began ranking mobile and fixed broadband speeds of countries around the world with the Speedtest Global IndexTM. 5G is being deployed around the world and fiber continues to make gigabit speeds a reality in more and more countries. We’ve been tracking it all and are here to report on how much speeds have increased, which countries are leading internet performance and which are falling behind, and what trends we see across continents.

World mobile speed increased 21.4% with fixed broadband up 37.4%

World-Download-Speeds-2019-OG2

Looking just at the last year, the world’s mean download speed over mobile increased 21.4% from 22.81 Mbps in July 2018 to 27.69 Mbps in July 2019. Mean upload speed over mobile increased 18.1% from 9.13 Mbps to 10.78 Mbps. The world average for download speed over fixed broadband increased 37.4% from 46.48 Mbps in July 2018 to 63.85 Mbps in July 2019. Mean upload speed over fixed broadband increased 48.9% from 22.52 Mbps to 33.53 Mbps.

Shake-ups in the country rankings for internet performance

Fastest-Countries-Mobile-2018-2019

Mobile speeds in the fastest countries have skyrocketed in the past year which has dramatically shifted the rankings. South Korea, which was not even in the top ten a year ago, saw a 165.9% increase in mean download speed over mobile during the past 12 months, in large part due to 5G. Switzerland’s mean download speed increased 23.5%. Canada’s was up 22.2%, Australia 21.2%, the Netherlands 17.3%, UAE 11.1%, Malta 10.3% and Norway 5.8%. Qatar remained in the top ten, although the country’s mean download speed over mobile actually dropped 1.4% from July 2018 to July 2019.

Individual mobile operators can make a huge difference in a country’s speeds. In 2017 we were excited to see Telenor uncap their mobile speeds, which drove Norway to the top of the Speedtest Global Index. A big part of South Korea’s mobile success in the past year is the way KT, LG U+ and SK Telecom banded together to release 5G at the same time. Switzerland has also benefited from 5G and Sunrise leads the country with 262 5G deployments across the country while Swisscomm has 52.

Fastest-Countries-Fixed-2018-2019

Fixed broadband rankings on the Speedtest Global Index have not changed as dramatically during the past 12 months as those on mobile. Singapore remains the fastest country with an increase in mean download speed over fixed broadband of 5.6%. Taiwan had the largest jump in speeds among the top 10 with a 166.5% improvement in fixed download speed between July 2018 and July 2019. Mean download speed over fixed broadband increased 52.4% in South Korea, 26.4% in Macau, 21.7% in Romania, 21.0% in Switzerland, 19.3% in the United States and 3.5% in Hong Kong.

Monaco and Andorra did not have enough tests to qualify for the Speedtest Global Index one year ago, but massive fixed broadband improvements in both countries inspired us to lower our test count threshold for inclusion and also share these smaller countries’ success stories.

Technologies paving the way: 5G and gigabit

The presence of 5G is not enough to change a market

As discussed above, 5G has the potential to rocket a country to the top of the mobile rankings on the Speedtest Global Index. In practice, we’ve seen 5G speeds that were over 1000% faster than those on LTE.

Mobile-Download-Speeds-by-Country

In reality, though, unless 5G is commercially available widely across a country and from all mobile operators (as was the case in South Korea), the change in speeds at the country level is not that significant. Though commercial 5G was launched widely across Switzerland by Sunrise and Swisscom in April 2019, the country’s mean download speed only increased 2.8% in the three months since. The average mobile download speed in the U.S. has actually declined slightly since 5G was initially deployed. This is because 5G is still only available in a very limited number of markets to consumers with 5G-capable devices.

Visit the Ookla 5G Map for the latest on 5G deployments across the globe.

Gigabit is a game-changer, if you can get it

Unlike 5G, fiber connections have been rolling out since 2007, opening up the possibility of gigabit-speed fixed broadband. That said, it’s costly and time-intensive to lay miles and miles of fiber so progress has varied widely across the globe.

Gigabit-Test---Performance_Singapore-1

Geographically small countries like Singapore have the advantage when it comes to fiber, because It’s easier and cheaper to lay fiber optic cable across the country’s small footprint. Singaporean internet service providers (ISPs) have used this advantage to go beyond mere gigabit and offer connections as fast as 10 Gbps. This is reflected both in Singapore’s dominance of the fixed rankings on the Speedtest Global Index and in the fact that 2.87% of their total Speedtest results over fixed broadband are gigabit-speed (800 Mbps or higher).

Gigabit-Test---Performance_Brazil-1

Brazil offers a good contrast for how difficult it can be for gigabit to reach the masses. While the first Brazilian ISP to offer fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) initially did so in 2007, easy access to gigabit speeds was slow to follow. However, that may be starting to change. Between June and July 2019 we saw a large uptick in gigabit-speed results in Brazil, where the proportion of gigabit speed tests increased from 0.02% of total fixed broadband tests to 0.17%. This corresponded with a large increase in mean download speed at the country level.

Comparing world mobile and fixed broadband at a glance

We were curious to see just how different internet performance experiences were around the world, so we plotted average mobile download speed against average download speed on fixed broadband. All of the graphs below use a percentage difference from the global average, a number that changed between 2018 and 2019.

fade-Performance-vs-Global---Quadrant-All

Speed Leaders

There was not much change in the list of countries that showed above-average download speeds on both mobile and fixed broadband between July 2018 and July 2019, the “Speed Leaders.” What did change was that fixed broadband speeds increased significantly enough among the group to bring the whole pack closer to Singapore and Hong Kong. On the mobile axis, South Korea’s major increase in download speed made that country more of an outlier, pushing the boundaries of what great performance can look like.

Fixed-Focused countries

Between July 2018 and July 2019 we saw the number of countries considered to be “Fixed-Focused” (having faster download speeds over fixed broadband than the world average while their average mobile download speeds were slower than average) increase. Ireland was the only country that solidly fit this category in 2018. Thailand and Chile started near the midline for fixed speeds and below-average for mobile speeds in 2018. 2019 found both countries squarely in the Fixed-Focused category. Israel also edged into this category as their mobile download speed fell between July 2018 and 2019.

Mobile-Focused countries

The “Mobile-Focused” category saw the most movement between July 2018 and July 2019 as some countries (the UAE and Qatar) increased their fixed speeds sufficiently to join the Speed Leaders. Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s mobile download speed increased year-over-year to move them into the Mobile-Focused quadrant. Georgia’s mobile download speed decreased enough to move them from Mobile-Focused to Speed Laggers.

It will be interesting to see how many of these Mobile-Focused countries double down on their mobile investments and explore 5G alternatives to fixed broadband.

Speed Laggers

No country wants to be in the position of having slower than average mobile and fixed broadband speeds. We saw 57 countries in this “Speed Laggers” quadrant in July 2018 and 78 in July 2019. This increase is mostly due to our expansion of the number of countries we consider for the Speedtest Global Index based on test count. There were enough countries in this category that we’ve considered them separately by continent below.

