| June 6, 2021

Internet Speeds in North Africa are Rapidly Improving, but Still Lag Behind Much of the World

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2020 was a difficult year for almost every nation in the world due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On the bright side, Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that every North African nation improved their mobile and fixed broadband speeds from Q2 2020 to Q1 2021, despite huge setbacks in the global economy.

This article explores the state of internet performance in the North African countries of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia from Q2 2020 through Q1 2021. We further examine which mobile and fixed broadband providers in those countries had the best speeds, consistency and 4G Availability during Q1 2021. Finally, we investigate internet performance and coverage in the largest metropolitan areas, and look at cell signal strength using data from Ookla Cell Analytics.

Morocco has the fastest mobile download speeds in North Africa, Egypt is fastest for fixed broadband

Analysis based on data from Speedtest Intelligence shows internet speeds varied widely across North Africa during Q1 2021, with every country except Egypt experiencing faster median mobile download speeds than fixed broadband speeds. Internet speeds over the past year — Q2 2020 to Q1 2021 — increased for both mobile and fixed broadband in every country in North Africa.

North Africa isn’t isolated in this improvement: earlier this year, Ookla® partnered with the World Bank to analyze internet performance in 18 African countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study showed that overall internet speeds slowed during lockdowns.

Mobile speeds increased across most of North Africa

ookla_median-mobile-speeds_north-africa_0521_en

Morocco had the fastest median mobile download speed (25.53 Mbps). Tunisia was second (21.28 Mbps), Egypt third (14.95 Mbps), Libya fourth (11.65 Mbps) and Algeria fifth (9.76 Mbps).

Many North Africans have become mobile-first internet users as 3G and 4G performance and coverage continue to improve. From Q2 2020 to Q1 2021, every North African country (except Egypt) saw large increases in median mobile download speeds, with Libya showing the largest percentage increase (67.4%) followed by Algeria (65.1%), Morocco (10.7%), Tunisia (10.0%) and Egypt (0.1%).

Egypt showed the fastest broadband speeds

ookla_median-fixed-speeds_north-africa_0521_en

While Egypt trails in mobile internet speeds, it excels for fixed broadband speeds. During Q1 2021, Egypt had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband in North Africa at 26.58Mbps (4.82 Mbps upload). Morocco was second for download (10.01 Mbps), Libya was third (8.71 Mbps), Tunisia was fourth (6.95 Mbps) and Algeria fifth (4.09 Mbps).

Every country in North Africa, with the exception of Tunisia, saw its median fixed broadband speeds improve more than 25% from Q2 2020 to Q1 2021, with Algeria more than doubling its median fixed broadband download speed at 105.5%. Egypt was second most improved at 94.6%, Libya was third (59.8%), Morocco was fourth (28.5%) and Tunisia was fifth at 12.3%.

Performance by provider varied widely by country

During Q1 2021, North African mobile operators showed a wide range of performance across the region. Morocco’s Maroc Telecom had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds in North Africa during Q1 2021 at 40.32 Mbps and 12.60 Mbps, respectively. Egypt’s WE Internet had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 30.60 Mbps while Libya’s LTC had the fastest median upload speed at 7.46 Mbps.

Morocco had the best 4G Availability in North Africa during Q1 2021 with all three of its top providers leading the region, including: inwi (78.6%), Maroc Telecom (78.0%) and Orange (77.4%). Outside of Morocco, Tunisia’s Ooredoo had the next best 4G Availability at 76.9%.

Mobile consistency varied widely across North Africa during Q1 2021, with Morocco’s Maroc Telecom showing the best consistency at 89.1%. Tunisia’s Tunisie Telecom had the next best consistency at 86.7%.

Fastest mobile operator in North African countries often showed highest consistency

ookla_mobile_performance_north-africa_map_0521_en

Here’s how mobile in each North African country fared during Q1 2021:

Algeria | Egypt | Libya | Morocco | Tunisia

Algeria

Ooredoo had the fastest median mobile speeds in Algeria during Q1 2021 (14.37 Mbps download // 8.78 Mbps upload). DJEZZY ranked second (8.15 Mbps download // 7.68 Mbps upload) and Mobilis was third (6.46 Mbps download // 6.03 Mbps upload). Ooredoo had the highest mobile Consistency Score (73.5%) followed by DJEZZY in second (55.9%) and Mobilis in third (51.9%). DJEZZY had the best 4G Availability at 69.7%, followed by Ooredoo in second (65.8%) and Mobilis in third (54.5%).

Egypt

During Q1 2021, Orange had the fastest median download and upload speeds over mobile in Egypt at 17.43 Mbps and 8.04 Mbps, respectively. Coming in second fastest, We had a median download speed at 15.56 Mbps (6.95 Mbps upload). Etisalat was third (15.20 Mbps download // 7.28 Mbps upload). Vodafone ranked last among top providers (13.11 Mbps download and 4.67 Mbps upload).

There was no clear statistical winner for mobile consistency in Egypt during Q1 2021: Orange had a Consistency Score of 77.8% and We had 77.7%. Etisalat ranked third at 74.7% while Vodafone came in last at 69.5%. There was also no statistical winner for 4G Availability, though Etisalat achieved 68.3%, Vodafone 67.7% and We 67.4%. Orange showed the lowest 4G Availability at 61.1%.

Libya

During Q1 2021, Libyana had the fastest median download and upload speeds over mobile in Libya at 13.49 Mbps and 7.03 Mbps, respectively, as well as the best mobile consistency with a Consistency Score of 67.8%. Almadar Aljadid came in second for speeds (10.71 Mbps download // 3.62 Mbps upload) and mobile consistency (63.8%). Almadar Aljadid had the best 4G Availability at 37.3% while Libyana showed 30.5%.

Morocco

During Q1 2021, Maroc Telecom had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds in Morocco, attaining 40.32 Mbps and 12.60 Mbps, respectively. inwi was second (19.00 Mbps download // 7.90 Mbps upload) and Orange was third (15.84 Mbps download // 6.17 Mbps upload).

Maroc Telecom also had the best mobile consistency with a Consistency Score of 89.1%, followed by inwi (74.8%) and Orange (71.0%). There was no statistical winner for best 4G Availability, though inwi achieved 78.6%, Maroc Telecom achieved 78.0% and Orange achieved 77.4% — all of which were some of the best 4G Availability scores in North Africa.

Tunisia

Tunisie Telecom has the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds in Tunisia during Q1 2021 at 24.34 Mbps and 11.42 Mbps, respectively. Ooredoo was second with 22.50 Mbps download and 10.26 Mbps upload. Orange was third with 16.24 Mbps download and 8.25 Mbps upload.

Tunisie Telecom also had the best mobile consistency with a Consistency Score of 86.7%. Ooredoo was second at 83.3% and Orange was third at 78.1%. Ooredoo had the best 4G Availability at 76.9%, while Tunisie Telecom and Orange trailed at 72.4% and 72.3%, respectively.

Fixed broadband in North Africa is slow, but Egyptian providers have the fastest speeds

ookla_fixed_performance_north-africa_map_0521_en

Algeria | Egypt | Libya | Morocco | Tunisia

Algeria

IDOOM — the only fixed broadband provider that meets Ookla’s criteria as a top provider in Algeria in Q1 2021 — had a download speed of 4.09 Mbps (0.74 Mbps upload) and a Consistency Score of 0.8%.

Egypt

During Q1 2021, WE Internet led Egypt and North Africa with the fastest median fixed broadband download speed at 30.60 Mbps (5.68 Mbps upload), and the highest Consistency Score (57.5%). Vodafone was second for speeds (13.16 Mbps download // 1.65 Mbps upload), Orange was third (10.97 Mbps download // 0.82 Mbps upload) and Etisalat was fourth among top providers at 6.70 Mbps download and 0.81 Mbps upload.

Libya

LTC had the fastest median download and upload speeds over fixed broadband in Libya during Q1 2021 at 10.62 Mbps and 7.46 Mbps. LTC also had the highest fixed broadband Consistency Score at 22.3%. Libya Telecom followed at 8.31 Mbps download, 4.02 Mbps upload and a Consistency Score of 18.0%.

Morocco

Orange had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband in Morocco during Q1 2021 at 12.65 Mbps (2.60 Mbps upload), while inwi had the best median upload speed at 4.18 Mbps (11.33 Mbps download). Maroc Telecom was third for fixed broadband speeds at 9.63 Mbps download and 0.81 Mbps upload. Maroc Telecom had the highest Consistency Score at 29.9%. Orange was second for consistency at 24.7% and inwi was third at 16.9%.

Tunisia

Tunisie Telecom had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband in Tunisia during Q1 2021 at 8.02 Mbps (0.81 Mbps upload), while Ooredoo had the fastest median upload at 3.91 Mbps (7.03 Mbps download). TOPNET attained 7.12 Mbps download and 0.78 Mbps upload, followed by Orange (6.73 Mbps download // 0.94 Mbps upload) and Gnet (6.59 Mbps download // 0.77 Mbps upload).

There was no clear statistical winner for fixed broadband consistency, with Tunisie Telecom showing a Consistency Score of 10.6% and Ooredoo 10.1%. Orange was third at 4.6%, followed by Gnet (3.7%) and TOPNET (3.4%).

Tunis and Grand Casablanca had the fastest median mobile download speeds in North Africa, Alexandria Governorate had the fastest median fixed broadband speed

ookla_download-speeds_north-africa_map_0521_en

According to Speedtest Intelligence, Tunis, Tunisia and Grand Casablanca, Morocco had the fastest median mobile download speeds among North Africa’s most populous metropolitan areas during Q1 2021 at 22.65 Mbps and 22.44 Mbps, respectively. Alexandria Governorate, Egypt was third at 16.63 Mbps, followed by Cairo Governorate, Egypt (14.32 Mbps), Tripoli, Libya (13.71 Mbps) and Algiers, Algeria (12.81 Mbps).

Alexandria Governorate had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 21.24 Mbps. Cairo Governorate was second at 20.71 Mbps, Grand Casablanca third (10.70 Mbps), Tripoli fourth (10.02 Mbps), Tunis fifth (7.47 Mbps) and Algiers sixth (4.60 Mbps).

Cell Analytics paints a fascinating picture of North Africa cities

Ookla’s Cell Analytics, is an invaluable tool to identify intelligence about wireless service quality, RF measurements (signal strength), data usage, user density (indoors and outdoors) and cell site locations for a given area. Cell Analytics can help mobile network operators improve their network and identify areas that need improvement with granular precision.

The maps below use Cell Analytics data from Q4 2020 to Q1 2021 to identify two items of interest in major North African cities: best provider for indoor and outdoor 4G LTE RSRP signal strength in a given area, and provider-level 4G LTE RSRP signal strength around key areas of interest. For indoor and outdoor 4G LTE RSRP maps, Cell Analytics identifies the best mobile network provider for a given area or building by color if there is a statistically significant winner. Provider-level maps show the performance of individual providers for a given area, with pink and red colors showing a strong signal and blue colors indicating a weak signal.

Scroll down for Cell Analytics maps of major North African cities or click on a city below:

Alexandria | Algiers | Cairo | Casablanca | Tripoli | Tunis

Alexandria

The Library of Alexandria has been lost to time but Bibliotheca Alexandrina stands as a testament to what the world has lost and as a major cultural center for Egypt. In the bustling metropolis, the 4G LTE RSRP maps below paint two different stories: the best mobile outdoor network signal strength and the best indoor network signal strength in Alexandria during Q4 2020 to Q1 2021. It’s clear that different providers provide the strongest cell signal in different parts of the city and that some buildings are better served than others.

While it’s good to know where the best provider is in the places you frequent, Ookla Cell Analytics can also map 4G LTE RSRP (signal strength) results from each provider, shown below. The red areas show strong signals, while the blue areas show weak signals.

cell-analytics_alexandria_outdoor_indoor_0521_en

cell-analytics_rsrp_alexandria_0521_en-1

Algiers

Algiers’ Botanical Garden Hamma is a vibrant green space in a thriving city. It’s also a good geographic point to test mobile performance. The first two maps below show the best network providers for outdoor (left) and indoor (right) 4G LTE RSRP signal strength in the area.

The next three maps show individual providers’ 4G LTE RSRP signal strength, with red being the strongest signals and blue being the weakest signals.

cell-analytics_algiers_best_rsrp_0521_en

cell-analytics_rsrp_algiers_0521_en-1

Cairo

Located in the heart of Cairo, the Gezira Sporting Club offers an island view of the bustling city. The following maps show the best network providers for outdoor (left) and indoor (right) 4G LTE RSRP signal strength in the area:

cell-analytics_cairo_best_rsrp_0521_en
Across the river just to the east of Gezira Sporting Club lies the world famous Egyptian Museum. With mobile service at a premium in the busy area, Cell Analytics shows the 4G LTE RSRP signal strength for top providers. The following maps show red areas where the signal is strongest to blue areas where the signal is weakest.

cell-analytics_rsrp_cairo_0521_en-1

Casablanca

The Hassan II Mosque located near Casablanca’s northern coast is a major tourist hub, which makes it a prime location for strong mobile performance. The two maps below show the best 4G LTE RSRP signal strengths by top providers for outdoor and indoor areas:

cell-analytics_casablanca_best_rsrp_0521_en

The next series of maps visualizes each top provider’s 4G LTE RSRP signal strengths in the area slightly southeast of the maps above. The signal is strongest in areas colored red and weakest areas in the blue areas.

cell-analytics_rsrp_casablanca_0521_en-1

Tripoli

Tripoli’s northern coastline is an important cultural treasure. The maps below show Tripoli’s best 4G LTE RSRP providers for indoor and outdoor signal strength:

cell-analytics_tripoli_best_rsrp_0521_en

The Saraya Museum, also known as the Red Castle Museum, is one of Tripoli’s most prized attractions. The following maps show areas in red where the signal is strongest and areas in blue where the signal is weakest for Tripoli’s top providers:

cell-analytics_rsrp_tripoli_0521_en-1

Tunis

Tunis Centre is the heart of Tunis’ thriving culture. The maps below show the best providers for outdoor and indoor 4G LTE RSRP signal strength in the area.

cell-analytics_tunis_best_rsrp_0521_en

Zooming in further, we are able to see top providers’ individual 4G LTE RSRP signal strengths in a given area. Red areas show where the signal is strongest, while blue areas show the weakest signal for a given provider:

cell-analytics_rsrp_tunis_0521_en-1

North Africa internet performance is rapidly improving, and 5G is just around the corner

Internet performance in North Africa is rapidly improving, and with further operator and government investments in 4G and 5G networks — as well as expanded fixed broadband access — North Africa has a bright outlook for its internet users. We’ll continue monitoring the data from Speedtest Intelligence and Cell Analytics to see how internet performance changes during the year to come. If you’re in North Africa and want to see how your internet compares, take a Speedtest® on Android or iOS.


