Isla McKetta | December 20, 2021

Starlink Expands but Q3 2021 Performance Flattens in Some Areas

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.

About the Author

Isla McKetta

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Josh Fomon | September 20, 2022

Starlink Slowed in Q2, Competitors Mounting Challenges

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

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

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

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

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

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.

About the Author

Josh Fomon

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Josh Fomon | June 28, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

Starlink in Mexico was the fastest satellite provider in North America

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

Starlink in Lithuania was the fastest satellite provider in Europe

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

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

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

Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America

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

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

Starlink in Australia was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania

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

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

Consumers are flocking to Starlink, but competitors are close behind

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

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

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

About the Author

Josh Fomon

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Mark Giles | December 22, 2024

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

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.

About the Author

Mark Giles

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Isla McKetta | June 17, 2024

Your Guide to Airport Wi-Fi and Mobile Performance at 50+ Global Airports in 2024

Airports around the world have been packed with travelers this year, which puts extra stress on the Wi-Fi. With summer travel already well in swing in the northern hemisphere, we’re back with fresh data for our series on airport Wi-Fi performance to help you plan for connectivity at all your connections. You’ll find information about Wi-Fi on free networks provided by the individual airports as well as mobile speeds at some of the busiest airports in the world during Q1 2024. Read on for a look at internet performance at over 50 of the world’s busiest airports with data on download speed, upload speed, and latency.

Key takeaways

The seven fastest airports for downloads over Wi-Fi were in the United States: San Francisco International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and Harry Reid International Airport.
Six U.S. airports had the fastest uploads over Wi-Fi: San Francisco International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The fastest mobile download speeds on our list were at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in China, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in the U.S.
Eight of the 10 airports with the fastest mobile upload speeds were in China.

9 airports have 100+ Mbps Wi-Fi download speeds

Speedtest Intelligence® showed seven of the nine airports with median Wi-Fi download speeds over 100 Mbps were in the U.S.:

San Francisco International Airport (173.55 Mbps),
Newark Liberty International Airport (166.51 Mbps),
John F. Kennedy International Airport (151.59 Mbps),
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (151.28 Mbps),
Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (137.31 Mbps),
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (119.92 Mbps), and
Harry Reid International Airport (107.84 Mbps).

Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France and China’s Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport rounded out the list with median download speeds of 107.13 Mbps and 101.01 Mbps, respectively. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Sea–Tac had the lowest median multi-server latency on Wi-Fi of any of the airports surveyed during Q1 2024.

Hover on the pins on the map below to see full details for download and upload speeds as well as latency at all the airports analyzed.

Fixed Broadband Internet Speeds Over Free Wi-Fi at Global Airports
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2024
A map showing fixed broadband speeds in selected global airports.

At Ookla®, we’re dedicated to making sure the networks you depend on are always at their best. With Ekahau®, our Wi-Fi solution, we know firsthand just how challenging it can be to optimize Wi-Fi at airports, especially when you have up to 900 people waiting at each boarding gate during the busiest travel times. While the speeds achieved by these top airports are impressive, we saw two smaller U.S. airports with median Wi-Fi download speeds over 200 Mbps during our U.S.-only analysis of airport Wi-Fi in the fall.

Six airports on our list use multiple SSIDs for their Wi-Fi networks for different terminals or to take advantage of the coverage advantages of 2.4 GHz and the speed advantages of 5 GHz frequencies. We have included data for all the SSIDs with sufficient samples in the map and reported in the text on the best result when using multiple SSIDs results in dramatically different speeds.

Eighteen airports on our list had median Wi-Fi download speeds of less than 25 Mbps. Mexico City International Airport in Mexico had the lowest median Wi-Fi download speed at 5.11 Mbps, followed by:

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Vietnam (7.07 Mbps),
Beijing Capital International Airport in China (9.45 Mbps),
Cairo International Airport in Egypt (10.62 Mbps), and
Tokyo Haneda Airport in Japan (11.37 Mbps).

You may struggle with everything from video chatting to streaming at any airport with a download speed below 25 Mbps. Latency is also a factor in performance so if your airport is one of the three with a median Wi-Fi latency over 60 ms, a mobile hotspot may be a better option for a stable connection.

Wi-Fi 6 has arrived

Our analysis shows at least 15 airports on our list were using the new Wi-Fi 6 standard in their Wi-Fi setup. Wi-Fi 6 uses Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) to increase performance and throughput, especially when serving multiple devices. This offers a real advantage at a large public location like an airport. In order to get maximum benefit from Wi-Fi 6, consumers would need to be using Wi-Fi 6-compatible devices. Speedtest data shows a fairly even split between airports that saw faster download speeds on Wi-Fi 6 and airports where Wi-Fi 6 results were comparable to those on other earlier Wi-Fi generations.

As you know, international travel can be complicated. Even if the airport offers free Wi-Fi, you may encounter other barriers to access. For example, a local number is required in Cairo to receive the access code to connect to the airport Wi-Fi. And while we’d love to include other large airports like Nigeria’s Murtala Muhammed International Airport in future Wi-Fi analyses, they currently do not offer free Wi-Fi so we have included mobile data below.

11 airports show mobile speeds over 200 Mbps

Speedtest® data shows mobile speeds massively outpaced Wi-Fi, with 14 airports showing faster median downloads over mobile than the fastest airport for Wi-Fi. Hamad International Airport in Qatar had the fastest median download speed over mobile on our list at 442.49 Mbps during Q1 2024, followed by:

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (341.19 Mbps),
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (295.94 Mbps),
Shanghai Pudong International Airport (264.71 Mbps),
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (258.42 Mbps), and
Istanbul Airport (255.51 Mbps).

Mobile Network Speeds at Global Airports
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2024

Fastest mobile speeds at airports in Africa and South America

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya had the fastest mobile download speeds of the four African airports we analyzed at 88.12 Mbps during Q1 2024. São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil was the faster of the two Latin American airports analyzed with a median download speed of 55.44 Mbps.

Airports with slow mobile speeds

Mobile can’t fix everything, because six airports came in with a median mobile download speed below 25 Mbps. Mexico City International Airport was again at the bottom with 8.75 Mbps, followed by:

Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (15.21 Mbps),
Orlando International Airport (15.84 Mbps),
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (20.37 Mbps),
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (20.96 Mbps), and
Indira Gandhi International Airport (21.80 Mbps).

Latency on mobile was generally higher than that on Wi-Fi with 46 airports showing a Wi-Fi latency lower than the lowest latency on mobile, 27.51 ms at China’s Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. As noted above, latency is an important factor in performance, so it might be worth investigating the airport Wi-Fi by running a Speedtest if your mobile performance seems to lag.

Airport Wi-Fi or mobile? Connecting on your next trip

We created a quick guide to help you decide whether to try out the Wi-Fi or simply use the local mobile network if you have access. Use it to compare free airport Wi-Fi performance against mobile performance for the 52 airports we have both Wi-Fi and mobile data for during Q1 2024. Twenty-six airports had faster mobile internet than airport Wi-Fi. Eight airports had faster Wi-Fi than mobile, and seven airports showed only a slight distinction between Wi-Fi and mobile or download speeds over 100 Mbps on both, so we gave both the green check marks. We were able to include more airports in the mobile analysis because there were more mobile samples to analyze at those airports than there were samples over Wi-Fi.

The averages reported here are based on real-world data, so your experience may differ, especially on a busy travel day. Take a Speedtest® at the airport to see how your performance compares. Cheers to safe travels and rapid connections wherever you’re flying.

About the Author

Isla McKetta

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Mark Giles | January 16, 2024

52 New Ookla Market Reports Available for Q4 2023

Ookla® Market Reports™ identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 52 markets using Speedtest Intelligence® and summarized the top takeaways below. Click through to the market report to see more details and charts about the countries you’re interested in, including the fastest fixed broadband providers and mobile operators, who had the most consistent service, as well as 5G and device performance in select countries during Q4 2023. Jump forward to a continent using these links:

Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania

Africa

Côte d’Ivoire: Orange recorded the fastest median mobile and fixed download speeds during Q4 2023, at 30.13 Mbps and 65.90 Mbps, respectively. Moov Africa recorded the lowest mobile median multi-server latency at 83 ms, while CANALBOX recorded the lowest latency over fixed broadband at 70 ms. Of Côte d’Ivoire most populous cities, Abidjan had the fastest median fixed download speed of 58.88 Mbps.
Mozambique: Tmcel recorded the fastest mobile median download speed of 27.80 Mbps in Q4 2023, and also the highest mobile Consistency at 91.6%. Of Mozambique’s most populous cities, Maputo had the fastest median mobile and fixed download speeds at 26.33 Mbps and 14.65 Mbps, respectively. SpaceX’s Starlink recorded the fastest fixed broadband median download speed in Q4 2023 at 36.13 Mbps, along with the highest Consistency at 49.7%. Meanwhile, TVCABO recorded the lowest latency over fixed broadband at 16 ms.
Senegal: There was no winner of fastest median mobile performance in Senegal during Q4 2023, with Free and Orange both tied. Orange led the market for median fixed broadband download performance, with 21.46 Mbps in Q4 2023. Orange also had the lowest latency at 90 ms and highest Consistency of 45.4%. Of Senegal’s most populous cities, Dakar had the fastest median fixed download speed of 27.11 Mbps.