Regional views of mobile and fixed broadband performance

Mobile-and-Fixed-Broadband-Improvement-by-Continent-02

We aggregated Speedtest results by continent to analyze mobile and fixed broadband performance by continent.

Mobile-and-Fixed-Performance-by-Continent-01

Asia had the highest percentage increase in mobile download speed followed by North America, Oceania, South America, Africa and Europe. Oceania had the fastest mean download speed in July 2019. North America placed second, Europe third, Asia fourth, South America fifth and Africa sixth.

On the fixed broadband side, South America saw the highest percentage increase in download speed. Asia came in second, Europe third, Africa fourth, North America fifth and Oceania sixth. North America had the fastest mean download speed in July 2019. Europe was second, Asia third, and Oceania fourth. As we saw with mobile, South America and Africa again ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.

A zoomed-in view of the speed quadrants separated by continent offers a more detailed view of each country’s role in these rankings.

Africa mostly lags in internet speeds

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Africa

In July 2019, all but two African countries in the Speedtest Global Index fell into the Speed Laggers category, having mobile and fixed broadband speeds that were below global averages. The exceptions were South Africa and Guinea, which both had fast enough mobile speeds to place them in the mobile-focused quadrant.

Asian markets show a wide breadth of internet performance

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Asia

Asia was the most diverse continent we examined in terms of internet performance. We saw a plurality of countries in each of the four quadrants in July 2019. Most of the Speed Leaders were in East Asia: China, Hong Kong (SAR), Japan, Macau (SAR), South Korea, and Taiwan. If we include Singapore, another Speed Leader, these are among the wealthiest nations in Asia (using GDP per capita). Two of Asia’s Fixed-Focused countries are in Southeast Asia (Malaysia and Thailand) and one is in the Middle East (Israel).

The Speed Laggers category contained countries from South Asia (including Afghanistan, India and Pakistan), Southeast Asia (Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam) and the Middle East (Jordan). Mobile-Focused countries in Asia were mostly Middle Eastern, including Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

European mobile performance is mostly strong, fixed varies

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Europe

With the exception of Ireland, the European countries on the Speedtest Global Index fell into the Speed Leaders, Mobile-Focused, and Speed Laggers categories. All of the Speed Laggers (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia and the Ukraine) were from Eastern Europe. Countries from Southeast Europe (including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Moldova, Serbia and Slovenia) and Central Europe (Austria and the Czech Republic) made up the bulk of the Mobile-Focused category.

Speed Leaders included countries from the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), the Nordics (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), Central Europe (Poland and Romania), and Western Europe (including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain).

North American internet performance is sharply divided

2019-Performance-vs-Global---North-America

Canada and the U.S. are the only two North American countries in the Speed Leaders category. Panama is the only North American country under Fixed-Focused. Mexico and all of the Central American countries fall into the Speed Laggers category. There are no North American countries that are Mobile-Focused.

Each country in Oceania has a very different internet story

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Ocean

Oceania is represented in three of the four quadrants: Speed Leaders (New Zealand), Mobile-Focused (Australia) and Speed Laggers (Papua New Guinea) with Fiji straddling the divide between Speed Laggers and Mobile-Focused.

South America mostly lags in mobile and fixed internet speeds

2019-Performance-vs-Global---South-America

Most of the South American countries represented on the Speedtest Global Index are in the Speed Laggers quadrant (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela). Chile is an exception, being part of the Fixed-Focused group, as is Uruguay which sits in Mobile-Focused.

Global internet speeds are improving on average and 5G and gigabit are compounding those advances where available. However, not all countries are benefitting equally. We’ll be interested to see how 5G continues to push mobile speeds in the next year and also whether 5G Wi-Fi becomes a game changer for fixed broadband. Remember to check the Speedtest Global Index on a monthly basis for updated country rankings. And take a Speedtest to make sure your experience is represented in your country’s averages.

Editor’s Note: This article was edited on September 10, 2019 to correct an error in the labeling on the first image. The colors in a later image were updated for consistency.

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

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| March 13, 2020

Tracking COVID-19’s Impact on Global Internet Performance (Updated July 20)

Global Speeds

We are no longer updating this article as internet speeds in most countries have stabilized to pre-pandemic levels. For ongoing information about internet speeds in specific countries, visit the Speedtest Global IndexTM or contact our press team.

Ookla® closely monitored the impact of COVID-19 on the performance and quality of global mobile and broadband internet networks in the early days of the pandemic. We shared regular information based on Ookla data to assist in the understanding of this unprecedented situation. You can still download the July 20, 2020 CSV here which contains all the public data we tracked in this article. If you are looking for information on internet or online service outages, please check 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.

Global Speeds
Ookla for Good
coronavirus

About the Author

Ookla

Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 28, 2023

Chile Writes the Blueprint for Fixed Network Improvement in Latin America

Network Performance

Key messages

  • From a median download speed of 50.23 Mbps in Q1-Q2 2020 to 205.96 Mbps in Q3-Q4 2022 – Chile punches up on fixed line performance. Chile has been the top performing fixed broadband market across Latin America, consistently outperforming other markets in the region. Over the last three years it has also closed the performance gap to other leading markets globally, and during 2022 consistently featured in the top five of Ookla®’s Speedtest Global Index™, where as of January it placed second.
  • Strong competition the primary driver. Chile’s strong fixed broadband performance — an anomaly in the region — is due primarily to strong competition among Chilean ISPs. Chile has six ISPs with more than 5% market share, all of which are heavily focused on migrating customers to fiber, and five of which recorded median download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps during Q4 2022.
  • Fixed-line investment focused on driving rapid migration to fiber. Strong competition has promoted heavy fixed-line network investment, with reported data indicating capital intensity ratios in excess of 20% in the market. This has translated into a rapid technology migration, shifting the market from a majority of connections via cable (HFC) at the end of 2019, to fiber now comprising almost two-thirds of connections. Furthermore, it has also seen the formation of a neutral network, On*Net, which offers wholesale fiber access to other ISPs.
  • Supporting economic growth in the market. Subject to rising inflation and a market overheated following government intervention post the COVID-19 pandemic, Chile’s economy is expected to contract in 2023 before returning to growth in 2024. Despite this, broadband adoption among businesses continues to advance at a rapid pace, a positive sign in helping support the market’s future growth potential. In addition, broadband performance across the entire market is strong, with median download speeds in all Chilean regions in excess of 100 Mbps as of Q4 2022.

Chile punches up on fixed-line performance

Chile has been a regional leader in fixed line performance in Latin America since 2016, and since then has continually widened its advantage over its regional peers. Over the past three years Chile has driven fixed-line performance increases, from a median download speed of 50.23 Mbps in Q1-Q2 2020 to 205.96 Mbps in Q3-Q4 2022. This makes Chile now a clear anomaly among Latin American markets, having closed the performance gap to the top-performing fixed-line markets worldwide during 2022.

chart of median fixed download performance, chile versus regional and international peers

Chile’s population is predominantly urban-based, with a rural population of just 12.2% in 2021 according to the World Bank. While connecting rural premises with advanced fixed access networks is more costly and less profitable than in urban environments, the urban nature of Chile is not markedly different compared to its peers in Latin America. Brazil has only a marginally greater rural share of population at 12.7%, while Argentina has a lower share, at only 7.8%.