Le débit Internet s’accélère sensiblement en Afrique du Nord, mais accuse toujours un retard sur la plupart des régions du monde

2020 a été une année difficile dans presque tous les pays du monde en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19. Le bon côté, c’est que Speedtest Intelligence® révèle que chaque nation africaine a accéléré la vitesse des communications haut débit mobiles et fixes entre le deuxième trimestre 2020 et le premier trimestre 2021, malgré les graves difficultés subies par l’économie mondiale.

Le présent article dresse l’état des lieux du réseau Internet dans les pays d’Afrique du Nord que sont l’Algérie, l’Égypte, la Libye, le Maroc et la Tunisie entre le deuxième trimestre 2020 et le premier trimestre 2021. Nous examinons quels fournisseurs de haut débit mobile et fixe offrent les meilleures performances, la plus grande stabilité et la meilleure couverture 4G au premier trimestre 2021. Enfin, nous évaluons quelles sont les performances et la couverture Internet dans les plus grandes zones métropolitaines et étudions la force du signal cellulaire à l’aide des données d’Ookla Cell Analytics.

Le Maroc offre les vitesses de téléchargement les plus rapides d’Afrique du Nord, tandis que l’Égypte est la plus rapide en termes de haut débit fixe

L’analyse fondée sur les données de Speedtest Intelligence montre que les débits Internet varient beaucoup dans toute l’Afrique du Nord au cours du premier trimestre 2021, chaque pays, à l’exception de l’Égypte, présentant des vitesses moyennes de téléchargement mobiles supérieures à celles du haut débit fixe. Au cours de l’année dernière (du deuxième trimestre 2020 au premier trimestre 2021), le débit Internet a augmenté à la fois pour le haut débit mobile et fixe dans tous les pays d’Afrique du Nord.

L’Afrique du Nord n’est pas la seule dans ce cas : au début de l’année, Ookla® a conclu un partenariat avec la Banque mondiale dans le but d’analyser les performances Internet dans 18 pays africains pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Cette étude a montré que les vitesses Internet ont globalement ralenti pendant les confinements successifs.

Le débit mobile a augmenté dans presque toute l’Afrique du Nord

ookla_median-mobile-speeds_north-africa_0521_fr

Le Maroc offrait la vitesse de téléchargement mobile moyenne la plus rapide (25,53 Mbps). La Tunisie arrivait en deuxième position (21,28 Mbps), l’Égypte en troisième position (14,95 Mbps), la Libye en quatrième position (11,65 Mbps) et l’Algérie en cinquième position (9,76 Mbps).

De nombreux Nord-Africains ont privilégié la technologie mobile étant donné que les performances et la couverture 3G et 4G n’ont cessé de s’améliorer. Du deuxième trimestre 2020 au premier trimestre 2021, tous les pays nord-africains (à l’exception de l’Égypte) ont enregistré une forte accélération des vitesses de téléchargement, la Libye présentant le pourcentage le plus élevé (67,4 %), suivie par l’Algérie (65,1 %), le Maroc (10,7 %), la Tunisie (10,0 %) et enfin l’Égypte (0,1 %).

L’Égypte a enregistré le haut débit le plus rapide

ookla_median-fixed-speeds_north-africa_0521_fr

Bien que l’Égypte soit à la traîne en matière de débit Internet mobile, elle excelle en ce qui concerne le haut débit fixe. Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, l’Égypte a enregistré la vitesse de téléchargement sur le réseau fixe la plus rapide d’Afrique du Nord, avec une moyenne de 26,58 Mbps (4,82 Mbps pour le chargement). Le Maroc arrivait deuxième pour le téléchargement (10,01 Mbps), la Libye troisième (8,71 Mbps), la Tunisie quatrième (6,95 Mbps) et l’Algérie cinquième (4,09 Mbps).

Tous les pays d’Afrique du Nord, à l’exception de la Tunisie, ont enregistré une augmentation moyenne du haut débit fixe de plus de 25 % du deuxième trimestre 2020 au premier trimestre 2021, l’Algérie plus que doublant sa vitesse avec une augmentation de 105,5 %. L’Égypte était deuxième avec une amélioration de 94,6 %, la Libye troisième (59,8 %), le Maroc quatrième (28,5 %) et la Tunisie cinquième (12,3 %).

Grandes variations des performances par fournisseur et par pays

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, les opérateurs mobiles d’Afrique du Nord ont affiché des performances très variées. Maroc Telecom a enregistré les vitesses moyennes de téléchargement et de chargement mobile les plus rapides d’Afrique du Nord au cours du premier trimestre 2021 avec des vitesses respectives de 40,32 Mbps et 12,60 Mbps. WE Internet en Égypte a enregistré la vitesse moyenne de téléchargement la plus élevée pour le haut débit fixe avec 30,60 Mbps, tandis que l’opérateur lybien, LTC, enregistrait la vitesse de chargement la plus rapide, avec une moyenne de 7,46 Mbps.

Le Maroc offrait la meilleure couverture 4G d’Afrique du Nord au cours du premier trimestre 2021, avec ses trois principaux fournisseurs en tête dans la région : inwi (78,6 %), Maroc Telecom (78,0 %) et Orange (77,4 %). En dehors du Maroc, Ooredoo en Tunisie proposait la meilleure couverture 4G avec un taux de 76,9 %.

La stabilité mobile a connu d’importantes variations en Afrique du Nord au cours du premier trimestre 2021, Maroc Telecom affichant la meilleure performance avec un taux de 89,1 %. Tunisie Telecom arrivait en deuxième position avec un taux de 86,7 %.

L’opérateur mobile le plus rapide des pays d’Afrique du Nord offrait souvent la meilleure stabilité

ookla_mobile_performance_north-africa_map_0521_fr

Voici comment la téléphonie mobile s’est comportée dans chaque pays nord-africain au cours du premier trimestre 2021 :

Algérie | Égypte
| Libye | Maroc | Tunisie

Algérie

Ooredoo a enregistré les vitesses mobiles moyennes les plus rapides en Algérie au cours du premier trimestre 2021 (14,37 Mbps pour le téléchargement // 8,78 Mbps pour le chargement). DJEZZY s’est classé deuxième (avec 8,15 Mbps en téléchargement // 7,68 Mbps en chargement) et Mobilis troisième (avec 6,46 Mbps en téléchargement // 6,03 Mbps en chargement). Ooredoo a enregistré le meilleur score [en matière de stabilité mobile](/insights/blog/how-ookla-ensures-accurate-reliable-data-2021/#consistency-score] (73,5 %), suivi par DJEZZY (55,9 %) et Mobilis (51,9 %). DJEZZY offrait la meilleure couverture 4G avec un taux de 69,7 %, suivi par Ooredoo (65,8 %) et Mobilis (54,5 %).

Égypte

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, Orange proposait les vitesses de téléchargement et de chargement les plus rapides d’Égypte, avec des moyennes respectives de 17,43 Mbps et 8,04 Mbps. En deuxième position, We enregistrait une vitesse de téléchargement moyenne de 15,56 Mbps (6,95 Mbps en chargement). Etisalat arrivait troisième (15,20 Mbps en téléchargement // 7,28 Mbps en chargement). Vodafone arrivait dernier des principaux fournisseurs (13,11 Mbps en téléchargement et 4,67 Mbps en chargement).

D’un point de vue statistique, il n’y avait pas de réel gagnant pour la stabilité mobile en Égypte au cours du premier trimestre 2021 : Orange a enregistré un score de 77,8 % et We, un score de 77,7 %. Etisalat arrivait en troisième position avec 74,7 %, tandis que Vodafone était dernier avec 69,5 %. Pas de vrai gagnant non plus en matière de couverture 4G, Etisalat obtenant un score de 68,3 %, Vodafone, 67,7 % et We, 67,4 %. Orange était à la queue avec la couverture 4G la plus faible, soit 61,1 %.

Libye

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, Libyana a enregistré les vitesses de téléchargement et de chargement les plus rapides en Libye avec des moyennes respectives de 13,49 Mbps et 7,03 Mbps, ainsi que la meilleure stabilité mobile avec un score de 67,8 %. Almadar Aljadid arrivait deuxième pour les vitesses (10,71 Mbps en téléchargement // 3,62 Mbps en chargement) et pour la stabilité mobile (63,8 %). Almadar Aljadid offrait la meilleure couverture 4G avec un taux de 37,3 % et seulement 30,5 % pour Lybiana.

Maroc

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, Maroc Telecom a enregistré les vitesses de téléchargement et de chargement moyennes les plus rapides au Maroc, atteignant respectivement 40,32 Mbps et 12,60 Mbps. inwi s’est classé deuxième (19,00 Mbps en téléchargement // 7,90 Mbps en chargement) et Orange a obtenu la troisième place (15,84 Mbps en téléchargement // 6,17 Mbps en chargement).

Maroc Telecom a également affiché la meilleure stabilité mobile avec un score de 89,1 %, suivi par inwi (74,8 %) et Orange (71,0 %). Du point de vue statistique, il n’y avait pas de vrai gagnant pour la couverture 4G, inwi réalisant un score de 78,6 %, Maroc Telecom un score de 78,0 % et Orange un score de 77,4 %. Tous ces fournisseurs figuraient parmi les meilleurs pour la couverture 4G en Afrique du Nord.

Tunisie

Tunisie Telecom a enregistré les vitesses moyennes de téléchargement et de chargement mobile les plus rapides en Tunisie au cours du premier trimestre 2021 avec des vitesses respectives de 24,34 Mbps et 11,42 Mbps. Ooredoo est arrivé deuxième avec 22,50 Mbps en téléchargement et 10,26 Mbps en chargement. Orange était troisième avec 16,24 Mbps en téléchargement et 8,25 Mbps en chargement.

Tunisie Telecom offrait également la meilleure stabilité mobile avec un score de 86,7 %. Ooredoo était deuxième avec 83,3 % et Orange troisième avec 78,1 %. Ooredoo affichait la meilleure couverture 4G avec un score de 76,9 %, tandis que Tunisie Telecom et Orange étaient à la traîne avec un score de 72,4 % et 72,3 %, respectivement.

Le haut débit fixe est plutôt lent en Afrique du Nord, mais les opérateurs égyptiens offrent les vitesses les plus élevées

ookla_fixed_performance_north-africa_map_0521_fr

Algérie | Égypte | Libye | Maroc | Tunisie

Algérie

IDOOM — le seul fournisseur de haut débit fixe répondant aux critères d’Ookla en tant que premier fournisseur en Algérie au premier trimestre 2021 — offrait une vitesse en téléchargement de 4,09 Mbps (0,74 Mbps en chargement) et une stabilité de 0,8 %.

Égypte

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, WE Internet était le premier fournisseur en Égypte et en Afrique du Nord avec la vitesse de téléchargement haut débit la plus élevée atteignant une moyenne de 30,60 Mbps (5,68 Mbps en chargement), et la plus grande stabilité (57,5 %). Vodafone se classait deuxième (avec 13,16 Mbps en téléchargement // 1,65 Mbps en chargement), Orange arrivait troisième (avec 10,97 Mbps en téléchargement // 0,82 Mbps en chargement), et enfin Etisalat était quatrième parmi les plus grands fournisseurs avec 6,70 Mbps en téléchargement et 0,81 Mbps en chargement.

Libye

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, LTC présentait les vitesses de téléchargement et de chargement moyennes les plus rapides sur le réseau fixe avec 10,62 Mbps et 7,46 Mbps respectivement. LTC enregistrait également la meilleure stabilité du haut débit fixe avec un score de 22,3 %. Suivait Libya Telecom avec une vitesse de 8,31 Mbps en téléchargement, 4,02 Mbps en chargement et une stabilité de 18,0 %.

Maroc

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, Orange enregistrait la vitesse de téléchargement la plus rapide au Maroc pour le haut débit fixe avec une moyenne de 12,65 Mbps (2,60 Mbps en chargement), tandis qu’inwi offrait la vitesse de chargement la plus rapide avec une moyenne de 4,18 Mbps (11,33 Mbps en téléchargement). Maroc Telecom arrivait troisième avec une vitesse moyenne de 9,63 Mbps en téléchargement et 0,81 Mbps en chargement. Maroc Telecom affichait le meilleur score de stabilité avec 29,9 %. Orange était deuxième avec 24,7 %, et inwi troisième avec 16,9 %.

Tunisie

Au cours du premier trimestre 2021, Tunisie Telecom offrait la vitesse de téléchargement la plus rapide sur le réseau haut débit fixe tunisien avec une moyenne de 8,02 Mbps (0,81 Mbps en chargement), tandis qu’Ooredoo était le plus rapide pour le chargement avec une vitesse de 3,91 Mbps (7,03 Mbps en téléchargement). TOPNET a atteint 7,12 Mbps en téléchargement et 0,78 Mbps en chargement, suivi par Orange (avec 6,73 Mbps en téléchargement // 0,94 Mbps en chargement) et Gnet (avec 6,59 Mbps en téléchargement // 0,77 Mbps en chargement).

D’un point de vue statistique, il n’y avait de vrai gagnant s’agissant de la stabilité du haut débit fixe, avec Tunisie Telecom enregistrant un score de 10,6 % et Ooredoo un score de 10,1 %. Orange se classait troisième avec 4,6 %, suivi par Gnet (3,7 %) et TOPNET (3,4 %).