Americas

Argentina: Personal had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 36.59 Mbps, while also registering the lowest latency of 39 ms during Q4 2023. In the fixed broadband market, there was no statistically fastest network, with Movistar and Telecentro delivering median download speeds of 106.41 Mbps and 105.98 Mbps, respectively. Movistar recorded the lowest latency of 9 ms. Among Argentina’s most populous cities, Mendoza recorded the fastest mobile median download speed of 37.75 Mbps, while Buenos Aires recorded the fastest fixed download speed of 109.79 Mbps.
Belize: Digi had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds of 17.50 Mbps and 9.28 Mbps, respectively during Q4 2023. Digi also recorded the highest Consistency of 80.3%, while smart! recorded the lowest median latency of 56 ms. There was no statistically fastest fixed network in the market based on download speed, however NEXGEN recorded the fastest median upload speed at 47.47 Mbps.
Canada: Bell was the fastest mobile operator in Canada with a median download speed of 121.33 Mbps in Q4 2023. Bell also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 194.23 Mbps. Rogers had the fastest median mobile upload speed of 15.10 Mbps, and the highest Consistency of 88.2%. Bell pure fibre was fastest for fixed broadband, recording a median download speed of 307.77 Mbps and a median upload speed of 264.97 Mbps. Bell pure fibre also recorded the highest Video Score, of 87.90. Of Canada’s most populous cities, St. John’s recorded the fastest median mobile download speed at 171.76 Mbps, while Fredericton recorded the fastest median fixed broadband download speed of 247.89 Mbps.
Colombia: Movistar was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 210.46 Mbps in Q4 2023. ETB had the lowest latency over fixed broadband at 7 ms. Of Colombia’s most populous cities, Cartagena recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 146.74 Mbps.
Costa Rica: Claro had the fastest median download speed among mobile operators at 40.56 Mbps during Q4 2023. Liberty recorded the fastest median upload speed at 10.73 Mbps, the lowest mobile latency at 33 ms, and the highest Consistency at 78.6%. Metrocom was fastest for fixed broadband download and upload performance, at 225.94 Mbps and 179.66 Mbps, respectively. Metrocom also recorded the lowest latency, at 6 ms.
Dominican Republic: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 34.27 Mbps and 9.84 Mbps, respectively. Claro also recorded the highest Consistency, at 77.0%. Viva had the lowest mobile latency at 43 ms. SpaceX’s Starlink was fastest for fixed broadband download performance at 48.08 Mbps, while Claro recorded the fastest median upload speed at 25.38 Mbps, and the lowest latency at 41 ms. Altice recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency, at 66.6%.
Ecuador: CNT recorded the fastest median mobile download speed during Q4 2023, at 26.22 Mbps, while Movistar recorded the lowest mobile multi-server latency at 41 ms. Netlife was fastest for fixed broadband, with a median download speed of 91.56 Mbps. Netlife also recorded the lowest latency over fixed broadband at 8 ms. Xtrim recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency at 84.8%. Of Ecuador’s most populous cities, Santo Domingo recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 31.58 Mbps, while Guayaquil recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 88.59 Mbps.
El Salvador: Claro had the fastest median download speed among mobile operators in El Salvador, at 40.97 Mbps, along with the highest Consistency of 90.4%. Movistar registered the fastest median mobile upload speed of 13.35 Mbps and lowest latency at 73 ms. Cable Color recorded the fastest median fixed download speed at 55.57 Mbps, the top median upload speed at 57.04 Mbps, and the lowest median latency of 51 ms. Of El Salvador’s most populous cities, Santa Tecla showed the fastest median mobile and fixed download speeds during Q4 2023 at 39.27 Mbps and 54.98 Mbps respectively.
Guatemala: Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Guatemala during Q4 2023 with a median download speed of 41.63 Mbps and a median upload speed of 19.61 Mbps. Claro also had the highest Consistency at 87.9%, while also leading the market for 5G performance, with a median 5G download speed of 388.34 Mbps. Tigo recorded the lowest median mobile latency at 79 ms. SpaceX’s Starlink was fastest for median fixed download performance at 54.32 Mbps, while Cable Color was fastest for fixed upload performance at 33.45 Mbps. Cable Color also had the lowest median latency on fixed broadband at 27 ms. Claro recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency at 73.1%. Of Guatemala’s most populous cities, Escuintla showed the fastest median mobile download speed during Q4 2023 at 44.16 Mbps, while Villa Nueva recorded the fastest median fixed download speed, at 60.83 Mbps.
Guyana: There was no winner of fastest median mobile performance in Guyana during Q4 2023, with ENet and Digicel posting median download speeds of 24.64 Mbps and 23.53 Mbps, respectively. ENet recorded the fastest median mobile upload speed at 18.49 Mbps and offered the lowest median latency at 143 ms. In the fixed broadband market, ENet recorded the fastest median download and upload speeds, of 70.20 Mbps and 52.25 Mbps, respectively, while also recording the lowest median latency of 130 ms. GTT recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency during Q4 2023, at 69.2%.
Haiti: Digicel was the fastest mobile operator in Haiti with a median mobile download speed of 14.26 Mbps, a median upload speed of 10.52 Mbps, and Consistency of 67.2%. Natcom recorded the lowest mobile latency, of 62 ms. SpaceX Starlink had the fastest median fixed download speed at 41.73 Mbps. Natcom had the fastest median fixed upload speed at 31.89 Mbps, the lowest median fixed latency at 47 ms, and the highest fixed broadband Consistency of 64.0%.
Honduras: Claro recorded the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds during Q4 2023, of 53.06 Mbps and 16.22 Mbps, respectively, while also recording the highest Consistency at 87.2%. Tigo recorded the lowest median mobile latency at 93 ms. Claro had the fastest median fixed download speed at 47.26 Mbps during Q4 2023, and the highest fixed broadband Consistency at 80.2%. TEVISAT recorded the fastest median upload speed, of 22.36 Mbps, and the lowest median fixed latency at 20 ms. Of Honduras’ most populous cities, El Progreso recorded the fastest median mobile download speed during Q4 2023, of 41.69 Mbps, while Tegucigalpa showed the fastest median fixed download speed at 41.97 Mbps.
Jamaica: There was no winner of fastest median mobile download performance in Jamaica during Q4 2023, with Flow and Digicel tied. Digicel recorded the fastest median upload speed of 8.37 Mbps and highest Consistency of 81.9%. Flow had the lowest mobile median latency at 38 ms. SpaceX Starlink had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 84.10 Mbps, and the highest fixed broadband Consistency at 77.8%. Digicel+ recorded the fastest median upload speed of 46.14 Mbps, while Flow recorded the lowest median fixed latency at 25 ms.
Mexico: Telcel had the fastest median download and upload speeds over mobile at 52.06 Mbps and 13.50 Mbps, respectively, and the operator also delivered the fastest median 5G download speed at 233.82 Mbps. Telcel also had the lowest mobile median latency at 62 ms and highest Consistency at 87.2%. Totalplay was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 88.87 Mbps and a median upload speed of 30.50 Mbps. Totalplay also had the lowest median fixed broadband latency at 28 ms and the highest Consistency at 84.0%. Among Mexico’s most populous cities, Monterrey recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 38.36 Mbps, while Guadalajara recorded the fastest median fixed broadband speed of 80.32 Mbps.
Panama: MasMovil was the fastest mobile operator with median download and upload speeds of 27.24 Mbps and 15.18 Mbps, respectively, as well as the highest Consistency of 79.3%. Digicel recorded the lowest median mobile latency, at 34 ms. There was no winner of the fastest median fixed download performance, with both Tigo and MasMovil tied. MasMovil recorded the fastest median upload speed of 33.38 Mbps and the lowest median latency at 16ms. Among Panama’s most populous cities, David recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 21.57 Mbps, while La Chorrera recorded the fastest median fixed broadband speed of 156.71 Mbps.
Peru: Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Peru with a median download speed of 23.30 Mbps during Q4 2023, and also had the highest mobile Consistency in the market with 80.6%.
Trinidad and Tobago: Digicel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 33.29 Mbps and the highest Video Score in the market at 74.86. bmobile recorded the fastest median mobile upload speed of 12.17 Mbps, and the lowest median latency at 32 ms. Digicel+ had the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 118.53 Mbps and 107.24 Mbps, respectively. Digicel+ also had the lowest median latency at 7 ms.
United States: T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with median download and upload speeds of 188.96 Mbps and 12.19 Mbps, respectively. T-Mobile also recorded the highest mobile Consistency at 87.3%, and the lowest median mobile latency of 50 ms. T-Mobile also led the market with the fastest median 5G download speed at 238.87 Mbps, as well as the lowest 5G latency of 48 ms. T-Mobile secured the highest Video Score across all technologies with 78.21, and for 5G, with a Video Score of 81.54. Cox led the market as the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 261.27 Mbps, while AT&T Internet recorded the fastest median fixed upload speed of 195.64 Mbps, and Verizon had the lowest median latency over fixed broadband at 15 ms.
Uruguay: Antel was the fastest mobile operator in Uruguay during Q4 2023 with a median download speed of 117.79 Mbps, and recorded the lowest median latency of 44 ms.
Venezuela: Digitel was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 14.37 Mbps and a median upload speed of 6.97 Mbps during Q4 2023. Digitel also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, with 68.0%, and the lowest median latency of 97 ms. Airtek Solutions had the fastest median fixed download and upload speeds of 94.76 Mbps and 94.89 Mbps, respectively. Airtek Solutions also recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency of 86.0%, and the lowest median latency at 7 ms. Among Venezuela’s most populous cities, Maracaibo recorded the fastest median mobile and fixed download speeds of 17.17 Mbps and 82.35 Mbps, respectively.