Speedtest Intelligence® data shows that at a regional level within Chile, ISPs are supporting median download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps across all regions during Q4 2022. Santiago Metropolitan Region is the most populous region in Chile, and recorded a median download speed of 215.73, while the region with the largest rural share of population, Maule, recorded a median download of 189.36 Mbps. The lowest median speed was observed in Aysén, with 117.34 Mbps. This relative equity in fixed line performance across regions echoes a 2020 OECD country report on Chile, which highlighted that while economic disparities between Chile’s regions are above the OECD average, it has shown the largest reduction in regional economic inequality among OECD countries since 2008.

map of median fixed download speeds by region in chile

Hyper-competitive fixed broadband market

Of the top eight markets in the Speedtest Global Index, Chile had the greatest concentration of ISPs supporting high-speed broadband services. Speedtest data shows eight ISPs active in the Chilean market with more than 3% share of samples, and of these seven supported median download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps. According to the regulator Subtel, Telefonica led the market with 30.3% market share, ahead of second-placed VTR with 26.2%.

Telefonica also led the market in terms of fiber connections, with a market share of 45.7%, followed by Mundo with 25.0%, which in January 2023 announced that it had completed the migration of its customer base from HFC (hybrid fiber-coaxial cable) to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). Other smaller ISPs are actively deploying fiber or looking for alternative solutions to boost their reach. Entel agreed to sell its fiber network to On*Net Fibra, a joint venture between KKR and Telefonica Chile to provide a neutral fiber network in Chile, in October 2022. This will allow Entel to continue provisioning new households over the larger OnNet network. We also see SpaceX’s Starlink active in the market, alongside Hughesnet, although satellite remains a very small but growing technology within the market.

chart of chile, fixed broadband connections market share by isp

Strong competition driving network investment

Strong competition in Chile’s fixed line market has helped drive network investment, with Chilean ISPs focused on expanding the number of homes passed and migrating to more advanced fiber access. The relatively late launch of 5G networks in the region has enabled operators to focus more heavily on fiber deployment, with a view to increasing fixed broadband adoption and also supporting 5G networks.  The first 5G networks in the market launched in December 2021.

While there is limited reported fixed-line financial data in the market, Telefonica Chile has reported capex historically. Its data shows strong early investment in the market, with capital intensity (capex as a share of revenues) well above 20% from 2015 onwards, peaking at 28.8% of revenues in 2018.

chart of telefonica chile, fixed capex and capital intensity

Telefonica Chile stopped reporting fixed revenues in 2020, however its fixed capex dipped significantly, highlighting the change in strategy from its parent group to deleverage its Latin American operation. This eventually led to KKR’s acquisition of a 60% share in InfraCom from Telefonica, creating On*Net Fibra, a neutral FTTH network joint-venture, which began offering wholesale services in July 2021. Rival ISP VTR confirms the overall trend of strong fixed-line investment in the country, reporting capital intensity in excess of 20% over the past three years. In addition, Mundo announced in early 2022 that it planned to invest $200 million expanding its fiber infrastructure in Chile, and the ISP is targeting 4.5 million homes passed, by the end of 2023.

Accelerating migration to fiber

As of 2019, a majority of Chilean broadband connections were supported by hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) services, with fiber the second most frequently used technology, followed by ADSL. The transformation of the Chilean fixed broadband market since then has been rapid, with the latest data for September 2022 showing that fiber makes up the majority of broadband connections, with HFC’s share declining strongly, and ADSL’s share dropping below that of wireless broadband connections.

chart of chile, fixed broadband connections market share by isp

This rapid tech migration has also led to Chile being among the strongest adopters of Wi-Fi 5 and 6 in Latin America, which support faster speeds within business and in the home. In Q4 2022, 71.3% of Chile’s Speedtest samples utilized Wi-Fi 5, with less than 20% utilizing Wi-Fi 4. By contrast, Brazil had 38.2% of samples utilizing Wi-Fi 4, and Argentina 53.4%. Adoption of the newer Wi-Fi 6 routers is slower in Chile compared to international peers, standing at 8.5% as of Q4 2022, however it still leads within Latin America by a significant margin. Within Chile GTD led the pack with 33.5% of samples utilizing Wi-Fi 6 during Q4 2022, followed by WOM with 25.9%, Entel with 21.9% and Telefonica del Sur with 19.4%. By contrast, Claro, Movistar, Mundo and VTR all returned less than 10% in Wi-Fi 6 samples, indicating there is plenty of scope to increase median fixed-line performance yet further in the market. Our analysis of the median download speeds shows a strong correlation with adoption of Wi-Fi routers utilizing 5 GHz spectrum (WiFi 5 and above).

chart of installed router base by wi-fi generation, chile versus regional and international peers

Driving increased fixed broadband adoption

The growth in fixed broadband adoption in Chile was disrupted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic, and resultant move towards remote working and more people staying at home. Connections growth increased from 5.5% in 2019, to 10.7% in 2020 and 12.8% in 2021, as the importance of home internet connectivity grew.

chart of chile growth in fixed broadband connections by residential and business users

The initial acceleration in connection growth in 2020 was due to growth in residential fixed broadband adoption, with connections increasing by 13% in 2020 and 12% in 2021. Business fixed broadband connections declined in 2020 as the economy contracted, but rebounded strongly in 2021 on the back of government economic stimuli, increasing 19%, and a further 8% in the first three quarters of 2022, demonstrating the important role of broadband in supporting economic growth in the market.

Chile’s economy is forecast to contract in 2023, as inflation continues to impact the market, and fiscal stimuli following the COVID-19 pandemic are unwound. However, the Chilean Central Bank forecasts that the market will rebound in 2024, with growth ranging from 2.25% – 3.25%. A key component of Chile’s future growth will be the ability of businesses to secure fast and reliable internet connections. From an infrastructure point of view, Chile is very well served in this regard, with a very dynamic fixed infrastructure market, as demonstrated by its operators continuing to push on fiber rollout, the emergence of a neutral fiber network with broad coverage, and even the increasing role of satellite connectivity in the market. Such is the success of its Chilean operation, that Telefonica is using the market as a blueprint for its other operations across Latin America. We’ll continue to monitor the rapid progress of Chile’s fixed broadband market as it continues to vie with other leading markets internationally at the top of Ookla’s Global Index. To find out more about Speedtest Intelligence, please get in touch.

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 Performance

About the Author

Mark Giles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 14, 2019

Exploring Recent Trends in the Latin American Telecom Market

Global Speeds


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The Latin American telecommunications market continues to be fascinating to watch as fixed broadband speeds increase and mobile operators ready their networks for 5G. In anticipation of Futurecom, we analyzed internet speeds and 4G Availability for Q2-Q3 2019 in Latin America’s major markets to see who’s leading the charge to the future.