Tunis et Grand Casablanca ont enregistré les vitesses de téléchargement mobile les plus rapides d’Afrique du Nord. Le gouvernorat d’Alexandrie a bénéficié du haut débit fixe le plus rapide

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D’après Speedtest Intelligence, Tunis, en Tunisie, et Grand Casablanca, au Maroc, ont bénéficié au cours du premier trimestre 2021 des vitesses de téléchargement mobile les plus rapides parmi les zones métropolitaines les plus populaires d’Afrique du Nord avec des moyennes de 22,65 Mbps et 22,44 Mbps, respectivement. Le gouvernorat d’Alexandrie, en Égypte, arrivait en troisième position avec 16,63 Mbps, suivi par le gouvernorat du Caire en Égypte (14,32 Mbps), Tripoli en Libye (13,71 Mbps) et Alger en Algérie (12,81 Mbps).

Le gouvernorat d’Alexandrie affichait la vitesse de téléchargement la plus rapide sur le réseau haut débit fixe avec une moyenne de 21,24 Mbps. Le gouvernorat du Caire se classait deuxième avec 20,71 Mbps, le Grand Casablanca troisième (10,70 Mbps), Tripoli quatrième (10,02 Mbps), Tunis cinquième (7,47 Mbps) et Alger sixième (4,60 Mbps).

Cell Analytics brosse un tableau édifiant des villes d’Afrique du Nord

Cell Analytics d’Ookla, est un outil inestimable qui renseigne sur la qualité du réseau sans fil, les mesures RF (force du signal), l’utilisation des données, la densité des utilisateurs (à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur) et les emplacements des sites cellulaires d’un territoire donné. Cell Analytics permet aux opérateurs mobiles de renforcer la qualité de leur réseau et d’identifier avec une extrême précision les zones à améliorer.

Les cartes ci-dessous utilisent les données Cell Analytics du quatrième trimestre 2020 et du premier trimestre 2021 pour mettre en évidence deux éléments dignes d’intérêt dans les grandes villes d’Afrique du Nord : le meilleur fournisseur en termes de force du signal 4G LTE RSRP à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur dans une zone donnée et la force du signal 4G LTE RSRP par fournisseur dans les principales zones d’intérêt. Sur les cartes 4G LTE RSRP en intérieur et en extérieur, Cell Analytics identifie le meilleur opérateur de réseau mobile d’une zone donnée ou crée des zones par couleur en cas de très net gagnant d’un point de vue statistique. Les cartes par fournisseur montrent les performances de chacun dans une zone donnée, le rose et le rouge indiquant un signal fort et le bleu, un signal faible.

Faites défiler les cartes Cell Analytics des grandes villes nord-africaines ou cliquez sur une ville ci-dessous :

Alexandrie | Alger | Le Caire | Casablanca | Tripoli | Tunis

Alexandrie

La bibliothèque d’Alexandrie a disparu mais la Bibliotheca Alexandrina fait figure de testament de ce que le monde a perdu et de centre culturel majeur en Égypte. Dans la métropole trépidante, les cartes 4G LTE RSRP ci-dessous brossent deux situations différentes : le meilleur signal réseau mobile en extérieur et le meilleur signal réseau en intérieur relevés à Alexandrie au cours du quatrième trimestre 2020 et du premier trimestre 2021. Il apparaît clairement que plusieurs opérateurs fournissent le signal cellulaire le plus fort dans différentes parties de la ville et que certains bâtiments sont mieux servis que d’autres.

Alors qu’il est utile de savoir où opère le meilleur fournisseur dans les lieux que vous fréquentez, Ookla Cell Analytics peut également cartographier les résultats 4G LTE RSRP (force du signal) pour chaque fournisseur, comme représentés ci-après. Les zones rouges correspondent à un signal fort, tandis que les zones bleues correspondent à un signal faible.

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Alger

Le jardin botanique du Hamma à Alger est un espace vert luxuriant au cœur de la ville en plein essor. C’est également un excellent lieu géographique pour tester les performances mobiles. Les deux premières cartes ci-dessous représentent les meilleurs opérateurs réseau en matière de force du signal 4G LTE RSRP en extérieur (à gauche) et en intérieur (à droite) dans la zone.

Les trois cartes suivantes montrent la force du signal 4G LTE RSRP pour chaque opérateur, la couleur rouge correspondant aux signaux les plus forts et la bleue, aux signaux les plus faibles.

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Le Caire

Situé en plein cœur du Caire, le Gezira Sporting Club offre une vue insulaire sur la ville en pleine effervescence. Les cartes suivantes représentent les meilleurs opérateurs réseau en matière de force du signal 4G LTE RSRP en extérieur (à gauche) et en intérieur (à droite) dans la zone :

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Sur la rive opposée, à l’est du Gezira Sporting Club se trouve le célèbre musée égyptien. Avec un réseau de téléphonie mobile saturé dans le quartier animé, Cell Analytics représente la force du signal 4G LTE RSRP des meilleurs opérateurs. Les cartes suivantes font apparaître des zones rouges où le signal est le plus fort et des zones bleues où il est le plus faible.

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Casablanca

La mosquée Hassan-II située en bord de mer au nord de Casablanca est un centre touristique majeur et un lieu stratégique en matière de performances mobiles. Les deux cartes ci-dessous représentent la meilleure force de signal 4G LTE RSRP atteinte par les fournisseurs les plus performants en extérieur et en intérieur :

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La prochaine série de cartes représente la force du signal 4G LTE RSRP des meilleurs fournisseurs dans la zone située légèrement au sud ouest des cartes ci-dessus. Le signal est le plus fort dans les zones rouges et le plus faible dans les zones bleues.

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Tripoli

Le littoral nord de Tripoli est un trésor culturel de taille. Les cartes ci-dessous représentent les meilleurs fournisseurs 4G LTE RSRP en extérieur et en intérieur :

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Le musée As-Saraya al-Hamra, ou musée du Château rouge, est l’une des attractions les plus prisées de Tripoli. Les cartes suivantes font apparaître des zones rouges où le signal est le plus fort et des zones bleues où le signal est le plus faible pour les fournisseurs les plus performants de Tripoli :

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Tunis

Le centre de Tunis est le cœur du développement culturel de la ville. Les cartes ci-dessous représentent les meilleurs fournisseurs 4G LTE RSRP en extérieur et en intérieur dans le quartier.

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En zoomant davantage, nous pouvons voir la puissance du signal 4G LTE RSRP de chaque fournisseur dans une zone donnée. Les zones rouges représentent un signal fort, tandis que les zones bleues correspondent à un signal faible pour un fournisseur donné :

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Les performances Internet en Afrique du Nord s’améliorent rapidement, et l’arrivée de la technologie 5G est imminente

Les performances Internet en Afrique du Nord s’améliorent rapidement. Grâce à d’autres investissements de la part des opérateurs et des gouvernements dans les réseaux 4G et 5G, ainsi que dans l’extension de l’accès au haut débit fixe, l’Afrique du Nord offre des perspectives prometteuses à ses internautes. Nous continuerons à surveiller les données depuis Speedtest Intelligence et Cell Analytics pour suivre l’évolution des performances Internet au cours de l’année à venir. Si vous vous trouvez en Afrique du Nord et souhaitez connaître les performances de votre fournisseur, procédez à un Speedtest sur Android ou iOS.

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.

| July 18, 2022

New Ookla Market Reports Available for Q2 2022

Ookla® Market ReportsTM identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 26 markets that include details on fastest mobile and fixed broadband providers, performance of most popular devices and chipsets, and internet speeds in cities. Click a country on the list below to see highlights or scroll through the article to learn what Speedtest Intelligence® revealed in all 26 markets:

Africa and the Middle East | Asia | Europe | North and South America

Africa and the Middle East

  • Côte d’Ivoire: Speedtest Intelligence reveals there was no statistical winner among top mobile providers in Côte d’Ivoire during Q2 2022, with MTN showing a median download speed of 15.17 Mbps and Orange clocking in at 14.56 Mbps. There was also no statistical winner for fastest fixed broadband provider in Côte d’Ivoire during Q2 2022, though CANALBOX had a median download speed at 38.86 Mbps, Moov Africa at 34.41 Mbps, and Orange at 32.22 Mbps.
  • Jordan: Speedtest Intelligence finds fixed broadband provider Orange again provided the fastest median download speed in Jordan at 89.11 Mbps during Q2 2022, a modest increase over its speed in Q1 2022 (78.08 Mbps). Umniah was again the fastest mobile operator in Jordan during Q2 2022, delivering a median download speed of 33.74 Mbps.
  • Kenya: Mobile operator Safaricom had the fastest median mobile download speed in Kenya at 22.74 Mbps during Q2 2022. On fixed broadband, Faiba had the fastest median download speed (24.94 Mbps) and highest Consistency (50.6%) in Kenya during Q2 2022. At the city-level, Mombasa was home to the fastest mobile and fixed broadband download speeds at 23.59 Mbps and 12.03 Mbps, respectively, during Q2 2022.
  • Libya: Speedtest Intelligence reveals that mobile operator Libyana again had the fastest median mobile download speed in Libya at 12.34 Mbps during Q2 2022. Among top fixed broadband providers, AWAL Telecom had the fastest median download speed in Libya at 17.70 Mbps during Q2 2022.
  • Tanzania: Among top mobile operators in Tanzania, Halotel again had the fastest median download speed (17.12 Mbps) during Q2 2022. Mwanza had the fastest median mobile download speed among Tanzania’s most populous cities at 17.25 Mbps during Q2 2022.
  • Turkey: Speedtest Intelligence reveals mobile provider Turkcell again had the fastest median download speed and highest Consistency in Turkey at 54.62 Mbps and 92.2%, respectively, during Q2 2022. Among popular device manufacturers, Apple devices bested Samsung devices in Turkey at 41.77 Mbps compared to 30.55 Mbps during Q2 2022. For fixed broadband in Turkey, TurkNet again had the highest median download speed (49.46 Mbps) and Consistency (77.2%) during Q2 2022.

Asia

  • China: According to Speedtest Intelligence, fixed broadband provider China Unicom’s median download speed of 172.81 Mbps was the fastest in the country, overtaking China Telecom’s 162.30 Mbps in Q2 2022. The race for fastest 5G in China was likewise tight in Q2 2022, with China Mobile again edging out China Telecom 299.26 Mbps to 290.70 Mbps, with China Unicom following at 272.66 Mbps. Among top device manufacturers, Huawei devices had the fastest median download speed in China at 113.70 Mbps during Q2 2022.

Europe

  • Belgium: Telenet decisively retained its spot as Belgium’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2022, posting a median download speed of 129.30 Mbps. VOO followed at 111.93 Mbps. Among top mobile operators, Telenet/BASE again had the fastest median download speed at 76.09 Mbps, a modest rise over its speed in Q1 2022 (66.92 Mbps). Antwerp had the fastest median mobile download speed at 120.10 Mbps among Belgium’s most populous cities during Q2 2022.
  • Czechia: Speedtest Intelligence reveals T-Mobile was again Czechia’s fastest mobile provider during Q2 2022, recording a median download speed of 57.17 Mbps. When it comes to fixed broadband, Vodafone was again Czechia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2022, delivering a median download speed of 90.60 Mbps. At the city-level, Brno was home to both the fastest mobile and fixed broadband median download speeds in Q2 2022.
  • Denmark: Fastspeed was Denmark’s fastest fixed broadband provider again during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 283.79 Mbps. YouSee was Denmark’s fastest mobile operator, registering a median download speed of 125.76 Mbps during Q2 2022, which marked a modest increase over 115.87 Mbps in Q1 2022. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 Pro were ahead of the competition at 177.17 Mbps and 174.31 Mbps, respectively, during Q2 2022.
  • Estonia: According to Speedtest Intelligence, Elisa was again the fastest fixed broadband provider in Estonia during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 77.19 Mbps. Telia again had the fastest median mobile download speed in Estonia at 71.48 Mbps during Q2 2022.
  • Finland: DNA edged out Elisa and Telia as Finland’s fastest fixed broadband provider in Q2 2022, recording a median download speed of 91.08 Mbps. DNA also took top honors as Finland’s fastest mobile operator at 72.24 Mbps. In addition, DNA had the fastest 5G download speed in Finland, achieving a median download speed of 279.95 Mbps.
  • Germany: Vodafone was Germany’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q2 2022, earning a median download speed of 110.42 Mbps. Telekom achieved the fastest median mobile download speed (77.35 Mbps) and highest Consistency (88.9%) among top German mobile operators during Q2 2022. Telekom also took the top spot by a wide margin for the fastest median 5G download speed in Germany at 195.38 Mbps during Q2 2022.
  • Latvia: Balticom had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed in Latvia at 198.90 Mbps and highest Consistency (91.7%) during Q2 2022. LMT had the fastest median mobile download speed in Latvia at 68.48 Mbps during Q2 2022 — a large increase from 50.70 Mbps during Q1 2022. Among Latvia’s most populous cities, Olaine achieved the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 127.09 Mbps and 126.30 Mbps, respectively during Q2 2022.
  • Lithuania: Telia had the fastest median mobile download speed in Lithuania at 90.11 Mbps during Q2 2022, a modest increase from 77.77 Mbps during Q1 2022. Cgates again had the fastest median fixed broadband speed in Lithuania at 113.78 Mbps during Q2 2022.
  • Poland: UPC was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Poland, achieving a median download speed of 203.69 Mbps during Q2 2022. Mobile operator Plus had the fastest median 5G download speed in Poland at 171.14 Mbps during Q2 2022, a gain of roughly 4 Mbps over its speed in Q1 2022.