Asia

Afghanistan: The fastest mobile operator in Afghanistan was Afghan Wireless with a median download speed of 6.68 Mbps in Q4 2023. The operator also had the lowest median latency at 77 ms and the highest Consistency of 51.0%.
Bangladesh: Banglalink was the fastest mobile operator in Bangladesh with a median download speed of 26.74 Mbps in Q4 2023. Banglalink also recorded the highest Consistency of 89.0% and the lowest median latency of 33 ms. DOT Internet was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 91.35 Mbps, while also recording the highest Consistency at 87.5% and the lowest median latency at 5 ms.
Bhutan: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q4 2023 in Bhutan, with TashiCell and BT both tied with speeds of 31.52 Mbps and 28.15 Mbps, respectively. TashiCell recorded the lowest median mobile latency of 52 ms.
Brunei: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q4 2023 in Brunei, with DST and Imagine both tied with speeds of 97.34 Mbps and 91.53 Mbps, respectively.
Cambodia: Cellcard recorded the fastest median mobile download speed at 33.74 Mbps during Q4 2023, while Metfone recorded the highest Consistency at 80.8% and the lowest median latency at 38 ms. MekongNet was the fastest fixed broadband provider, with a median fixed download speed of 48.29 Mbps. MekongNet also recorded the highest Consistency at 71.1%. OpenNet recorded the lowest median latency over fixed broadband, at 7ms.
China: China Broadnet was the fastest mobile operator in China during Q4 2023, with a median download speed of 248.77 Mbps, and median 5G download speed of 305.61 Mbps. China Mobile recorded the lowest median mobile latency, at 42 ms. There was no statistical winner for fastest fixed download performance, with China Unicom and China Mobile both tied with speeds of 246.93 Mbps and 245.59 Mbps, respectively. China Mobile recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency, of 93.4%, while China Telecom recorded the lowest median fixed broadband latency at 22 ms. Among China’s most populous cities, Beijing recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 232.41 Mbps, while Tianjin recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 326.07 Mbps.
Georgia: Geocell recorded the fastest mobile download performance during Q4 2023 in Georgia, at 50.52 Mbps, and the lowest mobile latency at 37 ms. MagtiCom had the fastest median fixed download speed at 27.81 Mbps and the highest Consistency of 66.5%. Among Georgia’s most populous cities, Tbilisi recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 36.17 Mbps, while Rustavi recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 27.38 Mbps.
Hong Kong (SAR): China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest mobile operator in Hong Kong (SAR) during Q4 2023, with a median download speed across all technologies of 98.94 Mbps, and a median download speed over 5G of 177.96 Mbps. csl recorded the fastest median mobile upload speed, at 16.89 Mbps.
Indonesia: Telkomsel was the fastest Indonesian mobile operator with a median download speed of 31.14 Mbps. Telkomsel also had the lowest median mobile latency at 45 ms.
Japan: Rakuten Mobile recorded the fastest mobile download and upload speeds during Q4 2023 in Japan, at 51.16 Mbps and 20.21 Mbps, respectively. Rakuten Mobile also recorded the highest Consistency in the market at 90.6%, while SoftBank recorded the lowest median latency at 43 ms. So-net had the fastest fixed download and upload speeds, at 296.29 Mbps and 219.53 Mbps, respectively, as well as the lowest median latency over fixed broadband at 9 ms. SpaceX Starlink recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency in the market at 96.4%.
Kazakhstan: Tele2 recorded the highest mobile Consistency in Kazakhstan during Q4 2023 with 85.3% and the lowest median mobile latency at 39 ms.
Malaysia: TM was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Malaysia with a median download speed of 112.00 Mbps in Q4 2023. TIME recorded the lowest fixed broadband latency at 9 ms.
Pakistan: Jazz delivered the fastest median mobile download speed in Pakistan at 21.38 Mbps in Q4 2023. Zong recorded the highest mobile Consistency, at 83.2%, and the lowest median mobile latency of 45 ms. Transworld recorded the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 22.08 Mbps and the highest Consistency at 46.1%, while Connect Communications recorded the lowest median fixed broadband latency at 12 ms.
Philippines: Smart delivered the fastest median mobile download speed in the Philippines at 37.64 Mbps in Q4 2023.
South Korea: SK Telecom recorded the fastest median mobile download speed at 192.67 Mbps, while also recording the highest Consistency in the market at 89.1%. LG U+ had the lowest median mobile latency in the market at 76 ms. In South Korea’s fixed broadband market, LG U+ delivered the fastest median download speed at 146.20 Mbps, and the lowest median latency of 57 ms.
Sri Lanka: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q4 2023 in Sri Lanka, with Dialog and SLT-Mobitel both tied with speeds of 23.98 Mbps and 23.89 Mbps, respectively. Dialog delivered the lowest median mobile latency of 36 ms. SLT-Mobitel recorded the fastest fixed download speed of 37.46 Mbps, as well as the highest fixed broadband Consistency of 57.9% and the lowest fixed broadband latency at 13 ms.
Vietnam: Viettel was the fastest fixed provider in Vietnam during Q4 2023, with a median download speed of 107.40 Mbps. Viettel also recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency at 94.8% and the lowest median fixed broadband latency of 4 ms.

