Tag: Singapore

Ookla Research™ Articles
| March 16, 2025

Checking In with Speed: Wi-Fi Performance in Luxury Hotels Across APAC’s Top Business Hubs

Hong Kong

For business travelers, fast and reliable Wi-Fi is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. In today’s digital-first business environment, seamless connectivity enables real-time communication, access to cloud-based applications, and virtual meetings, all of which are critical for productivity and efficiency. A hotel’s Wi-Fi quality plays a major role in a business traveler’s accommodation choice, making high-speed internet a key differentiator for luxury hotels in APAC’s top business cities.

Key Takeaways

  • Only five out of the selected 20 hotels provided Wi-Fi with a median download speed of at least 100 Mbps. The majority of selected hotels fall into either the good performers category (50–100 Mbps) or the laggards category (below 50 Mbps). Leading hotels such as The Peninsula Tokyo and Rosewood Hong Kong demonstrate the benefits of investing in high-quality Wi-Fi infrastructure. 
  • Having a strong national broadband infrastructure does not guarantee fast hotel Wi-Fi. Even in cities with strong broadband infrastructure like Singapore, inconsistent hotel speeds highlight the need for better in-house network optimization. Raffles Singapore and InterContinental Singapore, for example, recorded some of the lowest speeds at 21.35 Mbps and 20.03 Mbps, respectively, underscoring the importance of proper Wi-Fi setup for a better guest experience.
  • Wi-Fi performance in APAC luxury hotels strongly correlates with the adoption of modern technology and effective frequency band usage. Top-performing hotels lead with 47.1% of tests conducted on Wi-Fi 6 and a high reliance on the 5 GHz band (88.4%), delivering faster speeds and more stable connections. In contrast, hotels with download speeds less than 50 Mbps relied heavily on outdated standards, with 75.2% of tests conducted on Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 and only 69.8% of their tests using the faster 5 GHz band. 

Connectivity is a key factor for business travelers in APAC

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region remains a major hub for global business travel, driven by strong economic growth and dynamic markets. In 2023, business travel spending in APAC surged by 41%, reaching US$567 billion, with projections to exceed US$800 billion by 2027. The top five business meeting destinations in APAC; Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Sydney, serve as major business hubs, attracting professionals from around the world.

This report analyzes Wi-Fi performance in selected 5-star hotels across the five cities: Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Sydney, with the addition of hotels in Bali, a key location for international conventions and events such as the G20 Bali Summit, the APEC Summit, and the World Bank Annual Meeting.

Map: List of selected hotels and location (cities)

Map of locations of select 5-star hotels in APAC

APAC luxury business hotels show mixed Wi-Fi performance

Using Speedtest Intelligence® data, we analyzed median download speeds inside and around selected hotel properties throughout 2024. This year-long period allows us to assess Wi-Fi performance and stability under varying hotel occupancy levels and guest profiles. To ensure data reliability, we excluded hotels with insufficient measurement samples and focused only on the most commonly used Wi-Fi network at each hotel—typically the one freely accessible to guests.

Chart of Wi-Fi Performance for Select Hotels in Asia Pacific

The Wi-Fi download speeds of selected hotels across major APAC business destinations show significant variation, with some properties delivering top-tier connectivity while others fall short. In a similar report that analyzed Wi-Fi download speeds of luxury hotels in the MENA region, we categorized the results to three groups of hotels based on Wi-Fi download speed:

  1. Top performers are hotels that offer exceptionally fast Wi-Fi, with median download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps. Such speeds provide seamless connectivity for business travelers, enabling ultra-high-definition video conferencing, large file transfers, and lag-free virtual collaboration. These results suggest that these hotels have made significant investments in high-performance Wi-Fi infrastructure, ensuring a premium experience for their guests.
  2. Good performers offer solid Wi-Fi performance, ranging between 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps. These speeds are sufficient for most business activities, including video conferencing, cloud-based work, and high-speed browsing. While they don’t reach the top-tier speeds of the leading hotels, they still provide a strong and stable connection for business travelers.
  3. Performance laggards include hotels with a median download speed below 50 Mbps, which may impact business travelers relying on high-speed internet for seamless virtual meetings, large data transfers, or streaming-intensive work applications. 

Top performers represent 23.8% of the properties reviewed in this report. The Peninsula Tokyo is a leader, offering nearly double the speed (188.57 Mbps) of the next best hotel, Rosewood Hong Kong (113.21 Mbps). The InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong also secured a position among the top performers, with a reported download speed of 109.74 Mbps, reinforcing Hong Kong’s strong presence in high-quality hotel Wi-Fi infrastructure.