Mobile and fixed speeds are increasing at the country level

LatAm-Mobile-Fixed-Speeds-in-Largest-Markets

Fixed broadband speeds are on the rise in Latin America’s largest markets. Colombia’s mean download speed increased 30.6% during Q2-Q3 2019 while Mexico’s increased 15.6%. Chile had the fastest mean download speed over fixed broadband by far and showed a 26.7% increase in speed during the period. Brazil was the second fastest throughout the period. Peru, Mexico and Argentina were closely vying for third, but in the end Peru won out. Colombia had the slowest download speed over fixed broadband.

Mobile speeds were much more competitive in Latin America’s largest markets. Increases in mean download speeds were not nearly as impressive as they were with fixed broadband, though. Mexico saw the greatest increase during Q2-Q3 2019 at 12.0%. Argentina’s mobile download speed increased 11.0%, followed by Brazil (7.9%), Chile (5.1%) and Colombia (4.6%). Peru’s mean download speed over mobile decreased 2.2% during the period. Mexico had the fastest mobile speed, followed by Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and, finally, Colombia.

4G Availability varies widely by country

LatAm-4G-Availability-Q2-Q3

We looked at the percentage of surveyed locations where devices could access 4G LTE service in Latin America’s major markets during Q2-Q3 2019 and found that Peru was on top with 77.8% 4G Availability during the period. Chile came in second with 75.5% and Argentina third at 71.4%. Brazil had the lowest 4G Availability at 47.3% and Colombia had the second lowest at 50.6%.

City speeds vary by technology

Ookla_Internet-Speeds-in-Latin-America-Largetst-Cities_1019_EN
Fixed broadband speeds have increased dramatically in Latin America’s largest cities since we last examined them and these speeds have shifted the rankings significantly. Santiago, Chile had the fastest download speed over fixed broadband in Q2-Q3 2019, beating second-place Brasília, Brazil by 66.6%. São Paulo, Brazil came in a close third. Bogotá, Colombia had the slowest download speed over fixed broadband of the cities on our list. Lima, Peru was the second slowest city and Mexico City, Mexico third slowest.

Because of the political situation in Venezuela, we did not include Caracas in our analysis.

Mobile rankings have changed significantly since we last considered speeds in Latin America’s largest cities. Salvador, Brazil had the fastest mobile download speed on our list during this period. Brasília, Brazil was a close second and Mexico City, Mexico third fastest. Bogotá, Colombia also had the slowest mobile download speed on our list. Santiago, Chile was the second slowest city for mobile and Fortaleza, Brazil the third slowest.

OoklaⓇ will be at Futurecom! If you’d like to connect to learn more about the Latin American telecom market and how our data can help you, contact us.

Análisis de las tendencias recientes en el mercado de las telecomunicaciones de América Latina

El mercado de las telecomunicaciones de América Latina continúa siendo fascinante de analizar a medida que las velocidades de la banda ancha fija aumentan y los operadores de telefonía móvil preparan sus redes para la tecnología 5G. Mientras esperamos Futurecom, examinamos las velocidades de Internet y la disponibilidad de 4G en el segundo y tercer trimestre de 2019 en los principales mercados de América Latina para ver quién está a la vanguardia del cambio de cara al futuro.

Las velocidades fijas y móviles están aumentando en cada país

LatAm-Mobile-Fixed-Speeds-in-Largest-Markets_ES

Las velocidades de la banda ancha fija están en aumento en los mercados más importantes de América Latina. La velocidad media de descarga de Colombia aumentó un 30,6 % durante el segundo y tercer trimestre de 2019, mientras que la de México se incrementó en un 15,6 %. Chile tuvo la velocidad media de descarga por banda ancha más rápida por lejos y demostró un aumento del 26,7 % en la velocidad durante el período. Brasil fue el segundo más rápido en todo el período. Perú, México y Argentina le siguieron de cerca compitiendo por el tercer puesto, pero al final, ganó Perú. Colombia tuvo la velocidad de descarga por banda ancha fija más lenta.

Las velocidades móviles fueron mucho más competitivas en los mercados más importantes de América Latina. Sin embargo, los aumentos en las velocidades medias de descarga no fueron tan impresionantes como lo fueron los de la banda ancha fija. México tuvo el mayor aumento durante el segundo y tercer trimestre de 2019 con un 12 %. La velocidad de descarga móvil de Argentina aumentó un 11 %, seguida por Brasil (7,9 %), Chile (5,1 %) y Colombia (4,6 %). La velocidad media de descarga móvil de Perú disminuyó un 2,2 % durante el período. México tuvo la velocidad móvil más rápida, seguido por Perú, Brasil, Argentina, Chile y, por último, Colombia.

La disponibilidad de 4G varía ampliamente por país

LatAm-4G-Availability-Q2-Q3_ES

Examinamos el porcentaje de lugares encuestados en donde los dispositivos pudieran acceder al servicio 4G LTE en los principales mercados de América Latina durante el segundo y tercer trimestre de 2019 y concluimos que Perú quedó en la cima con un 77,8 % de disponibilidad de 4G durante el período. Chile quedó segundo con el 75,5 % y Argentina quedó en el tercer lugar con el 71,4 %. Brasil tuvo la menor disponibilidad de 4G con el 47,3 % y Colombia tuvo el segundo nivel más bajo, con el 50,6 %.

Las velocidades de las ciudades varían según la tecnología

Ookla_Internet-Speeds-in-Latin-America-Largetst-Cities_1019_ES

Las velocidades de la banda ancha fija han aumentado drásticamente en las ciudades más importantes de América Latina desde la última vez que las analizamos y estas velocidades han cambiado las clasificaciones de manera significativa. Santiago, Chile, tuvo la mayor velocidad de descarga en banda ancha fija en el segundo y tercer trimestre de 2019, y venció a Brasilia, Brasil, que se quedó con el segundo lugar por el 66.6%. San Pablo, Brasil, quedó en tercer lugar, cerca. Bogotá, Colombia tuvo la velocidad de descarga por banda ancha fija más lenta de las ciudades en nuestra lista. Lima, Perú, fue la segunda ciudad más lenta, y la Ciudad de México, México, la tercera.

Debido a la situación política de Venezuela, no incluimos a Caracas en nuestro análisis.

Las clasificaciones móviles ha cambiado de manera significativa desde la última vez que analizamos las velocidades en las ciudades más importantes de América Latina. Salvador, Brasil, tuvo la velocidad de descarga móvil más rápida en nuestra lista durante este período. Brasilia, Brasil, quedó en segundo lugar por poco, y la Ciudad de México, México, fue la tercera más rápida. Bogotá, Colombia, también tuvo la velocidad de descarga móvil más lenta en nuestra lista. Santiago, Chile, fue la segunda ciudad más lenta en velocidad móvil, y Fortaleza, Brasil, la tercera más lenta.

OoklaⓇ estará en Futurecom. Si desean ponerse en contacto para obtener más información sobre el mercado de las telecomunicaciones en América Latina y cómo nuestros datos pueden ayudarlos, comuníquense con nosotros.