North and South America

  • Argentina: Personal was Argentina’s fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 27.22 Mbps during Q2 2022. Buenos Aires (24.30 Mbps) and Rosario (23.93 Mbps) led the way among Argentina’s most populous cities for fastest median mobile download speed.
  • Brazil: Speedtest Intelligence finds Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Brazil during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 31.93 Mbps and Consistency of 84.2%.
  • Canada: Shaw was again Canada’s fastest fixed broadband provider, clocking a median download speed of 209.44 Mbps during Q2 2022. TELUS took the top spot as the fastest mobile operator in Canada, achieving a median download speed of 79.09 Mbps during Q2 2022. Competition for the fastest 5G in Canada was tight during Q2 2022 with no statistical winner, but Bell (139.75 Mbps) and TELUS (137.17 Mbps) led the way, with Rogers trailing at 93.06 Mbps.
  • Chile: Among popular device manufacturers in Chile during Q2 2022, Apple devices were the fastest, with a median download speed of 34.59 Mbps.
  • Colombia: Apple devices had the fastest median download speed among major device manufacturers in Colombia at 16.62 Mbps during Q2 2022.
  • Ecuador: According to Speedtest Intelligence, Netlife was Ecuador’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 58.22 Mbps and Consistency of 77.2%, both of which marked increases over Q1 2022. CNT was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Ecuador during Q2 2022, with a median download speed of 33.32 Mbps and Consistency of 86.3%.
  • Guatemala: According to Speedtest Intelligence, Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Guatemala during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 20.05 Mbps and Consistency of 78.4%. Tigo was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Guatemala, with a median download speed of 27.51 Mbps and Consistency of 58.4% during Q2 2022.
  • Mexico: Telcel was Mexico’s fastest mobile operator during Q2 2022, leading the market with a median download speed of 33.24 Mbps. Totalplay was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Mexico, achieving a median download speed of 60.55 Mbps and Consistency of 78.2% during Q2 2022, both moderate increases over Q1 2022.
  • Peru: According to Speedtest Intelligence, Winet Telecom was Peru’s fastest fixed broadband provider by a wide margin, achieving a median download speed of 106.90 Mbps during Q2 2022. Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Peru during Q2 2022, delivering a median download speed of 21.52 Mbps.
  • United States: Speedtest Intelligence reveals Cox claimed the fastest fixed broadband download speed among top providers in the United States during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 196.73 Mbps. T-Mobile took the top spot as the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in the U.S. during Q2 2022, achieving a median download speed of 116.54 Mbps and Consistency of 85.7%. Looking at tests taken only on 5G, T-Mobile achieved the fastest median 5G download speed at 187.33 Mbps during Q2 2022. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was the fastest popular device in the U.S. at 105.26 Mbps during Q2 2022.

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

 

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.

| October 17, 2022

Ookla Ranks Internet Performance in the World’s Largest Cities, Plus Read 34 New Ookla Market Reports

You’ve come to rely on the Speedtest Global Index™ for our ranking of internet performance in countries around the world. Today we’ve expanded that resource to include internet speed rankings for some of the world’s largest cities. Read on to find out which city has the fastest download speed, learn how to find the information you’re looking for, and view a sneak peek at our 34 latest Ookla Market Reports™.

Shanghai and Beijing are the fastest cities on the Speedtest Global Index

Chart of global cities with fastest download speeds

The Speedtest Global Index now ranks median internet download speeds in nearly 200 cities all over the world. The Speedtest Global Index shows China topped the list with Shanghai as the fastest city on our list for mobile with a median download speed of 158.63 Mbps, while Beijing was fastest for fixed broadband during September 2022 at 238.86 Mbps.

Our list includes the two largest cities from each country. The cities must also have over 500,000 inhabitants and sufficient samples to be included. They are ranked according to median download speed based on Speedtest® data from the month prior.

Slider showing transition between country and city graphs

You can find city data simply by switching the toggle at the top center of the page. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook for updates on new data, or check back next month to see how the rankings change as governments and internet providers build out their infrastructure to better serve consumers. If you’re looking for data on more cities, visit the Speedtest Performance Directory™.

Ookla Market Reports benchmark internet performance in 34 countries around the world

This quarter we are showcasing Q3 2022 Speedtest Intelligence® data from 34 countries in our Ookla Market Reports. We’ve summarized a few top takeaways below, and you’ll want to click through to the report to see more detail and charts about the countries you’re most interested in, including who was the fastest provider on mobile and fixed broadband, who had the most consistent service, and 5G and device performance in that country. Jump forward to a continent using these links:

Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania

Africa

  • Côte d’Ivoire: MTN was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 16.73 Mbps. CANALBOX was fastest for fixed broadband at 44.34 Mbps.
  • Kenya: Safaricom had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 22.19 Mbps. Faiba was fastest for fixed broadband (25.66 Mbps).
  • Libya: Almadar Aljadid was the fastest mobile operator in Libya during Q3 2022 with a median download speed of 12.42 Mbps.
  • Tanzania: A median download speed of 17.63 Mbps made Halotel the fastest mobile operator in Tanzania during Q3 2022.

Americas

  • Argentina: Personal had the fastest median download speed over mobile (29.41 Mbps) and Movistar was fastest for fixed broadband (87.20 Mbps).
  • Bolivia: VIVA had the highest mobile Consistency with 80.1% of results showing at least a 5 Mbps minimum download speed and 1 Mbps minimum upload speed.
  • Brazil: The fastest mobile operator was Claro with a median download speed of 37.17 Mbps.
  • Canada: TELUS was the fastest mobile operator in Canada with a median download speed of 76.03 Mbps. Rogers was fastest for fixed broadband (223.89 Mbps).
  • Colombia: WOM was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 15.60 Mbps. Movistar was fastest for fixed broadband at 125.32 Mbps.
  • Dominican Republic: Claro had the fastest median download speed among mobile operators at 27.74 Mbps. Altice was fastest for fixed broadband at 23.54 Mbps.
  • El Salvador: Claro also had the fastest median download speed over mobile in El Salvador at 33.83 Mbps.
  • Ecuador: The fastest mobile operator was CNT with a median download speed of 34.03 Mbps. Netlife was fastest for fixed broadband at 63.35 Mbps.
  • Guatemala: Claro was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 28.56 Mbps. Tigo had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 26.90 Mbps.
  • Jamaica: Digicel+ was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 45.27 Mbps.
  • Mexico: Telcel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 36.07 Mbps. Totalplay was fastest for fixed broadband at 74.64 Mbps.
  • Peru: Claro was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 21.94 Mbps.
  • Trinidad and Tobago: Digicel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 38.19 Mbps.
  • United States: T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 116.14 Mbps. Spectrum was fastest for fixed broadband at 211.66 Mbps.

Asia

  • Cambodia: SINET had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 40.51 Mbps.
  • China: China Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 132.33 Mbps. China Unicom was fastest for fixed broadband at 177.70 Mbps.
  • Singapore: Singtel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 112.28 Mbps.
  • Vietnam: Viettel was the fastest mobile and fixed broadband provider with a median download speed over mobile of 44.81 Mbps and 88.69 Mbps for fixed broadband.

Europe

  • Albania: Vodafone was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 46.75 Mbps. Digicom was fastest for fixed broadband at 77.83 Mbps.
  • Belgium: Telenet had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 126.79 Mbps.
  • Denmark: YouSee was the fastest mobile operator in Denmark with a median download speed of 118.32 Mbps. Fastspeed was fastest for fixed broadband at 270.80 Mbps.
  • Estonia: The fastest operator in Estonia was Telia with a median download speed of 72.95 Mbps. Elisa was fastest over fixed broadband at 84.09 Mbps.
  • Finland: DNA had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 74.65 Mbps. Lounea was fastest for fixed broadband at 103.79 Mbps.
  • Germany: Telekom was the fastest mobile operator in Germany with a median download speed of 78.85 Mbps. Vodafone was fastest for fixed broadband at 112.58 Mbps.
  • Latvia: LMT had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 63.59 Mbps. Balticom was fastest for fixed broadband at 203.31 Mbps.
  • Lithuania: The operator with the fastest median download speed was Telia with 102.09 Mbps. Cgates was fastest for fixed broadband at 131.63 Mbps.
  • Poland: Orange had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 43.02 Mbps. UPC was fastest for fixed broadband at 206.22 Mbps.
  • Turkey: Turkcell was the fastest mobile operator in Turkey with a median download speed of 51.92 Mbps. TurkNet was fastest for fixed broadband at 50.94 Mbps.

Oceania

  • Australia: Telstra was the fastest mobile operator in Australia with a median download speed of 95.83 Mbps. Aussie Broadband was fastest for fixed broadband at 67.40 Mbps.
  • New Zealand: MyRepublic had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 271.12 Mbps.

The Speedtest Global Index is your resource to understand how internet speeds compare around the world and how they are changing. Check back next month for updated data on country and city rankings, and look for updated Ookla Market Reports for Q4 2022 in January.

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.

| April 18, 2022

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 43 Countries

Speedtest Global Index™ Market Analyses from Ookla® identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 44 markets that include details on fastest mobile and fixed broadband providers, performance of most popular devices and chipsets and internet speeds in cities. Click a country on the list below to see highlights or scroll through the article to learn what Speedtest Intelligence® revealed in all 43 markets:

Africa and the Middle East

Côte d’Ivoire | Jordan | Kenya | Libya | Nigeria
South Africa | Tanzania | Turkey

Asia and Oceania

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

Europe

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

North and South America

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


Africa and the Middle East

Côte d’Ivoire

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed mobile provider MTN had the fastest median download speed (15.71 Mbps) and Consistency Score (71.1%) in Côte d’Ivoire during Q1 2022.
  • There was no statistical winner for fastest fixed broadband provider in Côte d’Ivoire during Q1 2022, though Orange had a median download speed of 33.65 Mbps and CANALBOX had a median download speed of 33.35 Mbps.

Jordan

  • Speedtest Intelligence found Umniah was the fastest mobile operator in Jordan during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 30.42 Mbps.
  • Fixed broadband provider Orange held the fastest median download speed in Jordan at 78.08 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Kenya

  • Mobile operator Safaricom had the fastest median mobile download speed at 20.49 Mbps in Kenya during Q1 2022.
  • For fixed broadband, Faiba had the fastest median download speed (24.64 Mbps) and Consistency Score (49.8%) in Kenya during Q1 2022.

Libya

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals that mobile operator Libyana had the fastest median mobile download speed in Libya at 12.54 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Among top fixed broadband providers, AWAL Telecom had the fastest median download speed in Libya at 20.02 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Nigeria

  • Fixed broadband provider ipNX had the fastest median download speed (21.34 Mbps) and highest Consistency Score (45.9%) in Nigeria during Q1 2022.
  • There was no statistical winner for fastest top mobile operator in Nigeria during Q1 2022, though Airtel and MTN led the way at 22.42 Mbps and 21.71 Mbps, respectively.

South Africa

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows Cool Ideas had the fastest fixed broadband median download speed (46.05 Mbps) and highest Consistency Score (73.2%) in South Africa during Q1 2022.
  • MTN had the fastest median 5G download speed in South Africa at 213.37 Mbps during Q1 2022, much faster than Vodacom (132.11 Mbps).
  • The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra dominated for fastest popular device in South Africa during Q1 2022 and achieved a median download speed of 105.21 Mbps. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max followed at 82.23 Mbps.

Tanzania

  • Among top mobile operators in Tanzania, Halotel had the fastest median download speed (17.84 Mbps) and highest Consistency Score (80.1%) during Q1 2022.
  • Mwanza had the fastest median mobile download speed among Tanzania’s most populous cities at 13.76 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Turkey

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals mobile provider Turkcell had the fastest median download speed and highest Consistency Score in Turkey at 53.77 Mbps and 92.7%, respectively, during Q1 2022.
  • For fixed broadband in Turkey, TurkNet had the highest median download speed (47.43 Mbps) and Consistency Score (76.8%) during Q1 2022.


Asia and Oceania

China

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, China Telecom was the fastest fixed broadband provider in China with a median download speed of 146.70 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • During Q1 2022, China Mobile achieved the fastest median 5G download speed at 300.96 Mbps, ahead of China Telecom (296.97 Mbps) and China Unicom (280.62 Mbps).
  • Among top device manufacturers, Huawei had the fastest median download speed in China at 108.94 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Hong Kong (SAR)

  • China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest mobile operator in Hong Kong, achieving a median download speed of 66.11 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • China Mobile Hong Kong also showed the fastest 5G download speed, achieving a median speed of 172.19 Mbps during Q1 2022. Mobile provider 3 followed at 155.81 Mbps.

New Zealand

  • Vodafone was the fastest mobile operator in New Zealand during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 59.65 Mbps.
  • 2degrees blazed ahead with the fastest median 5G download speed in New Zealand at 479.71 Mbps during Q1 2022, beating out Vodafone (342.45 Mbps) and Spark (307.21 Mbps).
  • For fixed broadband, MyRepublic achieved the fastest median download speed in New Zealand at 217.66 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Philippines

  • During Q1 2022, Smart had the fastest median download speed (24.07 Mbps) among top mobile operators in the Philippines.
  • Smart also had the fastest median 5G download speed in the Philippines during Q1 2022 at 200.43 Mbps.
  • Caloocan took the top spot for fastest median mobile download speed among the Philippines’ most populous cities at 25.71 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Singapore

  • Speedtest Intelligence shows Singtel was the fastest top mobile operator in Singapore with a median download speed of 93.00 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Singtel blazed ahead of the competition for fastest median 5G download speed in Singapore at 360.31 Mbps during Q1 2022 — a strong rise over its median 5G download speed of 289.01 Mbps during Q4 2021.

Taiwan

  • During Q1 2022, Chunghwa Telecom had the fastest median 5G download speed in Taiwan at 415.45 Mbps. FarEasTone followed at 310.83 Mbps.
  • The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 had the fastest median download speed among popular chipsets in Taiwan at 162.51 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Thailand

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that AIS had the fastest median download speed on mobile in Thailand at 43.52 Mbps during Q1 2022, beating out TrueMove H and dtac.
  • AIS also had the fastest median 5G download speed in Thailand during Q1 2022 at 261.19 Mbps, followed by TrueMove H and dtac.

Vietnam

  • Vinaphone was Vietnam’s fastest mobile operator during Q1 2022, reaching a median mobile download speed of 42.43 Mbps, just faster than Viettel (40.61 Mbps).
  • Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro had the fastest median download speed among popular devices in Vietnam at 70.91 Mbps during Q1 2022.


Europe

Austria

  • Magenta took the top spot as Austria’s fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 154.44 Mbps during Q1 2022. LIWEST was the closest competitor (88.75 Mbps).
  • A1 was the fastest mobile provider in Austria during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 69.80 Mbps. Operator 3 followed at 53.73 Mbps.