The good performers category included properties such as Island Shangri-La Hong Kong (99.33 Mbps), Four Seasons Hotel Sydney and Tokyo (99.05 Mbps and 80.68 Mbps respectively), Mandarin Oriental Bangkok (88.58 Mbps), The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo (73.46 Mbps), and Marina Bay Sands Singapore (70.51 Mbps). These speeds are sufficient for most business activities, including video conferencing, online collaboration, and cloud-based applications. Notably, hotels in Bali, such as W Seminyak Bali and The St. Regis Bali Resort performed well, recording download speeds of 56.63 Mbps and 50.25 Mbps respectively, suggesting that luxury resorts catering to international business events are prioritizing strong internet connectivity. The presence of multiple Four Seasons properties in this range also indicates that while this chain generally provides good connectivity, they do not always reach the highest tier of performance.

Almost all of the cities have hotels in the laggards’ category. Despite Singapore’s strong fixed broadband infrastructure, and consistently topping Speedtest Global Index fixed broadband ranking, hotel Wi-Fi performance varied significantly. This suggests that the issue is most likely with the Wi-Fi network configuration rather than national broadband capacity. Raffles Singapore and InterContinental Singapore recorded some of the lowest speeds in the list, at 21.35 Mbps, and 20.03 Mbps respectively.

Modern Wi-Fi technology boost hotel connectivity performance 

Many factors influence Wi-Fi performance, including network design and the number of users connected to each access point (AP). Wi-Fi technology has also evolved significantly, with each generation introducing key improvements in speed, efficiency, and capacity. Rolling out modern, well-configured Wi-Fi equipment enhances reliability while maximizing the performance benefits of newer Wi-Fi technology.

Speedtest Intelligence data reveals a clear correlation between Wi-Fi standards and network performance across the three categories. Top performers reported more test samples on Wi-Fi 6 (47.1%), with a smaller share using Wi-Fi 5 (32.9%) and Wi-Fi 4 (20.0%). In contrast, good-performing hotels reported 61.9% of samples were on Wi-Fi 5, with only 21% utilizing Wi-Fi 6. Performance laggards rely more on older Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 setups, with a combined total of 77.7% of test samples reported on these two Wi-Fi standards.

Test Distribution by Wi-Fi Standard for Different Hotels’ Performance Levels
Source: Speedtest Intelligence | Jan 2024 – Dec 2024

The distribution of Wi-Fi frequency bands further demonstrates the impact of network optimization on hotel performance. Hotels in the Top Performers category conducted 88.4% of their tests on the 5 GHz frequency band, followed by 80.8% for Good Performers hotels. Performance Laggards reported the lowest distribution at 64.6%.

Test Distribution by Frequency Band for Different Hotels’ Performance Levels
Source: Speedtest Intelligence | Jan 2024 – Dec 2024

Meeting the needs of modern business travelers

Reliable, high-speed Wi-Fi is essential for business travelers in luxury hotels. Poor connectivity disrupts productivity, affects virtual meetings, and leads to guest dissatisfaction. To remain competitive, hotels must invest in strategic Wi-Fi planning and infrastructure upgrades to meet the increasing connectivity demands of business travelers.

Effective Wi-Fi planning requires upgrading to modern standards such as Wi-Fi 6E or 7, thereby unlocking wider channels in the  6 GHz band to help alleviate congestion, and optimizing network capacity for high-density environments. Hotels must assess access point placement, bandwidth allocation, interference management, and simultaneous device connections to ensure a seamless experience for guests.

To address these connectivity gaps, professional Wi-Fi design solutions like Ekahau help hotels optimize network configurations from the outset. These tools enable precise access point placement, configuration, and performance monitoring, ensuring reliable coverage and high-speed connectivity across all areas of the hotel. Proper planning and investment in advanced Wi-Fi infrastructure are critical for delivering a seamless and high-quality digital experience for business travelers.

Ookla can assist hospitality property managers in designing Wi-Fi networks, monitoring their performance, and optimizing them. Please contact us to learn more about Speedtest Intelligence and Ekahau.

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.