Tendências recentes no mercado de telecomunicações da América Latina

O mercado de telecomunicações da América Latina continua fascinante graças ao aumento das velocidades de banda larga e a preparação das redes de operadoras de celular para o 5G. Nas vésperas da Futurecom, analisamos as velocidades da internet e a disponibilidade de redes 4G entre o segundo e o terceiro trimestres de 2019 nos principais mercados da América Latina, para ver quem está liderando essa empreitada em direção ao futuro.

As velocidades de redes fixas e móveis dos países estão aumentando

LatAm-Mobile-Fixed-Speeds-in-Largest-Markets_PT

A velocidade da banda larga está aumentando nos maiores mercados da América Latina. A velocidade média de download da Colômbia aumentou 30,6% entre o segundo e o terceiro trimestres de 2019, enquanto no México ela aumentou 15,6%. O Chile teve, de longe, a maior velocidade média de download em banda larga fixa, com um aumento de 26,7% na velocidade durante o período. O Brasil foi o segundo mais rápido durante o período. Peru, México e Argentina disputaram acirradamente o terceiro lugar, mas o Peru acabou vencendo. A Colômbia teve a menor velocidade de download em banda larga fixa.

Houve um aumento na concorrência no setor de velocidades móveis nos maiores mercados da América Latina. No entanto, o aumento na velocidade média de download não foi tão impressionante quanto na banda larga fixa. O México teve o maior aumento entre o segundo e o terceiro trimestres de 2019, com 12%. A velocidade de download móvel da Argentina aumentou 11%, seguida pelo Brasil (7,9%), Chile (5,1%) e Colômbia (4,6%). A velocidade média de download do Peru em rede móvel diminuiu 2,2% durante o período. O México teve a maior velocidade móvel, seguido de Peru, Brasil, Argentina, Chile e, por fim, Colômbia.

Disponibilidade do 4G varia muito conforme o país

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Analisamos a porcentagem de dispositivos com acesso ao serviço 4G LTE nos maiores mercados da América Latina entre o segundo e o terceiro trimestres de 2019 e descobrimos que o Peru teve a maior disponibilidade do 4G no período, com 77,8%. O Chile ficou em segundo, com 75,5%, enquanto a Argentina ficou em terceiro com 71,4%. O Brasil teve a menor disponibilidade do 4G, com 47,3%, enquanto a Colômbia teve a segunda menor, com 50,6%.

Velocidades no meio urbano variam de acordo com a tecnologia

Ookla_Internet-Speeds-in-Latin-America-Largetst-Cities_1019_PT

A velocidade de banda larga fixa aumentou dramaticamente nas maiores cidades da América Latina desde a nossa última análise, o que alterou os rankings de maneira significativa. Santiago, no Chile, teve a maior velocidade de download em banda larga fixa entre o segundo e terceiro trimestres de 2019, acima do segundo lugar, Brasília, com 66,6%. São Paulo ficou em terceiro lugar, com uma porcentagem próxima. Bogotá, na Colômbia, teve a menor velocidade de download em banda larga fixa nas cidades da lista. Lima, no Peru, teve a segunda menor velocidade, com a Cidade do México, no México, em terceiro.

Devido à situação política da Venezuela, Caracas não foi incluída na análise.

Os rankings de rede móvel mudaram significativamente desde nossa última análise da velocidade nas maiores cidades da América Latina. Salvador teve a maior velocidade de download em rede móvel durante o período. Brasília ficou em segundo lugar por pouco, enquanto a Cidade do México, no México, ficou em terceiro. Bogotá, na Colômbia, também teve a menor velocidade de download em rede móvel na nossa lista. Santiago, no Chile, teve a segunda menor velocidade para redes móveis, seguida por Fortaleza, que teve a terceira menor velocidade.

A OoklaⓇ estará na Futurecom! Entre em contato conosco para saber mais sobre o mercado de telecomunicações da América Latina e como nossos dados podem ajudá-lo.

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

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| May 30, 2019

Mobile Speeds, 4G Availability and Coverage in Latin America’s Largest Markets

Global Speeds

Leer en español | Leia em Português

Major markets in Latin America, in most cases, saw double-digit percent increases in mean mobile download speeds during the past year. While the only 5G deployments we’ve yet seen in Latin America are in Uruguay and Brazil, operators across the continent are working to expand 4G LTE and prepare for future technologies. Using data from Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ we’ve examined mobile download speeds to see which countries are fastest and which are quickly improving. We’ve also analyzed which countries offer the best access to 4G and which operators are leading the way in speeds and coverage. For further context, we’ve included a look at speeds and 4G Availability in Central America.

Mobile speeds improved in most of Latin America’s major markets

As we saw last year, Peru had the fastest mean download speed of the group during Q1 2019, and the third largest year-over-year increase. Argentina showed the largest percentage increase and came in fourth during Q1 2019. Mexico is the exception with a second-place download speed but a 4% decline in mobile speed since last year.

Mobile Speeds in Latin America’s Largest Markets
Q1 2019 | SpeedtestⓇ Data
Country Mean Download (Mbps) % Change YOY
Peru 23.07 15.4%
Mexico 22.02 -4.0%
Brazil 21.30 25.7%
Argentina 19.78 37.5%
Chile 18.47 13.6%
Colombia 17.36 10.3%

Fastest mobile operators

We also looked at the fastest mobile operator in each country during Q1 2019 using Speed ScoreTM (a weighted trimean that combines download and upload speeds) for top providers (operators with 3% or larger market share) on modern devices.

Claro, the Mexican-owned telecommunications company, achieved the highest Speed Score in Peru, Chile and Brazil. In Peru this was due to the combination of 700 MHz LTE and 300 Mbps LTE-A service. In Chile, Claro is mainly using the 700 MHz and 2600 MHz spectrum. Claro uses 700 MHz in Brazil to augment the existing 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz networks, and additional capacity is available in places like Rio de Janeiro where Claro has deployed a 1 Gbps capable License Assisted Access (LAA) network in select locations.

Fastest Operators in Latin America’s Largest Markets
Q1 2019 | SpeedtestⓇ Data
Country Mobile Operator Speed ScoreTM
Argentina Personal 23.16
Brazil Claro 29.48
Chile Claro 23.53
Colombia TigoUNE 17.78
Mexico Telcel 26.20
Peru Claro 28.43

Personal delivered the fastest speeds in Argentina via 700 MHz, 1700 MHz and 2600 MHz plus carrier aggregation. Personal now provides service in over 1,350 towns and cities, having added 390 new locations in 2018. TigoUNE in Colombia launched LTE-Advanced speeds of up to 230 Mbps in parts of Bogota and Medellín. Mexico’s fastest operator, Telcel, has quietly started deploying gigabit class LTE to 76 cities throughout Mexico.

Cellular service is widely available while 4G Availability varies

Speedtest data shows that mobile users in Latin America’s largest markets were able to find service in 96% or more of surveyed locations. Chile showed the best General Availability at 99.7%. Colombia was second and Peru third. Brazil came in last for General Availability with 96.9%.