Europe

Albania: Vodafone recorded the fastest median mobile download speed in Albania during Q4 2023, of 53.36 Mbps. One Albania recorded the highest mobile Consistency of 86.1%. Digicom was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 94.74 Mbps. Abissnet recorded the lowest fixed broadband latency, at 7 ms. Among Albania’s most populous cities, Vlorë recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 75.34 Mbps, while Shkodër recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 69.91 Mbps.
Belgium: Proximus recorded the fastest median mobile download speed in Belgium during Q4 2023, at 89.67 Mbps. Proximus also recorded the highest mobile Consistency in the market at 89.8%. There was no statistical winner for fastest fixed download performance, with Telenet and VOO both tied with speeds of 158.08 Mbps and 156.00 Mbps, respectively. VOO recorded the highest Consistency at 89.8%. Among Belgium’s most populous cities, Ghent recorded the fastest median mobile and fixed download speeds, of 168.89 Mbps and 90.14 Mbps, respectively.
Denmark: Telia was the fastest mobile operator in Denmark during Q4 2023, with a median download speed of 163.41 Mbps. Hiper was fastest for fixed broadband, with a median download speed of 277.56 Mbps.
Estonia: The fastest mobile operator in Estonia was Telia with a median download speed of 92.39 Mbps in Q4 2023. Elisa recorded the highest mobile Consistency of 91.9%. Elisa was the fastest fixed broadband provider, with a median download speed of 100.13 Mbps. Elisa also recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency, of 86.3%. Infonet recorded the lowest median fixed broadband latency of 5 ms.
Finland: DNA had the fastest median mobile download speed at 113.57 Mbps in Q4 2023, and the highest Consistency of 95.4%. DNA also recorded the fastest median 5G download performance, at 247.54 Mbps. Telia recorded the lowest median mobile latency of 31 ms. Lounea was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 171.31 Mbps. Lounea also recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency in the market at 91.5%, as well as the lowest median fixed broadband latency at 13 ms.
Germany: Telekom was the fastest mobile operator in Germany during Q4 2023, with a median download speed of 90.26 Mbps, as well as the top median download speed over 5G at 179.25 Mbps. Telekom also recorded the highest mobile Consistency in the market at 92.1% and the lowest median mobile latency of 38 ms. Deutsche Glasfaser recorded the fastest fixed broadband performance, with a median download speed at 201.43 Mbps. Deutsche Glasfaser also recorded the highest fixed broadband Consistency in the market at 90.5% and the lowest latency of 14 ms.
Latvia: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance in Latvia during Q4 2023, with BITĖ and LMT both tied with speeds of 81.56 Mbps and 81.11 Mbps, respectively. BITĖ recorded the highest mobile Consistency in the market of 91.3%, while LMT recorded the lowest mobile latency at 27 ms. Balticom was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 275.19 Mbps, while also leading with the highest fixed broadband Consistency of 93.7%, and the lowest median latency at 4 ms. Among Latvia’s most populous cities, Olaine recorded the fastest median mobile download speed, of 170.18 Mbps, while Salaspils recorded the fastest median fixed broadband download speed of 94.64 Mbps.
Lithuania: Telia was the fastest mobile operator in Lithuania during Q4 2023, with a median download speed of 116.58 Mbps in Q4 2023. Telia also recorded the highest Consistency in the market at 94.7%, and the lowest median mobile latency at 32 ms. Cgates was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 177.14 Mbps. Cgates also recorded the highest Consistency over fixed broadband in the market at 90.9%, while Penki recorded the lowest fixed broadband latency, at 4ms. Among Lithuania’s most populous cities, Panevėžys recorded the fastest median mobile download speed, of 106.34 Mbps, while Klaipėda recorded the fastest median fixed broadband download speed of 138.34 Mbps.
Poland: T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator in Poland during Q4 2023, with a median download speed of 49.10 Mbps. T-Mobile also recorded the highest Consistency in the market at 88.4%. Plus recorded the fastest 5G performance in the market, with a median 5G download speed of 133.34 Mbps. Plus also recorded the lowest median mobile latency, at 43 ms. UPC was the fastest provider for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 232.36 Mbps, while Netia recorded the lowest fixed broadband latency, at 16 ms. Among Poland’s most populous cities, Łódź recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 46.53 Mbps, while Wrocław recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 172.86 Mbps.
Turkey: Turkcell was the fastest mobile operator in Turkey with a median download speed of 56.73 Mbps in Q4 2023, and Turkcell also recorded the highest Consistency of 91.3%. Türk Telekom had the lowest median mobile latency at 39 ms. TurkNet was fastest for fixed broadband, with a median download speed of 66.57 Mbps. TurkNet also recorded the lowest median fixed latency at 13 ms, and the highest Consistency at 81.5%. Among Turkey’s most populous cities, Istanbul recorded the fastest median download speeds across mobile and fixed, at 38.50 Mbps and 47.81 Mbps, respectively.

Oceania

New Zealand: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q4 2023 in New Zealand, with One NZ and Spark both tied with speeds of 73.52 Mbps and 70.23 Mbps, respectively. 2degrees led the market with the highest Consistency of 91.0% and the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 40 ms.

The Speedtest Global Index is your resource to understand how internet connectivity compares around the world and how it’s changing. Check back next month for updated data on country and city rankings, and look for updated Ookla Market Reports with 1H 2024 data in July.

About the Author

Mark Giles

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Maria Gómez | January 22, 2020

What Went Down? The Most Significant Online Service Outages in Q4 2019

“Unable to connect” — three words that bring people together in frustration and annoyance around the world. In the last three months of 2019, outages affected users across the globe as they tried to access all kinds of different industries, from gaming to streaming services. Downdetector® data from Q4 2019 provides unique insight into outages including the dates, duration and location and number of reports submitted by users. We’ve divided the outages into five categories: Gaming, Mobile Operators, Social Media Sites, Streaming Services and Financial Institutions.

Gaming

Discord (December 7, 2019): 15,976 outage reports at peak

The largest gaming outage we saw during Q4 2019, Discord, was apparently “due to an issue with Google compute platform.” Starting on December 7, 2019, outage reports were still trickling into Downdetector on December 8. The highest volume of reports happened over 5.5 hours and with a peak of 15,976 reports in the United States.

Downdetector_Outage_Discord

Fortnite (October 13, 2019): 11,326 outage reports at peak

“The End”, an event where Fortnite was preparing for a big release, coincided with the largest Fortnite outage we saw during Q4 2019. On October 13, 2019, Fortnite users flooded to Downdetector to report an outage that started around 10:30 a.m. PST and lasted for six and a half hours. At the peak of the outage there were 11,326 reports, predominantly from users in the United States.

Mobile Operators

Vodafone Germany (October 23, 2019): 21,065 outage reports at peak

The multinational mobile service provider was down for about four hours for thousands of users on October 23, 2019. At the peak of the outage, 21,065 users, primarily in Germany, reported having problems with their service.

Downdetector_Outage_Vodafone-DE

Social Media Sites

Facebook (November 28, 2019): 12,726 outage reports at peak

Instagram (November 28, 2019): 21,682 outage reports at peak

The Facebook family of social media sites outage on November 28, 2019 was one of many social outages in Q4 2019. The outage lasted about five hours and affected users in the U.S., Germany, Italy and Spain. A combined 34,408 Facebook and Instagram users reported outages at the peak of the outage. Facebook’s Messenger app experienced a smaller outage on November 18, 2019 with 8,952 users reporting outages at the peak.

Downdetector_Outage_Facebook_Instagram

Snapchat (October 14, 2019): 18,252 outage reports at peak

This popular multimedia messaging app was down for five and a half hours on October 14, 2019, leaving users unable to chat, send or receive photos from their friends. At the peak of the outage, 18,252 users from the U.S. reported problems. The outage was so significant, the hashtag #SnapchatDown was trending on Twitter at the time of the outage.

Twitter (October 22, 2019): 15,952 outage reports at peak

Where do Twitter users go to complain when Twitter is down? Our data shows Twitter users in the east coast of the U.S. rushed to Downdetector to report problems with the social media platform on October 22, 2019. Even though the outage lasted only about a half an hour, 15,952 users reported that they were unable to tweet, retweet, like tweets or access their account at the peak of the outage. Problems were also reported in parts of Europe and Latin America.

Streaming Services

Hulu (December 19, 2019): 25,777 outage reports at peak

Hulu users reported problems with the streaming service on the morning of December 19, 2019. At the peak, 25,777 users in the United States were reporting that the streaming service was down. Seven hours after the outage began, most users had regained access to their accounts and were able to watch their favorite shows and movies. In contrast, Netflix, Hulu’s main competitor, had a small outage in Germany on November 13, 2019. At its peak, only 3,197 people were reported problems with the service.

Downdetector_Outage_Hulu

Disney+ (November 12, 2019): 8,441 outage reports at peak

After months of hyped advertising and special offers, Disney+ users were eager to begin streaming their favorite movies and shows on the new service on November 12, 2019. However, problems began early in the morning on launch day in the U.S. and continued throughout the day. At the peak of the outage, 8,441 users reported that they couldn’t access the platform through the app or stream any of the content Disney+ was offering.

Financial Institutions

ING (November 17,2019): 1,342 outage reports at peak

Banks take the security and uptimes of their websites very seriously, so we expect to see fewer outages and for the outages that do occur to be small and short. This held true when Dutch users of banking giant ING reported problems with that website on November 17, 2019. The outage lasted about an hour and a half and there were 1,342 reports at the peak. No other countries reported problems with the bank’s mobile banking that day.

Downdetector_Outage_ING

These were the most significant outages we saw in Q4 2019 among the more than 5,500 sites that Downdetector monitors across the internet. Do outages impact your customers’ experience with your services? To learn more about how data from Downdetector can help your network operations center and customer care team detect and resolve issues faster, contact us here.