Hong Kong
WiFi

About the Author

Affandy Johan

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 13, 2024

Performance Benchmarking of Mobile Operators in Small to Mid-Sized Markets

As mobile connectivity demand grows, particularly in urban areas, network performance has become a crucial indicator of a country’s development, competitiveness, and quality of life. This report focuses on the performance of mobile networks in small to mid-sized markets, which strike a balance between fostering competition and allowing operators to concentrate on urban connectivity. Based on the selected criteria, the top-performing operators identified in this analysis come from nine countries: Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kuwait, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, and the U.A.E.

Key Takeaways

  • Operators from the U.A.E. and Kuwait dominate the top five positions. Speedtest Intelligence® 1H 2024 data showed that U.A.E.’s e& led with a median download speed of 351.73 Mbps, followed by du at 264.41 Mbps. Kuwait’s Ooredoo (234.45 Mbps), Zain (218.06 Mbps), and stc (190.42 Mbps) rounded out the top five.
  • Early 5G adoption has been a key factor in driving improved network performance, with operators like e& (U.A.E.), du (U.A.E.), Ooredoo (Kuwait), and Zain (Kuwait) achieving globally competitive median download speeds since launching 5G in 2019. Speedtest Intelligence data highlights consistent growth in 5G Availability and 5G Service metrics over the past two years. For instance, Ooredoo (Kuwait) increased 5G Availability from 67.0% to 73.7% and 5G Service from 78.3% to 83.9%, while Telenor Norway improved 5G Availability from 40.4% to 55.9%, and YouSee (Denmark) reached 84.0%, showcasing the significant impact of 5G expansion on network performance.
  • The top-performing operators predominantly came from a select group of highly urbanized and economically developed countries. Only nine countries accounted for the top 20 mobile operators in small to mid-size markets. Notably, all operators in the top ten were from countries with urbanization rates exceeding 87%, highlighting the correlation between high urban density and network performance.

Understanding mobile performance in advanced small to mid-size markets

Mobile network performance is shaped by multiple factors, each impacting speed, reliability, and user experience. Spectrum availability, infrastructure density, and advanced technologies like 5G are essential for meeting user demand effectively. Additionally, geographic, economic, and regulatory factors influence the level of investment and an operator’s ability to deploy and optimize services. Large markets spanning vast regions pose unique logistical and technical challenges for operators trying to serve both densely populated cities and remote rural areas. In contrast, operators in smaller markets, such as city-states, focus on compact urban areas, requiring a more targeted and agile approach to network deployment.

For the purpose of this analysis, we defined small-to-mid sized markets as having populations between 4 million and 10 million.  The majority of the population is concentrated in high-density areas, allowing for a clearer examination of urban network strategies without the intricate infrastructure needs of large rural areas. There are 35 markets globally that fit this criteria, and of these, more than 65% occupy land areas smaller than 200,000 km². Using Speedtest Intelligence data, we examined the mobile performance in these markets during the first half of 2024, highlighting the top 20 ranked mobile providers based on median download speed.

Operators from the U.A.E. and Kuwait dominate the top ten rankings

Using Speedtest Intelligence® data collected in the first half of 2024, we ranked the top ten mobile operators in small to mid-size markets based on all mobile technologies combined. Operators from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait dominate the top five positions, with a few operators from Denmark, Norway, and Singapore also making it into the top ten list. Notably, all operators in the top ten were from highly urbanized countries, with an urbanization rate exceeding 87%. These markets were also economically developed, having an average GDP per capita of just under USD 60,000.

Top 10 Ranked Operators Performance, Small to Medium Markets
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024

U.A.E.’s e& (U.A.E) leads by a significant margin, achieving a median download speed of 351.73 Mbps for all technologies combined. This lead is indicative of the e&’s strong investment in telecommunication infrastructure and advanced network capabilities. Following e& is du, which has a median download speed of 264.41 Mbps. Both e& and du reported similar median upload speeds, with 26.58 Mbps and 26.25 Mbps respectively. The results underscore the U.A.E.’s robust telecommunications landscape, driven by strong competition among the leading operators.

Kuwait’s Ooredoo and Zain rank third and fourth with median download speeds of 234.45 Mbps and 218.06 Mbps, respectively. Another Kuwaiti operator, stc, completes the top five with a speed of 190.42 Mbps. The presence of three Kuwaiti operators in the top five highlights the country’s substantial progress in mobile network development, driven by a concentrated urban population and high levels of mobile broadband penetration. 