Belgium

  • Telenet decisively claimed its spot as Belgium’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 129.18 Mbps. VOO followed at 109.76 Mbps.
  • Among mobile operators, Telenet/BASE had the fastest median download speed at 66.92 Mbps.

Czechia

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals T-Mobile was Czechia’s fastest mobile provider during Q1 2022, recording a median download speed of 55.63 Mbps.
  • Vodafone was Czechia’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 89.23 Mbps.

Denmark

  • Fastspeed was Denmark’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 284.28 Mbps. Hiper followed at 239.43 Mbps.
  • YouSee was Denmark’s fastest mobile operator, earning a median download speed of 115.87 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Estonia

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Elisa was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Estonia during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 74.48 Mbps.
  • Telia had the fastest mobile median download speed in Estonia at 73.20 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Finland

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, DNA took the top spot as Finland’s fastest mobile operator in Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 70.76 Mbps. DNA also edged out Telia for the highest Consistency Score 93.1% to 91.7%.
  • In addition, DNA had the fastest 5G download speed in Finland, achieving a median download speed of 297.70 Mbps. Telia (259.68 Mbps) and Elisa (230.35 Mbps) followed.
  • Competition was tight for Finland’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022. DNA (87.87 Mbps) raced past Elisa (86.54 Mbps) and Telia (86.13 Mbps) to take the top spot.

France

  • Orange earned the top spot as France’s fastest and most consistent mobile operator with a median mobile download speed of 81.03 Mbps and a Consistency Score of 89.8% during Q1 2022.
  • During Q1 2022, Orange dominated the competition as France’s fastest 5G provider by achieving a median 5G download speed of 366.42 Mbps. SFR followed at 247.32 Mbps.

Germany

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Vodafone was Germany’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 108.67 Mbps.
  • Telekom achieved the fastest median mobile download speed (79.34 Mbps) and Consistency Score (90.9%) among German mobile operators during Q1 2022.
  • Telekom took the top spot for the fastest median 5G download speed in Germany at 193.09 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Hungary

  • Vodafone was Hungary’s fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 159.59 Mbps during Q1 2022. Vodafone also had the highest Consistency Score at 87.9% during Q1 2022.
  • Yettel was Hungary’s fastest mobile operator during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 50.62 Mbps.

Latvia

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Balticom had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed in Latvia at 188.27 Mbps and highest Consistency Score (91.9%) during Q1 2022.
  • LMT had the fastest median mobile download speed in Latvia at 50.70 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Lithuania

  • Telia had the fastest median mobile download speed in Lithuania at 77.77 Mbps during Q1 2022. Tele2 followed at 41.75 Mbps, then BITE (29.81 Mbps).
  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals that Cgates had the fastest median fixed broadband speed in Lithuania at 99.50 Mbps during Q1 2022, edging out Penki (93.52 Mbps) and Telia (86.84 Mbps).

Luxembourg

  • Eltrona took the top spot as Luxembourg’s fastest fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022 by achieving a median download speed of 119.65 Mbps.
  • POST was the fastest mobile operator in Luxembourg, achieving a median download speed of 122.74 Mbps in Q1 2022.

Malta

  • Melita took the top spot as Malta’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 117.68 Mbps and Consistency Score of 85.2%.

Moldova

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Orange dominated as Moldova’s fastest fixed broadband provider, achieving a median download speed of 203.54 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Tiraspol showed the fastest median mobile download speed among Moldova’s most populous cities at 35.62 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Poland

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed that UPC was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Poland, achieving a median download speed of 195.74 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Mobile operator Plus had the fastest median 5G download speed in Poland at 167.37 Mbps during Q1 2022, a slight gain over Q4 2021.

Slovakia

  • Orange took the top spot as Slovakia’s fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 53.30 Mbps, edging out Telekom’s 45.90 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Orange also dominated as the fastest 5G operator in Slovakia with a median 5G download speed at 299.09 Mbps during Q1 2022. 4ka followed at 177.76 Mbps.
  • UPC took the top spot as Slovakia’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 146.65 Mbps and a Consistency Score of 87.5% during Q1 2022.

Spain

  • Movistar provided the fastest and most consistent mobile experience among Spanish mobile operators during Q1 2022 with a median download speed of 52.44 Mbps and Consistency Score of 89.4%.
  • Vodafone was Spain’s fastest 5G provider by a wide margin, achieving a median download speed of 192.40 Mbps during Q1 2022.


North and South America

Argentina

  • Speedtest Intelligence revealed Personal was Argentina’s fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 25.57 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • There was a tight race for the fastest median mobile download speed in Argentina’s most populous cities with no statistical winner during Q1 2022. However, Buenos Aires (25.26 Mbps) and La Plata (25.18 Mbps) led the way.

Brazil

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Brazil during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 33.53 Mbps and Consistency Score of 84.6%.
  • Claro achieved the fastest median 5G download speed in Brazil at 72.35 Mbps during Q1 2022. TIM (62.80 Mbps) and Vivo (62.38 Mbps) followed.

Canada

  • Shaw was Canada’s fastest fixed broadband provider, earning a median download speed of 213.47 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • TELUS took the top spot as the fastest mobile operator in Canada, achieving a median download speed of 94.48 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Competition for the fastest 5G in Canada was tight during Q1 2022 with TELUS edging out Bell 162.47 Mbps to 155.71 Mbps, respectively.

Chile

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Entel was the fastest mobile operator in Chile with a median download speed of 23.13 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Temuco had the fastest median mobile download speed in Chile at 24.86 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Colombia

  • Cali had the fastest median mobile download speed among Colombia’s most populous cities at 15.32 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Among major device manufacturers in Colombia, Apple devices had the fastest median download speed at 17.20 Mbps during Q1 2022.

Ecuador

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Netlife was Ecuador’s fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 45.53 Mbps and Consistency Score of 75.5%.
  • CNT was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Ecuador during Q1 2022, with a median download speed of 33.11 Mbps and Consistency Score of 87.4%.

Guatemala

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Claro was the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in Guatemala during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 21.40 Mbps and Consistency Score of 80.5%.
  • Tigo was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Guatemala with a median download speed of 26.56 Mbps and Consistency Score of 58.3% during Q1 2022.

Mexico

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Telcel was Mexico’s fastest mobile operator during Q1 2022, leading the market with a median download speed of 40.25 Mbps.
  • Totalplay was the fastest and most consistent fixed broadband provider in Mexico, achieving a median download speed of 49.33 Mbps and Consistency Score of 74.3% during Q1 2022.

Peru

  • According to Speedtest Intelligence, Winet Telecom was Peru’s fastest fixed broadband provider by a wide margin, achieving a median download speed of 102.83 Mbps during Q1 2022.
  • Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Peru during Q1 2022, earning a median download speed of 19.55 Mbps.

United States

  • Speedtest Intelligence reveals Verizon was the fastest fixed broadband provider in the United States during Q1 2022, edging out XFINITY with a median download speed of 184.36 Mbps to XFINITY’s 179.12 Mbps.
  • T-Mobile took the top spot as the fastest and most consistent mobile operator in the U.S. during Q1 2022, achieving a median download speed of 117.83 Mbps and a Consistency Score of 88.3% — both increases over Q4 2021.
  • Looking at tests taken only on 5G, T-Mobile achieved the fastest median 5G download speed at 191.12 Mbps during Q1 2022. Verizon also had a notable increase in 5G download speed during Q1 2022 over Q4 2021 , which was helped by turning on new C-Band spectrum in January.
  • The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was the fastest popular device in the U.S. at 116.33 Mbps during Q1 2022.

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

Editor’s note: This article was updated on May 11, 2022.

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.

| October 24, 2023

Government and Regulatory Support is Key to Improving 4G Performance in Africa

In this article, we analyze select African countries that have consistently improved their ranking in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index™ between June 2020 and June 2023 and discuss the drivers that contributed to this rise. These countries can provide lessons and best practices that other operators and regulators can apply to bridge the 4G performance gap.

Key takeaways

  • Government and policy intervention is critical in supporting the rollout of 4G networks in Africa. Operators need more than ever support amid the challenging macroeconomic, operating conditions, and shrinking consumer disposable income. For example, the government intervened in Nigeria to cancel excise tax to reduce operators’ financial burden, promoted infrastructure sharing in Cote d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe to speed up network deployment, and led the expansion of 4G infrastructure in Libya.
  • Spectrum availability is crucial to improving network performance and coverage to meet growing data demand. For example, public authorities encouraged the efficient spectrum usage by freeing up legacy bands and refarming existing ones in Mauritius, Namibia, and Tanzania, and by adopting technology-neutral spectrum licensing in Zimbabwe.
  • Non-punitive network QoS compliance policies can help drive investments and promote fair competition. Policymakers and regulators in Africa are increasingly adopting alternatives to financial sanctions to encourage operators to meet coverage and QoS obligations. For example, the regulator in Tanzania mandated network investments instead of issuing non-compliance penalties.

Some African countries show a marked improvement in 4G download and upload speeds as well as coverage

Cellular networks are critical to connect individuals and businesses as internet access in Africa is predominantly mobile. In addition, the adoption of digital services, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, has rapidly increased the demand for data services. As a result, consumer needs and economic growth will increasingly depend on a fast, reliable mobile network.

We used Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index™ to identify African countries that have consistently improved their mobile speed ranking between June 2020 and June 2023. We then used Speedtest Intelligence® data to compare 4G mobile performance on modern chipsets between Q2 2020 and Q2 2023.

We focused on markets that offer strong growth potential for 4G, so we selected countries whose 4G share of connections was lower than 50% at the end of 2022 (based on data from GSMA Intelligence). The shortlisted countries represent different sub-regions and have different demographical and geographical characteristics, as shown on the map below. 

Map of Demographic and 4G Data in Select African Countries

According to Speedtest Intelligence data, Cote d’Ivoire showed impressive improvement in 4G network performance since Q2 2020, reaching a median download speed of 23.8 Mbps in Q2 2023, the third highest speed behind only Mauritius with 27.33 Mbps and Namibia with 26.92 Mbps. Tanzania doubled its 4G download speeds to 20.83 Mbps while Libya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe had download speeds between 15 Mbps and 20 Mbps in Q2 2023.

Chart of 4G Median Mobile Downloads Speeds Comparison in Select African Countries | Q2 2020 - Q2 2023

Improvements in upload speeds over the same period and the differences between the countries were less pronounced than download speed results. With a jump of 1.6 times in 4G upload speed between Q2 2020 and Q2 2023, Tanzania moved from fourth to second place, ahead of Cote d’Ivoire and Mauritius and just behind Namibia. Notably, Libya lagged behind other countries in download and upload speeds but improved markedly over three years, despite being the last one to launch 4G in 2018, and arguably, where operators had the most challenging environment. 

Chart of 4G Median Mobile Uploads Speeds Comparison in Select African Countries | Q2 2020 - Q2 2023

In the following sections, we analyze market dynamics in each country, review operators’ 4G investments, and discuss the factors that drove (or inhibited, at times) 4G market development.

Cote d’Ivoire has plenty of room to increase 4G adoption

Mobile penetration of the population in Cote d’Ivoire increased rapidly since 2020 to reach 142.4% in Q1 2023 (according to Autorité de Régulation des Télécommunications (ARTCI)). 

Orange is the largest mobile operator in Côte d’Ivoire in terms of subscribers (45.6% in Q1 2023) and 4G network population coverage (90.6% in December 2022). It launched 4G services in March 2016 over 1800 MHz. It expanded its subscriber base rapidly thanks, in part, to a $312 million investment in network deployment and upgrades in 2019 and 2020. It also set a plan to invest a further USD120 million between 2020 and 2025 to upgrade the fiber-optic backbone of its 4G network. 

MTN captured just over a third of mobile subscribers in March 2023. It launched 4G shortly after Orange, followed by LTE-A in Abidjan in December 2020, the only operator to offer this service to date in the country. In October 2022, it signed a $75 million five-year contract with Canadian infrastructure supplier NuRAN Wireless to expand its network coverage in rural areas. However, we understood that this only concerns 2G and 3G services. MTN’s 4G coverage reached 57.4% of the population at the end of 2022, way behind Orange. 

Moov had been capturing an increasing share of mobile connections until 2018. Since then, its market share has remained mostly stable at around 20%. It launched 4G services in Q3 2016 over 900 MHz. Moov has extensive network coverage in remote areas, which has helped it to grow its subscriber base. Coverage reached just over half of the population at the end of 2022, lagging behind Orange and MTN.

The three operators managed to rapidly expand 4G coverage after launch. According to Speedtest Intelligence®, 4G service availability, which represents the proportion of an operator’s known locations where a device has access to 4G LTE service, already reached 83.5% in 2018 and increased to 94.3% during Q1-Q3 2023. Despite this, 4G share of mobile connections remains low at 18.8% in 2022 (according to GSMA Intelligence). The unaffordability of smartphones, combined with the limited coverage in rural areas and poor network QoS remain obstacles to mobile data adoption.

To address these challenges, Orange and MTN launched financing schemes and introduced affordable handset models. Further, ARTCI initiated discussions with the operators in 2022 on how to implement improvements in their network and was given additional powers to improve service quality levels. ARTCI also awarded the three operators 2×20 MHz in the 2600 MHz band for LTE to improve network data capacity and is looking for infrastructure sharing as an option to speed up 5G deployment, in time for the African Cup, which will take place at the beginning of 2024.

Government support was pivotal in Libya to accelerate 4G rollout amidst challenging conditions

Libya experienced prolonged political unrest and violence since 2011, leading to the destruction of communication networks, equipment theft, and power shortage. The progressive return to stability since 2021 has somewhat enabled the restoration and extension of existing network infrastructure.

Despite these challenges, Libya has one of the highest mobile penetration in Africa (178.5% in June 2023, according to GSMA Intelligence), and it is one of the few North African countries with an MVNO (albeit capturing less than 1% of the market). The market is a duopoly with two subsidies of Libyan Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Company (LPTIC): Al Madar Aljaded and Libyana. Both operators introduced 4G over 1800 MHz in 2018, initially covering only a few cities.