About the Author

Maria Gómez

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Maria Gómez | February 12, 2020

How Roaming Affects Mobile Speeds in Europe

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

Roaming in Europe typically means slower download speeds

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

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

Roaming vs. Local Mobile Download Speeds in Europe

Speedtest^® Data | Q3-Q4 2019

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

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

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

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

Latency increases dramatically while roaming in Europe

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

Local vs. Roaming Latency in Europe

Speedtest^® Data | Q3-Q4 2019

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

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

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

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

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

Percentage of Time Spent on Wi-Fi in Europe

Speedtest^® Data | Q3-Q4 2019

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

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

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

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

About the Author

Maria Gómez

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Maria Gómez | March 2, 2020

Mobile and Fixed Broadband Speeds and 4G Availability in Spain

Versión en español

We investigated Spain’s fixed broadband and mobile network performance, 4G Availability, how Spain’s speeds and coverage compare with neighboring European countries and the performance and 4G Availability of top providers in Spain’s ten largest cities during Q3-Q4 2019. In addition to ranking Spain’s providers by top speeds and coverage, we also analyzed the effects of mobile plans with speed caps on Speedtest® results and ranked the providers on consistency of their network performance.

Spain and France were the fastest on our list for fixed broadband

We compared Spain’s fixed broadband performance at the country level to several other western European countries during Q3-Q4 2019. Spain was well positioned for mean download speed on fixed broadband at 113.72 Mbps, second only to France’s 119.37 Mbps. Spain had the fastest mean upload speed on this list at 103.72 Mbps. Italy had the slowest mean download speed on this list at 56.72 Mbps while the United Kingdom had the slowest mean upload speed at 18.28 Mbps.

fixed-broadband-speeds-eng-1

France showed the highest increase in mean download speed during Q3-Q4 2019 at 21.5%, followed by Portugal and Italy at 15.4% and Spain at 14.5%. Speeds remained relatively flat for this period for Italy, the U.K. and Germany.

An examination of latency over fixed broadband during Q3-Q4 2019 revealed a very different performance order. Portugal had the lowest latency during this period at 16 ms. Germany and the U.K. were tied for second at 23 ms. Spain was third (25 ms), Italy fourth (30 ms) and France fifth (32 ms).

Spain ranks fourth for mobile download speed

mobile-speeds-eng-1

Spain did not rank as well for mean download speed over mobile as they did on fixed broadband, coming in fourth with 33.97 Mbps during Q3-Q4 2019. This was 22.8% slower than first-place France. However, Spain showed the fastest mean upload speeds on mobile at 13.12 Mbps during Q3-Q4 2019.

Portugal saw the largest increase in mobile download speed during Q3-Q4 2019 at 18.4%. Spain’s mean download speed over mobile increased only 6.7% during this period. France showed the smallest increase in mobile download speed at 2.8%.

As we saw on fixed broadband, Portugal had the lowest mobile latency at 32 ms. Germany was second at 41 ms, France third at 43 ms, the U.K. fourth at 44 ms, Spain fifth at 47 ms and Italy last at 52 ms.

United Kingdom and Spain lead in 4G Availability

We used data from Speedtest coverage scans on Android to compare 4G Availability in each market during Q3-Q4 2019. While the U.K. showed the highest 4G Availability at 88.8%, Spain tied for a very close second, with 4G available in 87.7% of tested locations. Germany had the lowest 4G Availability at 72.1% during this period.

4G Availability in Major European Markets

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Country	4G Availability
United Kingdom	88.8%
Spain	87.7%
France	87.7%
Italy	86.7%
Portugal	85.0%
Germany	72.1%

Looking specifically at Spain’s top mobile providers, Orange had the highest 4G Availability at 88.1%. Movistar was second, Yoigo third, and Vodafone fourth.

4G Availability by Provider in Spain

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Provider	4G Availability
Orange	88.1%
Movistar	87.7%
Yoigo	87.4%
Vodafone	86.1%

Spain’s 5G deployments are expanding

5G-Deployments-in-Spain-0220-1
The excitement for 5G is evident in Spain. Vodafone had commercially available 5G deployments in a total of 18 Spanish cities as of February 13, 2020, including Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Málaga and Bilbao. Speedtest data reveals the mean download speed on 5G for Spain in Q3-Q4 2019 was 350.68 Mbps — an order of magnitude faster than the national average for mobile download speed — and the mean upload speed over 5G was 31.82 Mbps. Mean latency over 5G in Spain was 27 ms during Q3-Q4 2019.

MÁSMÓVIL was Spain’s fastest fixed broadband provider

Using Speed Score^™, a metric that combines measures of download and upload speed, to compare top ISPs in Spain during Q3-Q4 2019, we found that MÁSMÓVIL led with a score of 133.75 on fixed broadband. Orange was in second place with 115.25, followed by Vodafone (105.07) and Movistar (103.01).

Fixed Broadband Performance by Provider in Spain

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Provider	Speed Score^TM
MÁSMÓVIL	133.75
Orange	115.25
Vodafone	105.07
Movistar	103.01

Movistar was Spain’s fastest mobile operator

Movistar had the highest Speed Score among Spain’s mobile operators during Q3-Q4 2019 at 37.76. Orange was second at 33.02, Vodafone third at 26.34 and Yoigo fourth at 22.43. As we will discuss below, overall speed performance can be impacted by the speed caps and tariff plans that are in place in Spain.

Mobile Performance by Operator in Spain

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Provider	Speed Score^TM
Movistar	37.76
Orange	33.02
Vodafone	26.34
Yoigo	22.43

Speed capping affects overall performance

Speed capping, a limit of service imposed onto an internet connection by an operator, allows operators to also offer plans that focus on affordability rather than maximum performance.
Ookla_Distribution-Speedtest-Results_Vodafone_Spain_0220-3_en
The chart above shows how Vodafone’s introduction of subscription plans that use speed capping affected the distribution of download speeds. While those plans (with caps at 2 Mbps and 10 Mbps, respectively) were available starting in April, we don’t see the true effect on average speeds until May and June when the 0-5 Mbps and 10-15 Mbps buckets start to spike. We’ve only showed bins up to 60 Mbps to make this and the following graphs more legible.

In contrast, we see more even distributions of download speeds among all other mobile operators in Spain.
Ookla_Distribution-Speedtest-Results_Movistar_Spain_0220-3_en

MÁSMÓVIL and Movistar (mobile) offer the most consistent speeds

Speed is important, but if those speeds are inconsistent, it becomes difficult for users to reliably use their devices to stream HD video, browse the web or use online gaming. We used Speedtest data to calculate each top provider’s APS (Acceptable Performance Score) in Spain during Q3-Q4 2019.

APS for fixed broadband measures the percentage of samples that equal or exceed a download speed of 25 Mbps and also equal or exceed an upload speed of 3 Mbps. MÁSMÓVIL provided the most consistent experience in Spain on fixed broadband in Q3-Q4 2019 with an APS of 81.6%. Movistar was in last place with an APS of 61.9%.

Speed Consistency by Provider on Fixed Broadband

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Provider	APS
MÁSMÓVIL	81.6%
Orange	75.1%
Vodafone	73.5%
Movistar	61.9%

APS on mobile measures the percentage of samples that equal or exceed a download speed of 5 Mbps and also equal or exceed an upload speed of 1 Mbps. Movistar took the top spot for consistency on mobile broadband with an APS of 88.9%. Vodafone had the lowest consistency score with an APS of 79.8%.

Speed Consistency by Operator on Mobile

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Provider	APS
Movistar	88.9%
Orange	84.3%
Yoigo	82.6%
Vodafone	79.8%

Madrid led fixed and mobile broadband speeds

Ookla_Fixed-Broadband-Speeds_Spain_0220-1
We used Speedtest data from 2,183,336 user-initiated tests to investigate internet speeds in Spain’s ten most populous cities during Q3-Q4 2019. Madrid had the fastest mean download speeds on both fixed broadband and mobile.

Mean download speeds on fixed broadband ranged from 141.87 Mbps in Madrid to 91.66 Mbps in Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria, a 35.4% difference. Madrid also had the fastest mean upload speed over fixed broadband at 145.08 Mbps. Oviedo took the last place in upload speeds on fixed broadband with a 61.4% slower upload speed than Madrid.

Oviedo had the lowest latency over fixed broadband of the cities on our list during Q3-Q4 2019 at 15 ms. Málaga had the highest latency at 28 ms.
Ookla_Mobile-Broadband-Speeds_Spain_0220-1
The gap between fastest and slowest speeds between Spanish cities on mobile broadband was similar to what we saw fixed broadband during Q3-Q4 2019. Madrid once again led in performance on mobile broadband with a mean download speed of 44.35 Mbps and a mean upload speed of 15.89 Mbps. Las Palmas was in last place on download speeds with a 37.9% slower mean download speed than Madrid. Valencia had the slowest mean upload speed over mobile at 13.86 Mbps. Seville had the lowest latency over mobile at 36 ms during Q3-Q4 2019 and Las Palmas had the highest mobile latency at 73 ms.