The dominance of operators from the Middle East, particularly the U.A.E. and Kuwait, in overall network performance highlights the significant investments and advancements in 5G infrastructure within the region. Our previous report examined how the U.A.E. was the fastest 5G market globally in 1H 2024, with a median download speed of 660.08 Mbps, with e& UAE leading both domestically and globally at 749.63 Mbps. In Kuwait, Zain topped 5G median download speed in the market with a speed of 411.06 Mbps, surpassing Ooredoo at 379.04 Mbps during the same period. These achievements underscore the region’s strategic focus on enhancing connectivity and setting benchmarks for global 5G performance. 

Northern Europe also has strong representation in the top ten, with Telenor (Norway) achieving 174.34 Mbps and three Danish operators (3, Telia, and YouSee) rounding out the list, all offering speeds above 148 Mbps. Singtel of Singapore is positioned in eighth place at 159.22 Mbps, indicative of Singapore’s efficient, urban-focused mobile deployment.

European operators were the most prominent beyond the top ten

11-20 Ranked Operators Performance, Small to Medium Markets
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024

The next tier of mobile operators, ranked 11 to 20 by median download speed, offers a broader view of competitive performance across smaller European and Asian markets. Leading this group is A1 of Bulgaria, with a median download speed of 140.56 Mbps, placing it just below the top 10. Close behind Telenor (Denmark) and Telia (Norway), at 135.83 Mbps and 134.53 Mbps, respectively, highlight Northern Europe’s strong network performance capabilities, where dense urban populations and advanced network deployment have created solid foundations for high-speed connectivity.

Finnish operators make up a substantial part of this ranking, with DNA at 120.72 Mbps, Telia at 103.51 Mbps, and Elisa at 93.50 Mbps. The inclusion of the three Finnish operators in the list is notable, given the complex mix of population distribution and challenging coverage requirements of the market, which make consistently high speeds difficult across various geographies.

Other European operators, such as Swisscom in Switzerland, which had a speed of 117.29 Mbps, and Yettel in Hungary, with 94.58 Mbps, demonstrated that smaller, urbanized markets could still maintain competitive internet speeds. Singapore’s StarHub, with a speed of 100.46 Mbps, ranked 18th, highlighting the country’s strong mobile infrastructure.

Proactive 5G strategies contributing to overall performance gains among top operators

The majority of the operators in the top 20 list were early adopters of 5G technology, with most launching 5G services as early as 2019 or 2020. This early adoption has proven to be a factor in enhancing their overall network performance, allowing them to deliver faster speeds, greater reliability, and a better overall user experience compared to markets that lagged in 5G rollout.

Timeline of 5G Launch Among Top Operators in Small to Medium Markets

Operators such as e& (U.A.E.), du (U.A.E.), Ooredoo (Kuwait), and Zain (Kuwait) launched 5G services in 2019 and have consistently achieved higher median download speeds compared to other operators globally. In May 2019, etisalat by e& became the first operator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to introduce 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) technology to subscribers. The U.A.E. and Kuwait have regularly ranked as the fastest operators in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, alongside other early 5G adopters like Qatar and South Korea.

Government support and operator investments have played a crucial role in driving 5G success in these markets. In the U.A.E., the telecom regulator TDRA waived fees for 5G frequencies above 3 GHz for five years, giving operators access to extensive spectrum resources in the 2500-2600 MHz and 3300-3800 MHz ranges. Similarly, Kuwait’s CITRA allocated additional spectrum in the 2.3 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands, enabling operators to enhance their 5G networks and prepare for the rollout of 5G-Advanced technology.

European operators, including Telenor (Norway), 3 (Denmark), and A1 (Bulgaria), as well as Singtel and StarHub in Singapore, have also leveraged early 5G implementation to enhance service quality. GSMA’s 5G Connectivity Index highlights that markets with proactive 5G strategies tend to outperform in network performance metrics. 

Leading operators demonstrate ongoing 5G adoption and coverage expansion

The overall performance gains are closely linked to the increased adoption of 5G services and the expansion of 5G coverage in key markets. As more users spend a larger share of their time on 5G networks, reliance on older technologies like 4G has steadily declined. This transition has contributed to faster speeds, lower latency, and overall improvements in mobile network performance for users across these top-performing operators.

5G Availability (%) Quarterly Trend
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2023 – Q3 2024

5G Service (%) Quarterly Trend
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2023 – Q3 2024

Top operators have continued to expand their 5G networks across their respective markets. Over the past 24 months, quarterly data has shown a consistent upward trend in both 5G Availability—the percentage of time users with 5G-capable devices spend connected to 5G—and 5G Service, which measures the percentage of geographical areas with reported 5G coverage. This dual growth demonstrates the operators’ commitment to improving both user experience and network reach.

e& (U.A.E.) and du (U.A.E.) have shown steady increases in 5G Availability. e& rose from 13.9% in Q2 2023 to 25.6% in Q3 2024, while du increased from 16.5% to 20.9% over the same period. 5G Service also improved, with e& expanding from 41.5% in Q2 2023 to 52.9% in Q3 2024, and du growing from 56.4% to 67.2%. 