4G Availability in Latin America’s Largest Markets
Q1 2019 | SpeedtestⓇ Data
Country General Availability 4G Availability
Chile 99.7% 78.9%
Colombia 99.3% 59.3%
Peru 99.2% 87.4%
Argentina 98.7% 76.9%
Mexico 98.3% 76.7%
Brazil 96.9% 54.9%

On the other hand, a mobile user’s ability to consistently access 4G is highly dependent on which country they live in. Customers in Peru have the best chance of connecting to LTE with a 4G Availability of 87.4%. Chile, Argentina and Mexico all show 4G Availability in the mid- to upper-70s. Brazil showed the worst 4G Availability in Latin America’s largest markets with mobile users accessing LTE a majority of the time in only 54.9% of surveyed locations.

Mobile operators with the best coverage

Coverage can be as important as speeds, especially in countries with large rural areas and/or difficult terrains. To better understand who offers the best coverage in a country, Ookla aggregates a score for coverage based on where each operator offers service and the average quality of service in those areas. The higher an operator’s Coverage ScoreTM for a given area, the more locations in that overall area where the operator has high quality service.

We looked at which of the top providers showed the best coverage in each country and found that Telcel, a subsidiary of América Móvil, in had the highest Coverage Score in Mexico during Q1 2019. Another América Móvil subsidiary, Claro had the best coverage in both Colombia and Argentina. Telefónica subsidiary Movistar topped the list in Peru and Chile and Vivo, also a subsidiary of Telefónica, had the best coverage in Brazil. Coverage Score is not comparable across countries due to differing geographies.

Operators with Best Coverage in Latin America’s Largest Markets
Q1 2019 | SpeedtestⓇ Data
Country Mobile Operator Coverage ScoreTM
Argentina Claro 570
Brazil Vivo 547
Chile Movistar 690
Colombia Claro 638
Mexico Telcel 816
Peru Movistar 697

How Central American mobile speeds and availability compare

Smaller markets in Latin America also show interesting dynamics. While some parts of Central America have struggled with poverty, political unrest and corruption, others have not. What’s interesting is that mobile speeds and 4G Availability aren’t always hindered by these conditions in the ways that we might expect.

Mobile Speeds and Availability in Central America
Q1 2019 | SpeedtestⓇ Data
Country Mean Download (Mbps) General Availability 4G Availability
Belize 23.30 99.4% 67.5%
Costa Rica 19.22 99.5% 45.7%
El Salvador 8.79 99.9% 34.9%
Guatemala 16.75 99.9% 65.9%
Honduras 21.29 99.5% 51.4%
Nicaragua 20.13 99.8% 45.8%
Panama 9.74 99.8% 74.4%

The good news is good. Belize showed the fastest mean download speeds over mobile in Central America in Q1 2019, faster even than those in Peru. Mobile download speeds in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica were also particularly strong and would place them in the mid- to upper-range if we combined Central America with the list of largest markets. General Availability is above 99% in all Central American countries and Panama showed the best 4G Availability at 74.4%.

The bad news is not great. While mean mobile download speeds in Panama and El Salvador are fast enough to stream HD video, they are much slower than in Latin America’s largest markets and place these countries in line with speeds experienced in Haiti. El Salvador also showed the lowest 4G Availability in Central America at 34.9%. 4G Availability in Nicaragua and Costa Rica was also relatively low at 45.8% and 45.7%, respectively.

We’ll continue watching these markets to see how improving speeds change rankings and how network enhancements affect 4G Availability. If you are interested in detailed views of these metrics and more, learn more about Speedtest Intelligence.

Velocidades, disponibilidad de 4G y cobertura de la telefonía móvil en los mercados más importantes de América Latina

En la mayoría de los casos, los principales mercados de América Latina experimentaron aumentos de dos dígitos en las velocidades medias de descarga móvil durante el año pasado. Mientras que la única implementación de 5G que se ha visto en América Latina se realizó en Uruguay, los operadores de todo el continente están trabajando para expandir el 4G LTE y prepararse para las tecnologías futuras. Con datos de Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ, examinamos las velocidades de descarga móvil para ver en qué países son más rápidas y en cuáles están mejorando rápidamente. También analizamos qué países ofrecen el mejor acceso al 4G y qué operadores son los líderes en velocidad y cobertura. Para ofrecer un mayor contexto, incluimos un breve análisis de la disponibilidad de 4G en América Central.

Las velocidades móviles mejoraron en la mayoría de los principales mercados de América Latina

Como observamos el año pasado, Perú tuvo la velocidad media de descarga más rápida del grupo durante el primer trimestre de 2019 y el tercer mayor aumento interanual. Argentina mostró el mayor aumento porcentual y quedó cuarta durante el primer trimestre de 2019. México es la excepción, con el segundo lugar en velocidad de descarga, pero una disminución del 4 % en la velocidad móvil respecto del año pasado.

Velocidades móviles en los mercados más importantes de América Latina
Primer trimestre de 2019 | Datos de SpeedtestⓇ
País Descarga media (Mbps) Porcentaje de cambio interanual
Perú 23,07 15,4%
México 22,02 -4,0%
Brasil 21,30 25,7%
Argentina 19,78 37,5%
Chile 18,47 13,6%
Colombia 17,36 10,3%

Operadores de telefonía móvil más rápidos

También analizamos el operador de telefonía móvil más rápido en cada país durante el primer trimestre de 2019 con Speed ScoreTM (un trimeano ponderado que combina las velocidades de carga y descarga) entre los principales proveedores (operadores con una cuota de mercado del 3 % o superior) en dispositivos modernos.

Claro, la compañía de telecomunicaciones mexicana, logró el mayor Speed Score en Perú, Chile y Brasil. En Perú, esto se debió a la combinación de los servicios LTE de 700 MHz y LTE-A de 300 Mbps. En Chile, Claro utiliza principalmente el espectro de 700 MHz y 2600 MHz. Claro emplea 700 MHz en Brasil para aumentar las redes existentes de 1800 MHz y 2600 MHz, y ofrece capacidad adicional disponible en lugares como Río de Janeiro, donde ha implementado una red de acceso asistido por licencia (LAA, License Assisted Access) con capacidad de 1 Gbps en lugares seleccionados.

Operadores de telefonía móvil más rápidos en los mercados más importantes de América Latina
Primer trimestre de 2019 | Datos de SpeedtestⓇ
País Operador de telefonía móvil Speed ScoreTM
Argentina Personal 23,16
Brasil Claro 29,48
Chile Claro 23,53
Colombia TigoUNE 17,78
México Telcel 26,20
Perú Claro 28,43

Personal ofreció las velocidades más rápidas en Argentina con 700 MHz, 1700 MHz y 2600 MHz más Carrier Aggregation. Personal ya brinda sus servicios en más de 1350 pueblos y ciudades, después de sumar 390 nuevas localidades en 2018. En Colombia, TigoUNE lanzó velocidades de LTE-Advanced de hasta 230 Mbps en áreas de Bogotá y Medellín. El operador más rápido de México, Telcel, ha comenzado a implementar LTE de clase Gigabit en 76 ciudades de todo México.