Zaragoza led 4G Availability in Spain’s most populous cities

4G Availability in Spain’s Largest Cities

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

City	4G Availability
Zaragoza	97.2%
Valencia	97.1%
Seville	96.8%
Málaga	96.7%
Oviedo	95.4%
Madrid	95.1%
Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria	95.0%
Alicante	94.6%
Bilbao	94.3%
Barcelona	87.7%

4G Availability was higher in Spain’s largest cities than the country’s average, with Zaragoza having the highest 4G Availability at 97.2% of tested locations. Barcelona had the lowest 4G Availability on our list at 87.7%.

MÁSMÓVIL was fastest fixed broadband provider in 6 cities

Looking specifically at Speed Score in individual Spanish cities during Q3-Q4 2019, we found MÁSMÓVIL was the fastest provider in six cities: Málaga, Seville, Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia and Alicante. Adamo, the fastest fixed provider in Barcelona, had the highest Speed Score on the list at 185.29. Vodafone was the fastest provider in Bilbao and Oviedo.

Fixed Broadband Performance by Operator in Spain’s Largest Cities

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

City	Provider	Speed Score^TM
Barcelona	Adamo	185.29
Málaga	MÁSMÓVIL	156.24
Seville	MÁSMÓVIL	148.78
Madrid	MÁSMÓVIL	145.83
Bilbao	Vodafone	144.65
Zaragoza	MÁSMÓVIL	144.40
Oviedo	Vodafone	143.85
Valencia	MÁSMÓVIL	143.99
Alicante	MÁSMÓVIL	143.72
Las Palmas	Orange	114.46

Looking at the fastest Spanish providers on mobile broadband for each city during Q3-Q4 2019, Movistar dominated the list with the fastest Speed Score in 7 cities. Movistar also had the highest Speed Score overall at 52.04 in Seville. Vodafone was the fastest mobile provider in Madrid (35.67). Orange was the fastest provider in Barcelona (35.37) and Oviedo (45.10).

Mobile Performance by Operator in Spain’s Largest Cities

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

City	Provider	Speed Score^TM
Seville	Movistar	52.04
Valencia	Movistar	50.80
Alicante	Movistar	50.36
Málaga	Movistar	48.97
Bilbao	Movistar	48.86
Oviedo	Orange	45.10
Zaragoza	Movistar	40.79
Madrid	Vodafone	35.67
Las Palmas	Movistar	35.37
Barcelona	Vodafone	31.37

We look forward to following these markets and investigating the changing landscape of internet performance and mobile coverage in Europe. Want to learn more about fixed and mobile speeds in different markets? Click here to read more Ookla Research.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on March 4, 2020 to correct an editing error that incorrectly reported the figures for mobile APS.

Velocidades de banda ancha fija y móvil, y disponibilidad de 4G en España

Hemos investigado el rendimiento de la banda ancha fija y móvil, así como la disponibilidad de 4G en España. También hemos comparado las velocidades y la cobertura españolas con las de los países europeos vecinos, así como el rendimiento y la disponibilidad de 4G de los principales proveedores de las diez ciudades más grandes de España en el segundo semestre de 2019. Además de clasificar a los proveedores españoles por su velocidad y cobertura máximas, también hemos analizado los efectos de los planes móviles con limitaciones de velocidad basándonos en los resultados de Speedtest® y hemos clasificado a los proveedores según la constancia del rendimiento de sus redes.

España y Francia fueron los países más rápidos de nuestra lista de banda ancha fija

Hemos comparado el rendimiento de la banda ancha fija de España a nivel de país con varios otros países de la Europa occidental en el segundo semestre de 2019. España obtuvo una buena posición en cuanto a velocidad de descarga media en banda ancha fija, con 113,72 Mbps, en segundo lugar solo después de los 119,37 Mbps de Francia. España registró la velocidad de subida media más alta de esta lista: 103,72 Mbps. Italia obtuvo la velocidad de descarga media más baja de esta lista, 56,72 Mbps, mientras que el Reino Unido registró la velocidad de subida media más baja, 18,28 Mbps.

fixed-broadband-speeds-sp-2

Francia registró el mayor aumento en la velocidad de descarga media del segundo semestre de 2019, con el 21,5 %, seguida de Portugal y Italia, con el 15,4 %, y España, con el 14,5 %. Las velocidades se mantuvieron relativamente invariables durante este periodo en Italia, Reino Unido y Alemania.

Un análisis de la latencia en banda ancha fija en el segundo semestre de 2019 reveló una clasificación por rendimiento muy distinta. Portugal se anotó la latencia más baja de este periodo: 16 ms. Alemania y Reino Unido empataron en el segundo puesto con 23 ms. España resultó tercera (25 ms), Italia cuarta (30 ms) y Francia quinta (32 ms).

España, cuarto país en velocidad de descarga en Internet móvil

mobile-speeds-sp-3

La clasificación de España en velocidad de descarga media por móvil no fue tan buena como la de banda ancha fija, quedándose con un cuarto puesto con 33,97 Mbps en el segundo semestre de 2019. Esto supuso una velocidad un 22,8 % más lenta que la del primer país clasificado, Francia. Sin embargo, España registró las velocidades de subida medias más altas en Internet móvil, con 13,12 Mbps en el segundo semestre de 2019.

Portugal experimentó el mayor aumento en velocidad de descarga de Internet móvil en el segundo semestre de 2019, el 18,4 %. La velocidad de descarga media de España en Internet móvil aumentó solo un 6,7 % en este periodo. Francia registró el menor aumento de velocidad de descarga de Internet móvil, un 2,8 %.

Como vimos en la banda ancha fija, la latencia móvil más baja fue la de Portugal, con 32 ms. Alemania fue segunda con 41 ms, Francia tercera con 43 ms, Reino Unido cuarto con 44 ms, España quinta con 47 ms e Italia última con 52 ms.

Reino Unido y España, líderes en disponibilidad de 4G

Utilizamos datos de exploraciones de cobertura de Speedtest en Android para comparar la disponibilidad de 4G en cada mercado en el segundo semestre de 2019. Mientras que el Reino Unido mostró la mayor disponibilidad de 4G con el 88,8 %, España y Francia ocuparon el segundo lugar, con 4G disponible en el 87,7 % de las ubicaciones probadas. Durante ese período, Alemania tuvo la menor disponibilidad de 4G con un 72,1 %.

Disponibilidad de 4G en los principales mercados europeos

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

País	Disponibilidad de 4G
Reino Unido	88,8 %
España	87,7 %
Francia	87,7 %
Italia	86,7 %
Portugal	85,0 %
Alemania	72,1 %

Si nos fijamos específicamente en los principales proveedores móviles de España, Orange ofreció la mayor disponibilidad de 4G con un 88,1 %. Movistar fue segundo, Yoigo tercero, y Vodafone cuarto.

Disponibilidad de 4G por proveedor en España

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Proveedor	Disponibilidad de 4G
Orange	88,1 %
Movistar	87,7 %
Yoigo	87,4 %
Vodafone	86,1 %

Los despliegues de 5G en España se están expandiendo

5G-Deployments-in-Spain-0220_es
El entusiasmo por el 5G es evidente en España. Vodafone desplegó 5G comercialmente disponible en un total de 18 ciudades españolas a fecha del 13 de febrero de 2020, incluidas Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Málaga y Bilbao. Los datos de Speedtest revelan que en España la velocidad media de descarga en 5G en el segundo semestre de 2019 fue de 350,68 Mbps (velocidad superior a la media nacional para Internet móvil) y la velocidad de subida media por 5G fue de 31,82 Mbps. La latencia media por 5G en España fue de 27 ms en el segundo semestre de 2019.

MÁSMÓVIL fue el proveedor de banda ancha fija más rápido de España

Al utilizar Speed Score™, sistema que combina mediciones de velocidades de descarga y de subida, para comparar los principales proveedores de servicios de Internet de España en el segundo semestre de 2019, descubrimos que MÁSMÓVIL obtuvo los mejores resultados, con una puntuación de 133,75 en banda ancha fija. Orange ocupó el segundo lugar con 115,25, seguido de Vodafone (105,07) y Movistar (103,01).