Libyana took the lead by launching LTE in January 2018 and covering 30 major towns and cities by the end of that year. It subsequently expanded coverage to more than 49 towns and cities by April 2022. 

Almadar Aljaded launched LTE and LTE-A in October 2018 in Greater Tripoli Benghazi and Misrata before expanding nationwide, claiming coverage for more than 80% of the population in 2022. 

4G deployment gained momentum and the restoration of the telecoms infrastructure resumed thanks to LPTIC’s program launched in 2021 to extend LTE coverage to underserved areas thanks to cooperation agreements with foreign governments and telecoms groups. According to Speedtest Intelligence®, access to 4G service increased from 11.8% in 2019 to 76.8% during Q1-Q3 2023. Northern regions had particularly benefited from network coverage enhancements as shown in the map below where green squares show locations where 4G service is available and red squares where 4G service is unavailable.

This coverage expansion was accompanied by a boost to median download and upload speeds reaching 15.08 Mbps and 6.43 Mbps in Q2 2023, respectively. However, 4G network throughput is low compared to the performance of other countries featured in this article, suggesting that there is room to improve capacity.

Unfortunately, the deadly floods that struck the eastern part of the country in September 2023 are a significant setback. We expect network expansion and upgrade efforts will be delayed as funding will be directed toward relief efforts and the restoration of basic mobile services.

Maps of 4G Service Availability in Northern Regions, Libya | 2019 and 2023

The allocation of additional spectrum in Mauritius helped to improve 4G coverage and speed

Mauritius is an early adopter of 4G with a saturated mobile market (population penetration reached 160.0% in Q3 2023). The market has three active mobile network operators: incumbent operator Cellplus Mobile Communications (under my.t mobile), Emtel, and Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Limited (MTML) (operating under the CHiLi brand).

Cellplus Mobile launched 4G in 2012 over the 1800 MHz band. It initiated a major network modernization project in 2017, which resulted in a 50% increase in data traffic in 2018 enabling 4G traffic to overtake 3G traffic for the first time. It achieved quasi-nationwide 4G coverage by mid-2019.

The second operator Emtel also launched 4G in 2012 and claimed its 4G network covered the whole island by end-2022. Lastly, MTML (CHiLi), introduced LTE services in 2015 and progressively expanded coverage until it reached 90% of the population by end-2022. This led to a 7% increase in monthly data traffic year-on-year in FY2022/2021.

Operators continued to improve 4G coverage and speed as they prepared to launch 5G. According to Speedtest Intelligence®, access to 4G service increased from 64.40% in 2019 to 96.3% during Q1-Q3 2023. During that period, Mauritius pulled further ahead than the other countries with 27.33 Mbps median 4G download speed in Q2 2023, overtaking Namibia which, until then, had the fastest download speed among the countries analyzed.

These achievements were partly driven by initiatives led by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) which continually encouraged the refarm and release of additional spectrum. For example, the 2100 MHz spectrum (1920‐1980 MHz paired with 2110‐2170 MHz) was reused for LTE and LTE-A services since 2018, after being used exclusively for 3G. ICTA also assigned 2×10 MHz of spectrum in the range 832MHz-862MHz and 791MHz-821MHz for LTE services in 2021, which helped to increase 4G coverage.

Access to additional spectrum and operators’ investment in Namibia helped to boost 4G coverage and performance

Mobile population penetration reached 110.7% in Q3 2023, behind other African markets with similar GDP. Similar to Libya, the market is a duopoly with two mobile operators controlled by a state company, Namibia Post and Telecommunications Holdings (NPTH): MTC, with an 86% market share, and Telecom Namibia (TN Mobile).

Market leader MTC launched a 4G LTE network over 1800 MHz in May 2012, initially for mobile broadband only. MTC then activated LTE-A in April 2016 contributing to boosting download speed, despite limited service availability in selected urban areas. MTC refarmed 2100 MHz for LTE in 2018 and was awarded 2x5MHz lots in the 900 MHz spectrum band in August 2021, but that was deemed insufficient to serve its large subscriber base. It initiated the ‘081EVERY1’ project to build additional base stations and upgrade 4G infrastructure in towns to provide 100% population coverage by the end of 2023. However, we understand that this objective has not been attained as of October 2023 (LTE coverage expanded to more than 68% of the population in 2022).

TN Mobile launched 4G in November 2013 and LTE-A in late 2019, using only 1800 MHz. In July 2022, the operator outlined a plan to invest more than $124 million over five years to modernize its network, starting with its national backbone, core network, and access technologies to boost population coverage and network QoS. Before that, TN Mobile had been deploying or upgrading mobile sites in selected rural and urban areas since 2019 to achieve 100% population 4G coverage by end-2023. However, the cost of competing with the dominating incumbent operator will likely make it difficult to achieve it.

According to Speedtest Intelligence, 4G service availability in Nambia increased from 24.7% in 2019 to 76.6% over January-October 2023, with the Otjozondjupa region showing substantial improvement (see map below). However, according to the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), only seven out of fourteen regions were covered by 4G, calling for more private-sector investment to increase 4G footprint. To support these efforts, the CRNA kicked off the auction process for 700 MHz (703-788 MHz) and 800 MHz (790-862 MHz) frequency bands in February 2023. The spectrum was awarded in October 2023 to the two mobile operators and local ISP Loc8 Mobile for 4G and 5G services.

The three licensees should provide 4G and 5G services with at least 20 Mbps download speed and have to extend 4G coverage to at least 80% of the population in six out of the 14 regions. This suggests that operators will need substantial investments in network infrastructure to satisfy these coverage and speed requirements.

Maps of 4G Service Availability in Otjozondjupa Region, Northern Namibia | 2019 and 2023

Access to multiple spectrum bands helped operators in Nigeria to rapidly expand 4G network coverage

Nigeria is the largest market in Africa in terms of mobile connections with over 220 million mobile subscribers. The market peaked in 2020 and then contracted due to the implementation of the SIM registration policy. The market started recovering more in the second half of 2021 as previously-restricted subscribers obtained a new SIM through ID verification. Mobile penetration reached 90.3% in Q3 2023.

The market is highly competitive with three main players: MTN (38.7% share of subscribers in July 2023), Glo (Globacom) (27.82%), and Airtel (27.24%). 4G coverage increased rapidly to reach 80.9% at the end of 2022 though adoption peaked at around 25% before starting to fall as some customers migrate to 5G. 

Glo was the first main operator to introduce 4G services in 2016 over 700 MHz, which it then combined with 1800 MHz spectrum in 2019. It launched LTE-A in 2023 by combining  700 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2600 MHz (which it acquired recently), and plans to deploy 4,000 LTE-A mobile sites in major towns and cities.

MTN launched 4G the same year using 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands. It then launched LTE-A by combining 2600 MHz and 1800 MHz in 2019. MTN then acquired 800 MHz spectrum to improve coverage 4G coverage which reached 83% in 2023. Its CAPEX (excluding right-of-use assets) increased by 18.1% in 2022 to around $470 million to accelerate 4G and 5G network expansion. In September 2023, it acquired an additional 10 MHz of spectrum in the 2600 MHz band to improve the capacity of its LTE network. 

Airtel was the last to launch LTE over 1800 MHz, before incorporating 2600 MHz in 2019 and 900 MHz in 2022, which helped to expand coverage to more than 463 locations in the country.

Maps of 4G Service Availability in Nigeria | 2019 and 2023

Operators faced several technical and operational challenges that impacted the quality of 4G connectivity in Nigeria. This was the result of the network infrastructure not being able to keep up with pent-up demand for mobile device services. Other factors also contributed to the deterioration of network quality including the limited access to continuous power supply, vandalism, and multiple taxes and levies. 

Furthermore, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the government took a tough stand against operators for failing to meet QoS obligations or delaying tax payments, resulting in significant fines between 2012 and 2016. 

The NCC started adopting less punitive measures against operators recently and being more actively engaged with them on QoS issues, following the South African model. The government also reversed its decision to impose a 5% excise duty on telecom services in 2023. These measures should help somewhat operators weather the current challenging macroeconomic climate.

The regulator’s efforts helped improve 4G coverage in Tanzania but data services remain unaffordable to most of the population

Tanzania has a crowded mobile market with seven operators and fierce price competition. The introduction of biometric SIM identification slowed market growth in 2020 (the market contracted by 9.5 million) before recovering in 2021. Mobile penetration reached 93.9% in June 2023.

Three operators dominate the market: Vodacom (30% of subscribers in June 2023), Airtel (27%), and third-placed Tigo (27%), which was acquired by a consortium led by Axian Telecom in April 2022.

Vodacom launched 4G commercially in 2016. It uses 700 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum bands. It reported having deployed 2315 4G sites by the end of 2022 (up from 1814 in September 2021) and that broadband coverage reached 93% of the population.

Airtel launched LTE services over 1800 MHz in the capital Dodoma in November 2019 then expanded to other cities in 2020. It announced the deployment of its ‘Supa 4G’ LTE-A network in 2021 which uses 700 MHz and 2100 MHz in 500 cities and villages. It claims to have rolled out LTE-A in 80% of its mobile sites by April 2022. Airtel was also allocated an additional spectrum in the 1800 MHz band in 2019. 

Tigo launched LTE services in Dar es  Salaam in April 2015 over 800 MHz. It progressively expanded its network to reach 26 regions by February 2022. It launched LTE-A in September 2018 over 800/1800 MHz in a limited number of cities. In May 2022, Axian Telecom announced plans to invest $500 million in infrastructure over the next five years to improve 4G coverage and QoS, especially in rural areas, and to support the country’s digital transformation and bridge the digital divide. 

Maps of 4G Service Availability in Tanzania | 2019 and 2023

The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) has been less punitive than before. For example, in 2019, it fined the six operators $2.6 million for failing to meet QoS standards. However, in 2021, the TCRA ordered the operators to invest $16.4 million to address network issues rather than issue a new fine

The government also freed up the 700 MHz band and auctioned it off in 2018 to enable operators to provide 4G data services to more communities. Four years later, another auction was completed for 2300 MHz, 2600 MHz, and 3500 MHz bands to be used for 4G and 5G. More recently, the government launched the ‘Digital Tanzania’ project in May 2023 in partnership with mobile operators and with support from the World Bank to reach 80% broadband population penetration by 2025. Operators will use the universal access fund to deploy 758 mobile towers to provide data services to 1407 villages and over 8.5 million potential users. 

While 4G coverage reached 65%, Tanzania has the lowest 4G share of connections among the countries reviewed in this article, at 17.8% in Q2 2023. Furthermore, according to TCRA, only 27% of Tanzanians owned smartphones and mobile internet-enabled devices in 2022. 

This suggests that many consumers still can not afford data-enabled handsets and that data tariffs remain out of reach for most Tanzanians, given low income levels, since most of them live in rural areas and work in the agriculture sector.

The government plays a crucial role in progressing the national broadband connectivity agenda in Zimbabwe

According to the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ), mobile penetration reached 91.9% at the end of Q2 2023. Mobile data connectivity is the most common way to access internet services. 3G and 4G services represented more than 98% of data connections in the country, and the main driver for internet penetration.

The market is dominated by Econet which controls 72.3% of subscriptions as of June 2023. It launched 4G over 1800 MHz in August 2013, but adoption was muted because of limited coverage, and expensive tariffs. Fast forward to October 2022, and 4G network reached 39% of the population. Econet has the highest number of LTE base stations in the country, 54.3% of the 1962 stations in June 2023. In September 2023, it announced the deployment of 30 new 4G sites by March 2024 and an upgrade of all existing 2G sites to 4G in the eastern provinces. 

NetOne is a state-owned operator and the second-largest player with a 25.5% market share in June 2023. It launched 4G in November 2014, using 1800 MHz before adding 700 MHz in 2016. It resumed deployment of LTE base stations in rural areas in 2021, which helped it to control more than 44.5% of total 4G towers in the country (867 base stations) and grow its data subscribers.

Telecel has been struggling to maintain its market share over the past few years. It initially opted not to launch LTE along with competitors because it believed that the market was not ready. It eventually introduced LTE in late 2017 but had just 17 LTE base stations according to the regulator by mid-2022.

The government announced its plan to raise internet penetration to above 75.0% by 2025, up from 65.2% in Q2 2023. It announced the national broadband program covering 2023–2030 to reduce the cost of broadband access to 2% of the average monthly income from 10.1%. The government is committed to raising the funds for this plan which includes the deployment of fibre infrastructure for broadband access and backhaul. It also plans to deploy 300 base stations across the country to be shared by the operators to support mobile services in rural areas using the universal services fund.

This is a vital initiative as operators are struggling to finance their network deployment and upgrade their networks due to currency depreciation, and limited access to foreign currency to pay for equipment. Their revenues are also down due to the reduction in consumer spending as a result of inflation and reduced disposable income, which is impacting their ability to finance their infrastructure development plan.

It is clear, from the examples discussed above, that the role of governments and regulatory authorities is crucial to making mobile data services accessible in Africa. Operators need sufficient spectrum, favorable policies and regulations, and the support they need to expand 4G infrastructure. In light of the current macroeconomic and operational challenges hindering the adoption of 4G, such as spectrum availability, coverage requirements, and handset affordability, overcoming these challenges will help with the next phase of 5G development.

Connectivity is crucial to economic development, competitiveness, and innovation in the Middle East and Africa region. Ookla’s crowdsourced insights and data help policymakers make informed decisions on how to use spectrum efficiently and improve network performance and user experience. Ookla also regularly hosts events in the region to help regulators share knowledge and experiences on how to close the digital divide. Regulatory officials from Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, and Libya attended the last regulatory summit in June 2023 in Jordan.

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.

| December 10, 2018

The World’s Internet in 2018: Faster, Modernizing and Always On

When it comes to the internet, the news is mostly good for 2018. Download and upload speeds are increasing across the globe on both mobile and fixed broadband. 5G is on the horizon and gigabit service is expanding.

We looked at data from Speedtest IntelligenceTM, Ookla’s flagship data platform, from December 2017 through November 2018, to analyze everything from global internet speeds to the world’s fastest countries to when people are online. We also investigated which parts of the world are seeing the most benefit from high speed LTE on mobile and gigabit speeds on fixed broadband.