El servicio celular está ampliamente disponible, pero la disponibilidad de 4G varía

Según los datos de Speedtest, los usuarios de telefonía móvil en los mercados más importantes de América Latina pudieron encontrar servicio en el 96 % o más de los lugares encuestados. Chile mostró la mejor disponibilidad general, con el 99,7 %. Colombia ocupó el segundo lugar y Perú, el tercero. Brasil quedó último en disponibilidad general, con el 96,9 %.

Disponibilidad de 4G en los mercados más importantes de América Latina
Primer trimestre de 2019 | Datos de SpeedtestⓇ
País Disponibilidad general Disponibilidad de 4G
Chile 99,7% 78,9%
Colombia 99,3% 59,3%
Perú 99,2% 87,4%
Argentina 98,7% 76,9%
México 98,3% 76,7%
Brasil 96,9% 54,9%

Por otro lado, la capacidad de un usuario móvil de obtener un acceso constante a 4G depende ampliamente del país en el que vive. Los clientes en Perú tienen la mayor probabilidad de conectarse a LTE con una disponibilidad de 4G del 87,4 %. Chile, Argentina y México muestran una disponibilidad de 4G de entre el 75 y el 79 %. Brasil tuvo la peor disponibilidad de 4G entre los mercados más importantes de América Latina, ya que los usuarios de telefonía móvil obtuvieron acceso a LTE la mayor parte del tiempo en solo el 54,9 % de los lugares encuestados.

Operadores de telefonía móvil con la mejor cobertura

La cobertura puede ser tan importante como las velocidades, especialmente en países con grandes zonas rurales o terrenos difíciles. Para ayudar a comprender mejor quién ofrece la mejor cobertura en cada país, Ookla calcula una puntuación por cobertura basada en dónde brinda servicio cada operador y la calidad promedio del servicio en esas áreas. Cuanto mayor es la puntuación de Coverage ScoreTM de un operador para un área determinada, más son las ubicaciones de esa área general en las que el operador presta un servicio de alta calidad.

Analizamos cuál de los principales operadores brindó la mejor cobertura en cada país y concluimos que Telcel, una subsidiaria de América Móvil, obtuvo la mayor puntuación de Coverage Score en México durante el primer trimestre de 2019. Otra subsidiaria de América Móvil, Claro, tuvo la mejor cobertura tanto en Colombia como en Argentina. Una subsidiaria de Telefónica, Movistar, encabezó la lista en Perú y Chile, y Vivo, también subsidiaria de Telefónica, tuvo la mejor cobertura en Brasil. Debido a las diferentes geografías, las puntuaciones de Coverage Score no son comparables entre diferentes países.

Operador con mejor cobertura en los mercados más importantes de América Latina
Primer trimestre de 2019 | Datos de SpeedtestⓇ
País Operador de telefonía móvil Coverage ScoreTM
Argentina Claro 570
Brasil Vivo 547
Chile Movistar 690
Colombia Claro 638
México Telcel 816
Perú Movistar 697

Comparación con las velocidades y la disponibilidad de la telefonía móvil en América Central

Los mercados más pequeños de América Latina también muestran dinámicas interesantes. Si bien en algunas partes de América Central ha habido dificultades relacionadas con la pobreza, la inestabilidad política y la corrupción, en otras no ha sido así. Resulta interesante destacar que las velocidades móviles y la disponibilidad de 4G no siempre se ven afectadas por estas condiciones de la manera que se podría esperar.

Velocidades y disponibilidad móviles en América Central
Primer trimestre de 2019 | Datos de SpeedtestⓇ
País Descarga media (Mbps) Disponibilidad general Disponibilidad de 4G
Belice 23,30 99,4% 67,5%
Costa Rica 19,22 99,5% 45,7%
El Salvador 8,79 99,9% 34,9%
Guatemala 16,75 99,9% 65,9%
Honduras 21,29 99,5% 51,4%
Nicaragua 20,13 99,8% 45,8%
Panamá 9,74 99,8% 74,4%

Las buenas noticias son buenas. Belice exhibió las velocidades medias de descarga más rápidas de la telefonía móvil en América Central en el primer trimestre de 2019, superando incluso a las de Perú. Las velocidades de descarga móvil en Honduras, Nicaragua y Costa Rica también fueron especialmente potentes y colocarían a estos países en el rango medio a superior si combináramos América Central con la lista de los mercados más importantes. La disponibilidad general supera el 99 % en todos los países centroamericanos, y Panamá exhibió la mejor disponibilidad de 4G, con el 74,4 %.

Las malas noticias no son alentadoras. Si bien las velocidades medias de descarga móvil en Panamá y El Salvador son lo suficientemente rápidas como para transmitir videos en HD, son mucho más lentas que en los mercados más importantes de América Latina y colocan a estos países en línea con las velocidades experimentadas en Haití. El Salvador también exhibió la menor disponibilidad de 4G en América Central, con el 34,9 %. La disponibilidad de 4G en Nicaragua y Costa Rica también fue baja en términos relativos, con el 45,8 % y el 45,7 %, respectivamente.

Continuaremos atentos a estos mercados para ver cómo la mejora de las velocidades cambia las clasificaciones y de qué manera las mejoras en la red afectan la disponibilidad de 4G. Si desea obtener un análisis detallado de estas métricas y datos adicionales, consulte más información sobre Speedtest Intelligence.

Velocidades móveis, disponibilidade 4G e cobertura nos maiores mercados da América Latina

Os principais mercados da América Latina, na maioria dos casos, registraram aumentos de dois dígitos nas velocidades médias de download de dispositivos móveis durante o ano passado. Embora as únicas implantaçãoes 5G vistas na América Latina tenham sido realizadas no Uruguai e no Brasil, operadoras de todo o continente estão trabalhando para expandir o 4G LTE e se preparar para as próximas tecnologias. Usando dados do Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ, examinamos as velocidades de download de dispositivos móveis para ver quais países são mais rápidos e quais estão melhorando rapidamente. Analisamos também quais países oferecem o melhor acesso ao 4G e quais operadoras lideram em termos de velocidade e cobertura. Por conta de um contexto mais abrangente, incluímos as velocidades e a disponibilidade do 4G na América Central.

As velocidades de dispositivos móveis melhoraram na maioria dos principais mercados da América Latina

Como vimos no ano passado, o Peru teve a velocidade média de download mais rápida do grupo durante o primeiro trimestre de 2019, e o terceiro maior aumento em relação ao ano anterior. A Argentina apresentou o maior aumento percentual e ficou em quarto lugar no primeiro trimestre de 2019. O México é a exceção, com o segundo lugar em velocidade de download, mas uma queda de 4% na velocidade de dispositivos móveis desde o ano passado.

Velocidades móveis nos maiores mercados da América Latina
1º trimestre de 2019 | Dados do SpeedtestⓇ
País Download médio (Mbps) % de alteração de ano a ano
Peru 23,07 15,4%
México 22,02 -4,0%
Brasil 21,30 25,7%
Argentina 19,78 37,5%
Chile 18,47 13,6%
Colômbia 17,36 10,3%

Operadoras móveis mais rápidas

Também analisamos a operadora móvel mais rápida em cada país durante o primeiro trimestre de 2019 usando o Speed ScoreTM (um ajuste ponderado que combina velocidades de download e upload) para os principais provedores (operadoras com participação de mercado de 3% ou mais) em dispositivos modernos.