Kuwaiti operators Ooredoo, Zain, and stc consistently maintained high levels of 5G Availability. Ooredoo increased from 67.0% in Q2 2023 to 73.7% in Q3 2024, while 5G Service also saw growth, with Ooredoo rising from 78.3% to 83.9% and Zain expanding from 81.1% to 90.6% during the same period. 

European operators also showed notable progress. Telenor Norway achieved significant growth in 5G Availability, rising from 40.4% to 55.9%. Denmark’s YouSee maintained one of the highest levels, increasing from 72.8% to 84.0%. In Finland, DNA and Telia demonstrated consistent improvements, with DNA rising from 52.6% to 71.6% and Telia making steady advancements as well. These trends reflect the continued expansion of 5G in both urban and outskirts, supporting increased 5G connectivity  across these markets.

Majority of the top operators’ 5G networks are utilizing C-band spectrum

Spectrum availability plays an important part in network performance, impacting speed and coverage. In urbanized small to mid-size markets, operators must strategically manage and, where possible, the ability to access adequate spectrum resources is crucial for reducing network congestion and maintaining a consistent, high-quality experience for users.

We analyzed the distribution of Speedtest data samples based on the primary reported 5G spectrum bands used by the top ten performing operators to gain insights into the spectrum bands utilized by operators. It’s important to note that operators will employ differing strategies to optimize spectrum utilization and the user experience. Consumer-initiated tests will attempt to saturate a network connection, and operators will tend to serve this capacity demand through the spectrum bands with the highest capacity and, where required, supplement this capacity through carrier aggregation. This gives a better indication of the maximum throughput and state of the network, in contrast with background idle-state testing, which will often camp on lower frequency bands and, more specifically, on 4G-LTE.

The results show that upper mid-band spectrum, or  C-Band (3.3-4.2 GHz), is the most widely utilized spectrum band among these operators, playing a critical role in balancing performance, availability, and coverage. The C-band offers an optimal balance between speed and coverage, making it suitable for urban and broader coverage areas.

Operators like e& (U.A.E.) and du (U.A.E.) rely heavily on the C-band, with 93.5% and 78.9% of test samples reported in this range, respectively. Similarly, operators in Kuwait, including Ooredoo, Zain, and stc, show a near-exclusive reliance on the C-band (ranging from 89.1% to 99.9%), enabling them to deliver widespread 5G availability and improved median download speeds.

In Nordic markets, operators like Telenor Norway and YouSee Denmark demonstrate more diverse spectrum strategies. Telenor Norway combines significant use of the C-band (62.4%) with a notable portion of low-band spectrum (37.4%), which enhances coverage in rural and less densely populated areas. This mixed approach allows these operators to ensure nationwide 5G rollout while maintaining urban performance. 

Top performing operators came from a few highly urbanized countries.

Our data shows that operators from only nine countries made up the top 20 mobile operators with the best median download speed within small to mid-size markets. Denmark had the highest representation, contributing four operators to the top 20 list. Kuwait and Finland follow closely, each with three operators ranked among the best. Other countries with top-performing operators include the U.A.E., Singapore, Norway, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Hungary, each featuring one or two operators.

Top 20 Operators Countries
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024, World Population Review | 2023

These markets share several common characteristics that likely contribute to their high mobile network performance. Most are highly urbanized and economically developed, which facilitates the deployment of advanced telecommunications infrastructure.  Additionally, these countries often have high levels of investment in digital connectivity, enabling operators to maintain robust, high-speed networks. Many of these markets, such as Singapore, Switzerland, and Norway, are relatively compact, allowing operators to concentrate network resources and deliver consistent performance across their territories.

In contrast, markets with lower urbanization levels, such as Austria (59.5% urbanization) and Ireland (64.5% urbanization), despite sharing similar characteristics with the high-performing markets—such as strong economies and investments in telecommunications infrastructure—reported lower median download speeds of 79.46 Mbps and 38.20 Mbps, respectively. This highlights the need for tailored strategies in less urbanized markets to enhance coverage and optimize performance.