Mobile speeds increased more than 15% in 2018

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The world’s average mobile download speed of 22.82 Mbps increased 15.2% over the past year, while mobile upload speed increased 11.6% to reach 9.19 Mbps.

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With a mean download speed of 27.84 Mbps and a mean upload of 10.61 Mbps, worldwide speeds on iOS devices were faster than those on Android (21.35 Mbps download, 8.73 Mbps upload) in 2018. This is likely due to market factors as Android devices are more popular in emerging markets where internet speeds tend to be slower.

However, download speed on Android devices increased 19.0% and upload speed increased 15.1%, more than those on iOS (18.0% increase for download and 11.1% increase for upload), which is good news for those emerging markets.

Fixed broadband speeds increased more than 26% in 2018

Graphic-Tables-Final-v2_fixed-average

On a global level, fixed broadband speeds were nearly twice as fast as those on mobile in 2018. The world’s average download speed on fixed broadband was 46.12 Mbps, 26.4% faster than last year. Upload speed increased 26.5% to 22.44 Mbps.

All said, though, both mobile and fixed broadband speeds increased at a slower rate in 2018 than they did in 2017.

Countries with the fastest internet in 2018

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The countries with the fastest mean download speeds over mobile in the past 12 months were: Norway (63.19 Mbps), Iceland (58.68 Mbps), Qatar (55.17 Mbps), Singapore (54.71 Mbps) and the Netherlands (53.42 Mbps).

Graphic-Tables-Final-v2_top-5-fixed

Singapore showed the world’s fastest mean download speeds over fixed broadband during the past twelve months at 175.13 Mbps. Next fastest were Iceland (153.03 Mbps), Hong Kong (138.31 Mbps), South Korea (114.67 Mbps) and Romania (109.90 Mbps).

To keep up with month-to-month internet speeds at a global level, visit the Speedtest Global Index.

Most improved countries for 2018 internet speeds

Graphic-Tables-Final-v2_most-improved-mobile

Costa Rica saw the largest increase in mobile download speed over the past year at 194.6%. Myanmar was second with 121.8%, Saudi Arabia third (113.2%), Iraq fourth (92.3%) and the Ukraine fifth (82.1%).

The countries with the largest improvements in upload speeds were Bangladesh (179.2%), the Ukraine (172.5%), Costa Rica (163.4%), Myanmar (146.9%) and Iraq (126.7%).

Graphic-Tables-Final-v2_most-improved-fixed

Paraguay saw the biggest increase in mean download speed over fixed broadband in the world over the past year at 268.6%. Guyana was second with 113.5%, Libya third (108.0%), Malaysia fourth (89.5%) and Laos fifth (76.2%).

Libya showed the most improvement in mean upload speed over fixed broadband during the past twelve months at 176.4%. Guyana was second with 116.1%, Malaysia third (95.2%), Belize fourth (88.9%) and Iraq fifth (76.8%).

4G is increasing mobile speeds

2017-2018-LTE-growth

When we looked specifically at Speedtest results on 4G, we saw that mean download speeds increased in most countries. Costa Rica was most improved for 4G download speed as was the case with overall download speed on mobile increasing 184.3% year over year. Saudi Arabia was second at 110.2% and Myanmar third at 78.0%.

Most encouragingly, we saw the number of Speedtest results over 4G increase in all but 15 countries. This could indicate that 4G availability is expanding. Tanzania saw the greatest increase with 355.0% more tests over 4G in 2018 than in 2017. Malta was second at 267.2% and Algeria third at 143.7%. We can see this expansion on the map above as 4G results fill in areas of the globe that were previously blank.

Gigabit coverage is expanding globally

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Gigabit is in the news as ISPs across the globe expand their high-speed networks. We looked at Speedtest results on fixed broadband in excess of 750 Mbps to see which cities are benefitting most. Comparing locations with 100 or more gigabit-speed results in 2017 with those in 2018, that expansion becomes obvious. In 2017, 60 countries met our gigabit test threshold. In 2018, 16 additional countries joined our gigabit list. We’re also seeing that more cities around the world now have access to gigabit speeds.

Also exciting is that cities which already had gigabit in 2017 saw increases in the number of gigabit-speed results in 2018 as ISPs continue to build out infrastructure across cities. Many cities saw their first real gigabit expansion in 2018. For example, we saw the number of gigabit tests in New Delhi increase from 119 gigabit speed results in 2017 to 20,239 in 2018, that’s a mind-boggling 16,908% increase. Chennai, India saw a 7,481% increase (from 763 to 57,840) and Cormeilles-en-Parisis, France jumped 6,480%. Huge leaps in the number of gigabit-speed results were also seen in Gdańsk, Poland (6,338%); Rome, Italy (4,909%); Lancashire, United Kingdom (3,962%); Ota, Japan (3,240%); São Paulo, Brazil (2,947%); Hangzhou, China (2,669%) and Turda, Romania (2,636%).

When people are online

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The internet is always on, but we were surprised to see how consistently and steeply usage fell off on both mobile and fixed broadband after 9 pm local time. Normalizing the time of day for Speedtest results from around the globe, we found that usage bottoms out at 4 am and then climbs steeply again until 10 am. From there, the internet gets gradually busier until that night time drop off.

Internet in the world’s largest countries

The world’s five most populous countries are notably absent from the lists of fastest and most improved countries on mobile and fixed broadband. China, India, the U.S., Indonesia and Brazil represent about 46% of the world’s population, which makes their internet speeds worth noting nonetheless.

Internet Speeds in the World’s Largest Countries
Speedtest Data | December 2017-November 2018
Country Mean Mobile Download Speed (Mbps) % Improvement in Mobile Speed Mean Fixed Download Speed (Mbps) % Improvement in Fixed Speed
China 30.96 -5.8% 76.03 42.5%
India 9.11 15.2% 23.00 50.4%
United States 28.50 22.3% 92.77 37.3%
Indonesia 10.39 5.3% 14.89 18.3%
Brazil 18.65 29.3% 22.95 39.4%

Mobile internet speeds in the world’s largest countries

China had the fastest average mobile download speed among the world’s most populous countries in the past twelve months. However, China’s mobile download speed decreased during that time. The United States is fast catching up with China on mobile download speed.

Brazil occupied a middle ground for mobile download speed among the world’s most populous countries and showed the fastest rate of increase. India and Indonesia were at the bottom of this list. While the two nations show similar mobile download speeds to each other, India’s mobile download speed is improving much more quickly than Indonesia’s.

Fixed broadband speeds in the largest countries in the world

The United States showed the fastest fixed broadband download speed among the world’s most populous countries over the past year. China was second, India and Brazil nearly tie for third and Indonesia follows.

India showed the largest improvement in mean download speed over fixed broadband of the world’s five largest countries. China was second, Brazil third, the U.S. fourth and Indonesia fifth.

We’ll be back throughout 2019 to report on the state of the world’s internet as it evolves. Until then, take a Speedtest to find out how your network compares.

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.

| September 4, 2019

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

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

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

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

Shake-ups in the country rankings for internet performance

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

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

Fastest-Countries-Fixed-2018-2019

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

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

Technologies paving the way: 5G and gigabit

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

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

Mobile-Download-Speeds-by-Country

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

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

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

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

Gigabit-Test---Performance_Singapore-1

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

Gigabit-Test---Performance_Brazil-1

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

Comparing world mobile and fixed broadband at a glance

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

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

Speed Leaders

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

Fixed-Focused countries

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

Mobile-Focused countries

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

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

Speed Laggers

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

Regional views of mobile and fixed broadband performance

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

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

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

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

Africa mostly lags in internet speeds

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Africa

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

Asian markets show a wide breadth of internet performance

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Asia

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

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

European mobile performance is mostly strong, fixed varies

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Europe

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

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

North American internet performance is sharply divided

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

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

Each country in Oceania has a very different internet story

2019-Performance-vs-Global---Ocean

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

South America mostly lags in mobile and fixed internet speeds

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

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

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

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

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

| March 13, 2020

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

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

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

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

| December 3, 2019

An Analysis of Internet Speeds and 4G in North Africa

Lire en français read in arabic

Mobile and fixed broadband speeds in North Africa currently lag behind much of the world, though that may soon change. To better understand the current and future states of the internet in North Africa, we examined Speedtest® data from Q2-Q3 2019 in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Our analysis includes data on download speeds, 4G Availability and Time Spent on various mobile technologies. We’ve also included data on internet speeds in some of the largest cities in the region.

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Morocco leads fixed broadband download speeds, Egypt most improved

As of October 2019, countries in North Africa ranked no higher than 123rd in the world for fixed broadband speeds on the Speedtest Global IndexTM. Morocco had the fastest mean download speed over fixed broadband in North Africa during Q2-Q3 2019 at 15.38 Mbps, 69.0% faster than second-place Egypt’s 9.10 Mbps. Libya was third fastest at 8.92 Mbps, Tunisia fourth at 8.64 Mbps and Algeria fifth at 4.55 Mbps.

However, Egypt saw the most improvement in fixed broadband download speed with a remarkable 55.5% increase during Q2-Q3 2019. All four of the major ISPs in Egypt saw increased speeds during this period with mean download speeds rising 59.2% for WE Internet, 55.4% for Orange, 21.7% for Etisalat and 17.1% for Vodafone.

Libya showed the second highest improvement in fixed broadband download speed in North Africa during this period with a 29.9% gain. Morocco’s download speed went up 27.2% and Tunisia 10.8%. Mean download speed over fixed broadband declined 6.2% during Q2-Q3 2019 in Algeria.

Morocco has the fastest mean download speed on mobile and it’s improving rapidly

North Africa’s fastest country, Morocco, ranked 54th on the Speedtest Global Index in October 2019. Morocco’s mean download speed over mobile during Q2-Q3 2019 was 27.01 Mbps. Tunisia was second at 24.50 Mbps, Egypt third at 16.86 Mbps, and Algeria and Libya virtually tied at 9.63 Mbps and 9.62 Mbps, respectively.

Morocco showed the greatest improvement in mean mobile download speed among countries in North Africa during Q2-Q3 2019 with a 24.5% increase. All three of the major providers saw advances in speed during this period with Maroc Telecom seeing a 40.1% rise in mean download speed, inwi gained 11.9% and Orange 5.5%. Algeria had the second highest gain in mean download speed at 20.5%, Tunisia third at 12.1% and Libya fourth at 8.6%. Mean download speed over mobile decreased 3.4% in Egypt during Q2-Q3 2019.

4G Availability varies widely among countries in North Africa

4G Availability in North Africa
Speedtest® Data | Q2-Q3 2019
Country 4G Availability
Morocco 83.3%
Tunisia 64.4%
Egypt 60.9%
Algeria 45.5%
Libya 15.6%

Morocco had the highest 4G Availability in North Africa during Q2-Q3 2019, with consumers able to access 4G LTE in 83.3% of surveyed locations. Tunisia had the second highest 4G Availability at 64.4%, Egypt third at 60.9%, Algeria fourth at 45.5% and Libya fifth at 15.6%.

Only two countries show majority of Time Spent on 4G

Time-Spent-Per-Mobile-Technology-in-North-Africa-ENG

We used Speedtest data on Time Spent to measure how often, on average, consumers were able to connect to various technologies in North Africa during Q2-Q3 2019. Morocco had the highest Time Spent on 4G at 59.7%, followed by Tunisia (53.4%), Egypt (41.1%), Algeria (39.8%) and Libya (13.3%). Libya had the highest Time Spent on 3G at 40.2%, followed by Algeria (35.5%), Egypt (27.0%), Tunisia (26.1%) and Morocco (21.1%). Libya had the highest Time Spent on 2G at 25.1%, distantly followed by Algeria (8.8%), Egypt (6.0%), Tunisia (4.3%) and Morocco (3.7%).

Libya had the highest Time Spent with no coverage at 17.6%, followed closely by Egypt (17.5%), Morocco (13.9%), Tunisia (13.5%) and Algeria (13.2%).

Rabat shows fastest mean fixed broadband and mobile download speeds

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Looking at some of the largest cities in North Africa we found that the Moroccan cities of Rabat and Casablanca had the fastest mean download speeds over fixed broadband during Q2-Q3 2019. Tripoli, Libya was third. On the other end of the spectrum, Oran, Algeria had the slowest mean download over fixed broadband during Q2-Q3 2019. Data for the province of Algiers, Algeria revealed that to be the second slowest location on the list for download speed over fixed broadband. Sfax, Tunisia was the third slowest.

On the mobile side, Rabat and Casablanca again ranked first and second for mean download speed during Q2-Q3 2019. Sfax was third. Oran and Algiers showed the slowest and second slowest, respectively, mean download speeds over mobile during Q2-Q3 2019 of all the locations on this list. Tripoli was the third slowest.

The rollouts of fiber and 5G have the potential to radically improve internet speeds and availability across North Africa. The gains in speeds we saw in many North African countries during Q2-Q3 2019 could revolutionize consumers’ internet experience if they continue. If you’re an internet provider or mobile operator who would like more information on how our data can help you improve your network, contact us.


Analyse des débits Internet et de la 4G en Afrique du Nord

Actuellement, la vitesse des connexions haut débit fixes et mobiles en Afrique du Nord est bien en deçà de celle enregistrée dans une grande partie du monde, même si cela devrait bientôt changer. Pour mieux comprendre la situation actuelle et future d’Internet en Afrique du Nord, nous avons étudié les données Speedtest® entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019 en Algérie, en Égypte, en Libye, au Maroc et en Tunisie. Notre analyse inclut des informations sur les vitesses de téléchargement, la disponibilité de la 4G et le temps passé sur diverses technologies mobiles. Nous avons également ajouté des données sur les débits Internet de quelques-unes des plus grandes villes de la région.