A Claro, empresa de telecomunicações mexicana, alcançou o maior Speed Score no Peru, no Chile e no Brasil. No Peru, isso se deveu àcombinação do serviço LTE de 700 MHz e LTE-A de 300 Mbps. No Chile, a Claro utiliza principalmente o espectro de 700 MHz e 2600 MHz. A Claro usa 700 MHz no Brasil para aumentar as redes existentes de 1800 MHz e 2600 MHz, e há mais capacidade disponível em lugares como o Rio de Janeiro, onde a Claro implantou uma rede de Acesso Licenciado e Assistido (LAA) com capacidade de 1 Gbps em locais selecionados.

Operadoras mais rápidas nos maiores mercados da América Latina
1º trimestre de 2019 | Dados do SpeedtestⓇ
País Operadora móvel Speed ScoreTM
Argentina Personal 23,16
Brasil Claro 29,48
Chile Claro 23,53
Colômbia TigoUNE 17,78
México Telcel 26,20
Peru Claro 28,43

A Personal forneceu as velocidades mais rápidas na Argentina com 700 MHz, 1700 MHz e 2600 MHz, além da agregação de operadoras. A Personal presta serviços em mais de 1.350 cidades, com 390 novos locais em 2018. A TigoUNE, na Colômbia, lançou velocidades LTE-Advanced de até 230 Mbps em partes de Bogotá e Medellín. A operadora mais rápida do México, a Telcel, começou sem alarde a implantar o LTE de classe gigabit em 76 cidades em todo o México.

O serviço de celulares está amplamente disponível, enquanto a disponibilidade do 4G varia

Os dados do Speedtest mostram que os usuários de dispositivos móveis nos maiores mercados da América Latina conseguiram encontrar serviços em 96% ou mais dos locais pesquisados. O Chile apresentou a melhor disponibilidade geral, com 99,7%. A Colômbia ficou em segundo e o Peru em terceiro. O Brasil ficou em último lugar, com disponibilidade geral de 96,9%.

Disponibilidade do 4G nos maiores mercados da América Latina
1º trimestre de 2019 | Dados do SpeedtestⓇ
País Disponibilidade geral Disponibilidade do 4G
Chile 99,7% 78,9%
Colômbia 99,3% 59,3%
Peru 99,2% 87,4%
Argentina 98,7% 76,9%
México 98,3% 76,7%
Brasil 96,9% 54,9%

Por outro lado, a capacidade de um usuário de dispositivos móveis de acessar de modo consistente o 4G depende muito do país em que ele mora. Os clientes do Peru têm a melhor chance de se conectar ao LTE, com uma disponibilidade de 87,4% para o 4G. A disponibilidade do 4G no Chile, na Argentina e no México ultrapassa os 70%. O Brasil tem a pior disponibilidade do 4G entre os maiores mercados da América Latina, com usuários móveis acessando o LTE na maior parte do tempo em apenas 54,9% dos locais pesquisados.

Operadoras móveis com a melhor cobertura

A cobertura pode ser tão importante quanto a velocidade, especialmente em países com grandes áreas rurais e/ou terrenos de difícil acesso. Para entender melhor quem oferece a melhor cobertura em um país, a Ookla agrega uma pontuação para cobertura com base no local em que cada operadora oferece serviço e na qualidade média do serviço nessas áreas. Quanto maior o Coverage ScoreTM de um operador para uma determinada área, mais locais nessa área geral o operador terá um serviço de alta qualidade.

Analisamos quais dos principais provedores apresentaram a melhor cobertura em cada país e descobrimos que a Telcel, uma subsidiária da América Móvil, teve o maior Coverage Score no México durante o primeiro trimestre de 2019. Outra subsidiária da América Móvil, a Claro, teve a melhor cobertura na Colômbia e na Argentina. A Movistar, subsidiária da Telefónica, liderou a lista no Peru e no Chile, e a Vivo, também subsidiária da Telefónica, teve a melhor cobertura no Brasil. O Coverage Score não é comparável entre países por causa das diferenças entre as regiões geográficas.

Operadora com melhor cobertura nos maiores mercados da América Latina
1º trimestre de 2019 | Dados do SpeedtestⓇ
País Operadora móvel Coverage ScoreTM
Argentina Claro 570
Brasil Vivo 547
Chile Movistar 690
Colômbia Claro 638
México Telcel 816
Peru Movistar 697

Como as velocidades e a disponibilidade dos dispositivos móveis da América Central se saem na comparação

Os mercados menores na América Latina também apresentam dinâmicas interessantes. Enquanto algumas partes da América Central lutam contra a pobreza, a agitação política e a corrupção, outras não têm esses problemas. O interessante é que a disponibilidade do 4G e as velocidades dos dispositivos móveis nem sempre são prejudicadas por essas condições da maneira que poderíamos esperar.

Velocidades móveis e disponibilidade na América Central
1º trimestre de 2019 | Dados do SpeedtestⓇ
País Download médio (Mbps) Disponibilidade geral Disponibilidade do 4G
Belize 23,30 99,4% 67,5%
Costa Rica 19,22 99,5% 45,7%
El Salvador 8,79 99,9% 34,9%
Guatemala 16,75 99,9% 65,9%
Honduras 21,29 99,5% 51,4%
Nicarágua 20,13 99,8% 45,8%
Panamá 9,74 99,8% 74,4%

A boa notícia é boa. Belize mostrou a mais rápida média de velocidade de download em dispositivos móveis da América Central no primeiro trimestre de 2019, mais rápida até do que no Peru. As velocidades de download em dispositivos móveis em Honduras, na Nicarágua e na Costa Rica também foram bem sólidas e colocariam esses países em uma faixa de média a alta se combinássemos a América Central com a lista dos maiores mercados. A disponibilidade geral está acima de 99% em todos os países da América Central, e o Panamá mostrou a melhor disponibilidade do 4G, com 74,4%.

A má notícia não é nada boa. Embora as velocidades médias de download em dispositivos móveis no Panamá e em El Salvador sejam rápidas o suficiente para transmitir vídeo em alta definição, elas são muito mais lentas do que nos maiores mercados da América Latina e colocam esses países alinhados com as velocidades experimentadas no Haiti. El Salvador também apresentou a menor disponibilidade de 4G da América Central, com 34,9%. A disponibilidade do 4G na Nicarágua e na Costa Rica também foi relativamente baixa, com 45,8% e 45,7%, respectivamente.

Continuaremos prestando atenção a esses mercados para ver como a melhoria da velocidade muda a classificação e como os aprimoramentos da rede afetam a disponibilidade do 4G. Se você estiver interessado em visualizações detalhadas dessas métricas e muito mais, saiba mais sobre o Speedtest Intelligence.

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About the Author

Isla McKetta