Rendimiento de la banda ancha fija en España por proveedor

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Proveedor	Speed Score^TM
MÁSMÓVIL	133,75
Orange	115,25
Vodafone	105,07
Movistar	103,01

Movistar fue el operador móvil más rápido de España

Movistar obtuvo la máxima puntuación de velocidad de entre los operadores móviles de España en el segundo semestre de 2019, con 37,76. Orange fue segundo con 33,02, Vodafone la tercera con 26,34 y Yoigo cuarta con 22,43. Como veremos más adelante, el rendimiento general de la velocidad puede verse afectado por los límites de velocidad y los planes de tarifas vigentes en España.

Rendimiento de Internet móvil en España por operador

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Proveedor	Speed Score^TM
Movistar	37,76
Orange	33,02
Vodafone	26,34
Yoigo	22,43

La limitación de velocidad afecta al rendimiento general

La limitación de la velocidad, una restricción de servicio impuesta a una conexión de Internet por los operadores, permite a estos ofrecer también planes que se centren en la asequibilidad más que en el rendimiento máximo.
Ookla_Distribution-Speedtest-Results_Vodafone_Spain_0220-3_es
En el gráfico anterior se muestra cómo los planes de suscripción con limitación de velocidad introducidos por Vodafone afectaron a la distribución de las velocidades de descarga. Aunque esos planes (con limitaciones de 2 Mbps y 10 Mbps, respectivamente) estaban disponibles desde abril, no vemos un efecto verdadero en las velocidades medias hasta mayo y junio cuando las medidas de 0-5 Mbps y 10-15 Mbps empiezan a sobresalir.

En cambio, en el resto de operadores móviles de España vemos distribuciones más uniformes de las velocidades de descarga.
Ookla_Distribution-Speedtest-Results_Movistar_Spain_0220-3_es

MÁSMÓVIL y Movistar (móvil) ofrecen las velocidades más constantes

La velocidad es importante, pero si no es constante, resulta difícil que los usuarios utilicen sus dispositivos con fiabilidad para transmitir vídeo de alta definición, navegar por la web o jugar en línea. Utilizamos los datos de Speedtest para calcular la PRA (puntuación de rendimiento aceptable) de cada uno de los principales proveedores de España durante el segundo semestre de 2019.

La PRA de banda ancha fija mide el porcentaje de muestras que igualan o superan una velocidad de descarga de 25 Mbps y que también igualan o superan una velocidad de subida de 3 Mbps. MÁSMÓVIL proporcionó el mayor nivel de constancia de España en banda ancha fija en el segundo semestre de 2019 con una PRA de 81,6 %. Movistar quedó en último lugar con una PRA del 61,9 %.

Constancia de velocidad por proveedor en banda ancha fija

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Proveedor	PRA
MÁSMÓVIL	81,6 %
Orange	75,1 %
Vodafone	73,5 %
Movistar	61,9 %

La PRA de Internet móvil mide el porcentaje de muestras que igualan o superan una velocidad de descarga de 5 Mbps y que también igualan o superan una velocidad de subida de 1 Mbps. Movistar ocupó el primer lugar en constancia de banda ancha móvil con una PRA del 88,9 %, Vodafone obtuvo la puntuación más baja en constancia con una PRA del 79,8 %.

Constancia de velocidad por operador en Internet móvil

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Proveedor	PRA
Movistar	88,9 %
Orange	84,3 %
Yoigo	82,6 %
Vodafone	79,8 %

Madrid lideró las velocidades de banda ancha fija y móvil

Ookla_Fixed-Broadband-Speeds_Spain_0220_es-2
Para estudiar las velocidades de Internet de las diez ciudades más pobladas de España en el segundo semestre de 2019 utilizamos los datos de Speedtest de 2.183.336 pruebas realizadas por los usuarios. Madrid registró las velocidades medias de descarga más altas tanto en banda ancha fija como en Internet móvil.

Las velocidades medias de descarga por banda ancha fija oscilaron entre los 141,87 Mbps de Madrid y los 91,66 Mbps de Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria, una diferencia del 35,4 %. Madrid registró también la velocidad de subida media más alta por banda ancha fija, con 145,08 Mbps. Oviedo ocupó el último lugar en velocidad de subida por banda ancha fija con un 61,4 % menos de velocidad de subida que Madrid.

Oviedo tuvo la menor latencia en banda ancha fija de las ciudades de nuestra lista durante el segundo semestre de 2019, con 15 ms. Málaga registró la latencia más alta, con 28 ms.
Ookla_Mobile-Broadband-Speeds_Spain_0220_es-1
La brecha entre las velocidades más rápidas y más lentas de las ciudades españolas por banda ancha móvil fue similar a la que apreciamos en la banda ancha fija en el segundo semestre de 2019. Madrid volvió a liderar el rendimiento de la banda ancha móvil con una velocidad media de descarga de 44,35 Mbps y una velocidad media de subida de 15,89 Mbps. Las Palmas quedó en último lugar en velocidades de descarga con un 37,9 % menos de velocidad media de descarga que Madrid. Valencia registró la velocidad de subida media más baja por Internet móvil: 13,86 Mbps. Sevilla obtuvo la menor latencia por Internet móvil con 36 ms en el segundo semestre de 2019 y Las Palmas registró la mayor latencia por Internet móvil con 73 ms.

Zaragoza lideró la disponibilidad de 4G en las ciudades españolas más pobladas

Disponibilidad de 4G en las ciudades más grandes de España

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Ciudad	Disponibilidad de 4G
Zaragoza	97,2 %
Valencia	97,1 %
Sevilla	96,8 %
Málaga	96,7 %
Oviedo	95,4 %
Madrid	95,1 %
Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria	95,0 %
Alicante	94,6 %
Bilbao	94,3 %
Barcelona	87,7 %

La disponibilidad de 4G en las ciudades más grandes de España superó el promedio del país, siendo Zaragoza la de mayor disponibilidad de 4G con el 97,2 % de las ubicaciones analizadas. Barcelona tuvo la menor disponibilidad de 4G de nuestra lista, con el 87,7 %.

MÁSMÓVIL fue el proveedor de banda ancha fija más rápido de 6 ciudades

Si nos fijamos específicamente en la puntuación de velocidad en cada una de las ciudades españolas en el segundo semestre de 2019, vemos que MÁSMÓVIL fue el proveedor más rápido en seis ciudades: Málaga, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Madrid, Valencia y Alicante. Adamo, el proveedor fijo más rápido de Barcelona, consiguió la puntuación de velocidad más alta de la lista con 185,29. Vodafone fue el proveedor más rápido en Bilbao y Oviedo.

Rendimiento de la banda ancha fija por operador en las ciudades más grandes de España

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Ciudad	Proveedor	Speed Score^TM
Barcelona	Adamo	185,29
Málaga	MÁSMÓVIL	156,24
Sevilla	MÁSMÓVIL	148,78
Madrid	MÁSMÓVIL	145,83
Bilbao	Vodafone	144,65
Zaragoza	MÁSMÓVIL	144,40
Valencia	MÁSMÓVIL	143,99
Oviedo	Vodafone	143,85
Alicante	MÁSMÓVIL	143,72
Las Palmas	Orange	114,46

Si nos fijamos en los proveedores españoles más rápidos en banda ancha móvil de cada ciudad en el segundo semestre de 2019, Movistar dominó la lista con la puntuación de velocidad más alta en 7 ciudades. Movistar consiguió también la puntuación de velocidad máxima, con 52,04 en Sevilla. Vodafone fue el proveedor de Internet móvil más rápido en Madrid (35,67). Orange fue el proveedor más rápido de Barcelona (35,37) y Oviedo (45,10).

Rendimiento de Internet móvil por operador en las ciudades más grandes de España

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Ciudad	Proveedor	Speed Score^TM
Sevilla	Movistar	52,04
Valencia	Movistar	50,80
Alicante	Movistar	50,36
Málaga	Movistar	48,97
Bilbao	Movistar	48,86
Oviedo	Orange	45,10
Zaragoza	Movistar	40,79
Madrid	Vodafone	35,67
Barcelona	Orange	35,37
Las Palmas	Movistar	31,37

Nos encantará seguir la evolución de estos mercados y estudiar el cambiante panorama del rendimiento de Internet y de la cobertura móvil en Europa. Si desea obtener más información sobre las velocidades fijas y móviles en diferentes mercados, haga clic aquí para leer más información de Ookla.

Nota del editor: Este artículo fue actualizado el 4 de marzo del 2020 que para corregir un error de edición que reportaba cifras incorrectas del PRA móvil.

About the Author

Maria Gómez

| More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles

Maria Gómez | April 14, 2020

Can’t Connect? The Most Significant Online Service Outages in Q1 2020

“We’re experiencing problems at the moment” became an all-too-familiar phrase during the first three months of 2020. As we continue with our series of most significant outages across the globe, this article examines major web and online service outages from Q1 2020 using Downdetector® data. Outages came under increased scrutiny as COVID-19 spread and more people began working or studying from home, gaming, video conferencing and using more online services than ever before. However, we saw significant outages both before and after this time. The six categories of outages we’re highlighting here are: collaboration platforms, gaming, telecom operators, streaming services, social media and financial institutions.