Internet-Speeds-in-North-Africa-FR

Le Maroc est premier en matière de vitesse de téléchargement haut débit fixe, et l’Égypte enregistre la plus importante progression

En octobre 2019, les pays d’Afrique du Nord atteignaient seulement la 123e place mondiale du classement Speedtest Global IndexTM s’intéressant aux vitesses de téléchargement haut débit fixe. Dans la région Afrique du Nord et entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019, c’est le Maroc qui affichait la vitesse de téléchargement moyenne la plus rapide pour le haut débit fixe avec une valeur de 15,38 Mbits/s. L’Internet du pays est donc 69,0 % plus rapide qu’en Égypte, qui occupait la 2e place avec une vitesse de 9,10 Mbits/s. La Libye se classait 3e avec une vitesse de 8,92 Mbits/s, suivie par la Tunisie et l’Algérie avec une vitesse de 8,64 Mbits/s et 4,55 Mbits/s, respectivement.

Toutefois, c’est l’Égypte qui a le plus progressé en matière de vitesse de téléchargement haut débit fixe avec une augmentation incroyable de 55,5 % entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019. Les quatre principaux fournisseurs d’accès à Internet en Égypte ont enregistré des débits plus élevés au cours de cette période avec des vitesses de téléchargement moyennes augmentant de 59,2 % pour WE Internet, 55,4 % pour Orange, 21,7 % pour Etisalat et 17,1 % pour Vodafone.

La Libye est le deuxième pays en Afrique du Nord dont la vitesse de téléchargement haut débit fixe s’est nettement améliorée avec une hausse de 29,9 %. La vitesse de téléchargement a augmenté de 27,2 % pour le Maroc et de 10,8 % pour la Tunisie. Pour le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019, la vitesse de téléchargement moyenne pour le haut débit fixe a diminué de 6,2 % en Algérie.

Le Maroc affiche la vitesse de téléchargement moyenne sur mobile la plus rapide et progresse vite

Le Maroc, pays avec le débit Internet le plus rapide d’Afrique du Nord, était classé 54e du Speedtest Global Index en octobre 2019. La vitesse de téléchargement moyenne sur mobile du Maroc entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019 était de 27,01 Mbits/s. Après le Maroc, la Tunisie était 2e avec une vitesse de 24,50 Mbits/s, l’Égypte 3e avec une vitesse de 16,86 Mbits/s, tandis que l’Algérie et la Libye étaient pratiquement ex aequo avec une vitesse de 9,63 Mbits/s et 9,62 Mbits/s respectivement.

Entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019, le Maroc a enregistré la progression la plus importante en termes de vitesse de téléchargement moyenne sur mobile par rapport aux autres pays d’Afrique du Nord, avec une hausse de 24,5 %. Les trois principaux fournisseurs ont constaté des progrès en termes de vitesse pendant cette période : Maroc Telecom a rapporté une augmentation de 40,1 % pour la vitesse de téléchargement moyenne, tandis qu’inwi et Orange ont fait part d’une hausse de 11,9 % et 5,5 %, respectivement. La deuxième augmentation la plus importante en matière de vitesse de téléchargement moyenne a été enregistrée en Algérie avec une valeur de 20,5 %, suivie par la Tunisie (12,1 %) et la Libye (8,6 %). La vitesse de téléchargement moyenne sur mobile a diminué de 3,4 % en Égypte au cours de la même période.

La disponibilité de la 4G est très variable entre les pays d’Afrique du Nord

Disponibilité de la 4G en Afrique du Nord
Données Speedtest® | 2e et 3e trimestres 2019
Pays Disponibilité de la 4G
Maroc 83,3%
Tunisie 64,4%
Égypte 60,9%
Algérie 45,5%
Libye 15,6%

Entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019, c’est au Maroc que la 4G était la plus disponible : les utilisateurs pouvaient accéder à la 4G LTE dans 83,3 % des emplacements étudiés. La Tunisie se classait 2e avec une disponibilité de la 4G égale à 64,4 %, l’Égypte était 3e avec 60,9 %, l’Algérie 4e avec 45,5 % et la Libye 5e avec 15,6 %.

Seuls deux pays affichent une majorité de temps passé sur la 4G

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Nous avons exploité les données Speedtest relatives au temps passé pour mesurer la fréquence moyenne à laquelle les utilisateurs pouvaient se connecter à diverses technologies en Afrique du Nord entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019. Le temps passé sur la 4G était plus important au Maroc avec 59,7 %, suivi par la Tunisie (53,4 %), l’Égypte (41,1 %), l’Algérie (39,8 %) et la Libye (13,3 %). Le temps passé sur la 3G était plus important en Libye avec 40,2 %, suivie par l’Algérie (35,5 %), l’Égypte (27,0 %), la Tunisie (26,1 %) et le Maroc (21,1 %). Le temps passé sur la 2G était plus important en Libye avec 25,1 %, suivie de très loin par l’Algérie (8,8 %), l’Égypte (6,0 %), la Tunisie (4,3 %) et le Maroc (3,7 %).

Le temps passé sans couverture était plus important en Libye avec 17,6 %, suivie par l’Égypte (17,5 %), le Maroc (13,9 %), la Tunisie (13,5 %) et l’Algérie (13,2 %).

Rabat enregistre les vitesses de téléchargement haut débit fixe et mobile moyennes les plus rapides

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En étudiant certaines des plus grandes villes d’Afrique du Nord, nous avons constaté que Rabat et Casablanca (Maroc) présentaient les vitesses de téléchargement haut débit fixe moyennes les plus rapides entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019. Tripoli (Libye) arrivait en 3e place. Si l’on s’intéresse aux autres extrêmes, c’est Oran (Algérie) qui présentait la vitesse de téléchargement haut débit fixe moyenne la plus lente pour la même période. Les données de la province d’Alger (Algérie) ont révélé que celle-ci était la deuxième ville avec la vitesse de téléchargement haut débit fixe la plus lente. Sfax (Tunisie) était la 3e ville avec la vitesse la plus lente.

Côté mobile, les villes de Rabat et de Casablanca se classaient encore 1re et 2e, respectivement, pour la vitesse de téléchargement moyenne la plus rapide entre le 2e et 3e trimestre 2019. Sfax atteignait la 3e place. Oran et Alger occupaient respectivement la 1re et la 2e place de la liste en matière de vitesses de téléchargement sur mobile moyennes les plus lentes pendant cette période. Tripoli était la 3e ville avec la vitesse la plus lente.

Les déploiements de la fibre et de la 5G ont le potentiel d’améliorer de façon notable la disponibilité et les débits Internet dans toute l’Afrique du Nord. Les augmentations de débits que nous avons constatées dans de nombreux pays de cette région entre le 2e et le 3e trimestre 2019 peuvent, si elles continuent, révolutionner l’expérience Internet des utilisateurs. Si vous êtes un fournisseur d’accès à Internet ou un opérateur mobile et que vous souhaitez plus d’informations sur comment nos données peuvent améliorer votre réseau, contactez-nous.

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.

| December 12, 2017

The World’s Internet Speeds Increased More than 30% in 2017. Are You Keeping Up?

In a world where business and life are increasingly fast and global, you want to know if your country’s internet is up to speed. In August, we launched Speedtest Global IndexTM to provide you that objective look at internet performance around the world. Knowing what your speeds are and how they compare to your neighbors’ makes for a good story, but what was missing was a benchmark. To provide you that worldwide context, we’re introducing Global Speed, the average internet speed of the world, to the top of the Speedtest Global Index.

You can still use the Speedtest Global Index to see download and upload speeds by country and rank who’s fastest and slowest. Here we’ve paired data about those individual country speeds over the past year with the new global averages call out which countries have improved most over the past year, who’s shown the least improvement and what speeds are like in the world’s most populous countries. Read on to see who’s winning the internet speed race and who has a lot of catching up to do.

The comparisons here are based on Speedtest data from November 2016-November 2017. We used the same monthly threshold for this article that we do for inclusion in the Speedtest Global Index: to be ranked in each category, countries must have at least 670 Speedtest results from unique users on mobile and at least 3,333 for fixed broadband. Although we use the word “country” throughout, you will notice some regions like Hong Kong and Puerto Rico that are large or autonomous enough to call out as separate entities, even though they are not separate countries. Global speeds are a weighted average of all samples from around the world.

Global download speeds are up more than 30% across the board

With a mean global speed of 20.28 Mbps, mobile downloads increased 30.1% over the last 12 months and mobile uploads increased 38.9%. A global average of 40.11 Mbps makes fixed broadband downloads 97.8% faster than mobile and this speed increased 31.6% during the same period. Uploads over fixed broadband showed the smallest increase of 25.9%.

Global Internet Speeds
November 2016 – November 2017
Download: November 2017 Average (Mbps) Download: Year Over Year Increase Upload: November 2017 Average (Mbps) Upload: Year Over Year Increase
Mobile 20.28 30.1% 8.65 38.9%
Fixed 40.11 31.6% 19.96 25.9%

In November 2017, 119 countries boasted a faster mobile download speed than the global average while 134 were slower. On the fixed broadband side, 71 countries and regions beat the global average download speed and 185 were slower. As we reported last week, gigabit Speedtest results are rolling in from across the planet, but their distribution across continents is wildly uneven.

Most improved countries

It was a good year for Laotian mobile speeds. With a 249.5% jump in mobile download speeds, Laos showed the largest improvement in the world. Vietnam came in second with an increase of 188.7% and Trinidad and Tobago was third at 133.1%. All of the countries listed on the table below are to be commended for making mobile internet faster.

Countries with the Largest Improvement
Mobile Download Speed

November 2016 – November 2017
Year Over Year Increase November 2017 Speed (Mbps)
Laos 249.5% 13.77
Vietnam 188.7% 19.54
Trinidad and Tobago 133.1% 11.68
Hong Kong (SAR) 102.6% 35.64
Lebanon 92.3% 24.50
Cyprus 90.2% 26.14
Republic of the Union of Myanmar 81.0% 11.72
Costa Rica 80.9% 7.89
Cambodia 70.5% 14.97
Sudan 68.9% 9.85

The tiny island of Reunion, a region of France off the coast of Africa, saw the largest improvement in download speed over fixed broadband in the world with a gain of 141.5%. Guatemala was second at 116.7% and Ghana third at 82.1%.

Countries with the Largest Improvement
Fixed Broadband Download Speed

November 2016 – November 2017
Year Over Year Increase November 2017 Speed (Mbps)
Reunion 141.5% 62.64
Guatemala 116.7% 12.04
Ghana 82.1% 18.96
Peru 80.1% 16.48
India 76.9% 18.82
Panama 76.6% 28.62
Italy 72.1% 31.58
Libya 67.6% 3.84
Argentina 62.2% 15.49
Kenya 60.9% 15.59

In some countries, notably Libya, a small gain in megabits per second (Mbps) can result in a large percentage increase. Although the actual performance improvement is small, we’re glad to see speeds moving in the right direction.

Speeds in some countries declined

On the flip side, there were far too many countries and regions where internet speeds decreased. The devastation of Puerto Rico’s mobile infrastructure by Hurricane Maria surely contributed to the island’s 39.8% drop in mobile download speed during the past twelve months. Uzbekistan saw a decline of 31.8% and Côte d’Ivoire 26.1%.

Countries with the Smallest Improvement
Mobile Download Speed

November 2016 – November 2017
Year Over Year Change November 2017 Speed (Mbps)
Puerto Rico -39.8% 8.53
Uzbekistan -31.8% 6.47
Côte d’Ivoire -26.1% 10.95
Brunei -23.4% 9.83
Thailand -19.7% 13.38
Iraq -16.8% 3.12
Algeria -10.8% 7.19
Nigeria -8.4% 9.90
Bangladesh -7.4% 4.97
Morocco -6.3% 15.03

Algeria saw the largest decrease in download speed over fixed broadband speed in the world at 23.9%. Dips of 9.1% in Ecuador and 6.5% in Latvia were less troubling but still moving in the wrong direction.

Countries with the Smallest Improvement
Fixed Broadband Download Speed

November 2016 – November 2017
Year Over Year Change November 2017 Speed (Mbps)
Algeria -23.9% 3.76
Ecuador -9.1% 10.40
Latvia -6.5% 47.25
Tunisia -3.2% 6.90
Iraq -1.1% 7.87
Syria -0.3% 7.12
Taiwan 0.5% 42.32
Maldives 1.0% 12.04
Namibia 1.2% 9.74
Jamaica 1.5% 19.11

Performance in the world’s most populous countries

With 57% of the world’s population, any internet performance improvements seen in the world’s ten most populous countries have a wide reach. Pakistan came out on top of the world’s largest countries with a 56.2% jump in mobile download speed during the past 12 months. India came in second in this category at 42.4% and Brazil third at 27.6% .

World’s Most Populous Countries
Improvement in Mobile Downloads

November 2016 – November 2017
Year Over Year Change November 2017 Speed (Mbps)
Pakistan 56.2% 13.08
India 42.4% 8.80
Brazil 27.6% 16.25
Japan 23.5% 21.67
United States 22.0% 26.32
Russia 19.2% 15.80
Indonesia 18.1% 9.73
China 3.3% 31.22
Bangladesh -7.4% 4.97
Nigeria -8.4% 9.90

At the other end of the spectrum, Nigeria’s mobile download speed actually dropped 8.4% and Bangladesh’s dipped 7.4%. China showed only a modest 3.3% increase in mobile download speed in 2017.

On the fixed broadband side, India came out on top of the world’s most populous countries for improvements to download speed during the past 12 months with an increase of 76.9%, beating China’s second place 42.3% increase and a 37.3% gain in the U.S.

World’s Most Populous Countries
Improvement in Fixed Broadband Downloads

November 2016 – November 2017
Year Over Year Change November 2017 Speed (Mbps)
India 76.9% 18.82
China 42.3% 61.24
United States 37.3% 75.94
Japan 20.7% 73.51
Indonesia 18.9% 13.38
Brazil 18.5% 17.80
Pakistan 15.5% 6.13
Russia 14.6% 36.90
Bangladesh 13.7% 16.14
Nigeria 3.8% 9.53

Nigeria again came out at the bottom of the world’s largest countries, this time with a 3.8% increase in download speed over fixed broadband.

We’ll revisit global internet speeds periodically here on our blog, but you can keep up to date on the latest trends in worldwide internet speeds by visiting the Speedtest Global Index. It’s updated every month with individual country data and, now, global averages. Keep track of your country’s performance and see how you rank against the world.

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.