Collaboration platforms

Google Drive (January 27, 2020): 24,558 outage reports at peak

1-Google-Drive-1
Users of Google’s popular file storage and synchronization service rushed to Downdetector when receiving the following error message: “Google Docs encountered an error. Please try reloading this page, or coming back to it in a few minutes.” on January 27. The outage reportedly lasted an hour and Downdetector received 24,558 reports during the peak fifteen minutes of the outage. Most reports originated from the US, but users also reported problems in Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands and the UK.

Zoom (March 20, 2020): 1,483 reports at peak

2-Zoom-1
Video conferencing software like Zoom has become an important tool to communicate. Amid an increase in volume, Zoom users, mostly in the U.S., reported an outage on March 20 that left people unable to access the service or make calls. The service also experienced a smaller outage on March 5 with 586 reports at the peak. Both outages lasted approximately two hours.

Microsoft Teams (March 16): Multiple outages

3-Teams
Microsoft Teams experienced a worldwide outage on March 16. The collaboration platform that streamlines communication in an organization was reportedly down for users in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.S. The duration of the outage varied by country, but lasted more than six hours in most and recurred in the Netherlands for a period on March 17. Teams also experienced a significant outage over the span of five hours on February 2 when 9,386 users in the U.S. reported problems at the peak.

Gaming

Steam (multiple outages)

Steam-Bar-Outage-1
Steam suffered nine major outages during Q1 2020 (seven of which are pictured above), according to reports from users in Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. The largest outage took place on February 18 when the gaming platform was down for about three hours and 14,955 users reported issues at the peak of the outage. Steam users rushed to Downdetector again on March 17, which was Steam’s second largest outage with 11,585 reports at the peak of the outage. The two subsequent Tuesdays also proved problematic for Steam with 6,931 outages during the peak on March 24 and 4,440 outages during the March 31 peak.

Call of Duty (March 15): 7,761 outages at peak

4-Call-of-Duty
Users in the U.S. reported multiple Call of Duty outages during Q1 2020. The largest outage took place on March 15, with 7,761 reports at the peak of an outage that primarily affected the server connection of the gaming platform. Gamers were unable to play with friends for about four hours that day. On March 17, Call of Duty had a smaller outage with 3,549 reports at peak.

Fortnite (March 17): 3,998 reports at peak

5-Fortnite

On March 17, Fornite tweeted “We’re currently investigating issues with logins, matchmaking, the Item Shop, and other Fortnight services. We’ll provide an update when these are resolved,” after users reported having problems with the gaming platform. Users were unable to access Fornite for about four hours that day. Most of the reports came from France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

Telecom providers

Italy

TIM Italy (March 12): 2,667 reports at peak

6-TIM
Users throughout Italy flooded Downdetector with reports of problems with their mobile internet connections on March 12. The outage lasted close to an hour and showed 2,667 reports at the peak of the outage. TIM had a smaller outage the day before with 1,337 reports at the peak of the outage.

Vodafone Italy (February 14th): 1,733 reports at peak

7-Vodafone
Vodafone users in Italy reported having problems with their mobile service on February 14. The outage lasted four hours and peaked at 1,733 reports. Users also reported problems with their mobile internet connection.

United States

Comcast (January 23): 39,638 reports at peak

8-Comcast
The U.S. internet service provider experienced a major outage on January 23. The outage lasted for two hours with 39,638 reports at the peak of the outage. Weeks later, the service experienced a smaller outage on March 3 with 1,124 reports during the peak.

United Kingdom

Virgin Media (March 4-5): 4,348 reports at peak

9-Virgin-UK
Users in the U.K. reported their internet service was not working during Virgin Media’s outage starting on March 4 and continuing through March 5. The outage peaked on March 5 when 4,348 users reported issues.

Social Media

Twitter (February 7): 11,542 reports at peak

The largest social media outage in Q1 2020 belonged to Twitter. On February 7, users in the Twitterverse were unable to tweet, retweet or like tweets for about two hours. Over 11,500 U.S. users reported problems during the peak of the outage. Users in Germany, Japan and the U.K. also reported problems with the platform.

Facebook (January 24-25): 3,718 reports at peak

Facebook users reported problems with the site on Downdetector starting on January 24. Most users reported problems with their newsfeed or the inability to log in to the social media platform. At the peak of the outage, there were 3,718 reports from users in the U.S. Users in Germany and the U.K. also reported problems that day. Users were still experiencing issues through January 25.

Streaming Services

Streaming-bar-outages

Hulu (March 20): 4,017 reports at peak

People hoping to binge-watch their favorite shows while in quarantine were disappointed to find Hulu was down on March 20. Users complaints on Downdetector included not being able to log in or of the player not working properly. The outage lasted approximately two hours.

Disney+ (January 6): 1,710 reports at peak

Disney + experienced an outage at the beginning of Q1 2020 that reached 1,710 reports at the peak. For an hour, users in the U.S. reported they were unable to log in to the platform.

Netflix (March 25): 1,690 reports at peak

For two hours on March 25, thousands of Netflix users were unable to stream their favorite shows. At the peak of Nexflix’s biggest outage in Q1 2020, 1,690 users reported problems in the U.S.

Funimation (March 25): 1,191 reports at peak

Anime lovers in the US reported problems with Funimation towards the end of Q1 2020. Most users complained of not being able to log in to the service for about an hour that day. There were 1,191 reports at the peak of the outage.

Financial Services

Robinhood (multiple outages)

robinhood-barchart

Robinhood had multiple fumbles during Q1 2020, leaving users frustrated with the financial service. The most significant outage took place on March 2 with 14,429 reports at the peak of the outage. Robin Hood experienced additional outages on March 3 and March 9 with 3,538 and 3,119 reports during the respective peaks.

Is an outage disrupting your day? You’re not alone. Find out if there’s an outage and bond with other frustrated users on Downdetector and read about other significant outages here.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 14 to clarify the Steam section and related graphic.

About the Author

Maria Gómez

| More Articles

Reimagining In-Building Cellular

Ookla Joins Ericsson's Leading Telecommunications Open RApp System

Starlink Expands but Q3 2021 Performance Flattens in Some Areas

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

United States: Starlink fastest, speeds decreasing

Starlink performance varies at the county level

Satellite internet performance elsewhere in the world

Australia: Starlink outperformed Viasat and fixed broadband average

Belgium: Starlink dramatically faster than fixed broadband

Brazil: Viasat close to national average

Canada: Starlink performance relatively flat

Starlink faster than overall fixed broadband in 5 provinces

Chile: HughesNet slower than fixed broadband average

Colombia: HughesNet slow but improving

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

Germany: Starlink faster than country average for fixed broadband

Mexico: Viasat faster than HughesNet for downloads

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

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

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Starlink Slowed in Q2, Competitors Mounting Challenges

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

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

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

Starlink outperformed fixed broadband average in 16 European countries

Starlink in Brazil was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Starlink in New Zealand was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania

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

About the Author

Josh Fomon

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

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

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

Starlink in Mexico was the fastest satellite provider in North America

Starlink in Lithuania was the fastest satellite provider in Europe

Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Starlink in Australia was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania

Consumers are flocking to Starlink, but competitors are close behind

About the Author

Josh Fomon

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

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

5G Networks Support NYE Festivities Across Major Cities

Worst 10% of Speedtest samples reveal network challenges

Addressing network pain points

About the Author

Mark Giles

Your Guide to Airport Wi-Fi and Mobile Performance at 50+ Global Airports in 2024

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

Key takeaways

9 airports have 100+ Mbps Wi-Fi download speeds

Wi-Fi 6 has arrived

11 airports show mobile speeds over 200 Mbps

Fastest mobile speeds at airports in Africa and South America

Airports with slow mobile speeds

Airport Wi-Fi or mobile? Connecting on your next trip

About the Author

Isla McKetta

52 New Ookla Market Reports Available for Q4 2023

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania

Africa

Americas

Asia

Europe

Oceania

About the Author

Mark Giles

What Went Down? The Most Significant Online Service Outages in Q4 2019

Get the latest Ookla Research™

Share

Gaming

Discord (December 7, 2019): 15,976 outage reports at peak

Speedtest^® Data | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest^® Data | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest^® Data | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Q3-Q4 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019

Speedtest Intelligence^® | Segundo semestre de 2019