Ookla will continue to monitor overall mobile performance and 5G deployments globally and benchmark countries and operators. For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, please get in touch.

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

About the Author

Affandy Johan

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 29, 2024

Faster Speeds and the Promise of New Use Cases is Driving 5G SA Adoption

Hong Kong

The deployment of 5G networks is progressing as demand for faster and more reliable connectivity continues to grow. The standalone (SA) deployment model marks a significant milestone in the evolution of 5G, aiming to offer lower latency, increased bandwidth, and improved reliability compared to earlier network configurations. In this article, we use Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data to track 5G SA deployments since Q2 2023, 5G SA service adoption, and examine its impact on network performance. We also highlight key regions and countries that made notable advancements in 5G SA infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

  • India, the U.S., and Southeast Asia are at the forefront of 5G SA adoption. T-Mobile and SK Telekom were among the first to launch 5G SA in 2020, while Chinese operators and Jio in India lead in terms of active 5G SA users. Europe somewhat lags, with operators still hesitant due to the relatively low ROI on existing 5G investments and unclear business cases for 5G SA. However, Europe has the highest number of operators planning to launch it.
  • The U.A.E. and South Korea lead the world in 5G SA performance. 5G SA download speeds reached 879.89 Mbps and 729.89 Mbps, respectively. Their 5G SA upload speeds were also impressive, at 70.93 Mbps and 77.65 Mbps, respectively. This performance is a result of significant advancements made by local operators in deploying 5G SA and testing advanced features such as network slicing and mobile edge computing (MEC).
  • The change in speed of 5G SA varied widely between countries over a year. Speedtest Intelligence data shows that 5G SA performance declined in many countries between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024, primarily driven by increased user base and network traffic. Conversely, markets such as Canada and the U.S. improved their performance thanks to access to additional spectrum.

5G SA deployments are expected to increase this year as adoption gains momentum and ecosystem matures

Most existing 5G deployments use the non-standalone (NSA) model which uses the 4G core network. This model is faster to roll out, requires less investment, and maximizes existing network assets. Unlike 5G NSA, 5G SA uses a dedicated 5G core network, unlocking the full capabilities of 5G with better speed, latency, support for large numbers of devices, and more agile service creation. It also enables new features such as network slicing where an operator can dedicate a network segment to specific customers or use cases. Furthermore, the core network functions provided by a cloud-native architecture enable more scalability and automation than physical or virtualized architectures. However, this comes with higher infrastructure complexity, investment as well as staff training costs.  Many operators use NSA as a stepping stone towards SA, with a few exceptions, such as DISH in the U.S. and Jio in India, which adopted SA from the outset. Other scenarios for deploying 5G SA include an overlay for a public 5G NSA network or as a private network for enterprise use cases. 

The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) identified 130 operators that had invested in public 5G SA networks as of the end of June 2024. 5G SA represented more than 37% of the 614 operators known to have invested in 5G either through trials or deployments. The GSA reported 1,535 commercially available devices, including handsets and fixed wireless access (FWA) customer premises equipment (CPEs), that support 5G SA, demonstrating the growing maturity of the device ecosystem. 

However, only 11 new 5G SA deployments in nine countries were recorded (out of 46 new 5G networks launched in 32 countries) in 2023, according to Analysys Mason, showing a slowdown in deployments. We expect the pace of 5G SA launches to accelerate in 2024 and beyond supported by the growing device ecosystem and commercial appetite for new 5G use cases. 

To identify where 5G SA access has been activated and the network expanded between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024, we used Speedtest Intelligence® data to identify devices that connect to 5G SA. The maps below confirm that the number of 5G SA samples increased year-on-year and that coverage has expanded beyond urban centers. However, mobile subscribers in most of Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and Latin America have yet to experience 5G SA.

Speedtest Samples That Use 5G Standalone

In the following sections, we examine the year-on-year changes in 5G SA performance across different regions and identify which countries are leading in the Developed Asia Pacific, the Americas, Emerging Asia Pacific, and Europe.

The developed Asia-Pacific (DVAP) region is at the forefront of 5G SA launches

Operators in this region boast 5G SA networks, with launches happening as early as 2020. Strong government support, operators’ technology leadership, and a high consumer appetite for high-speed internet services drove this rapid adoption.

South Korea is considered a pioneer in the adoption and deployment of 5G technology, with SK Telecom deploying one of the first 5G SA services in H1 2020, and supporting advanced features such as network slicing and mobile edge computing (MEC). Speedtest Intelligence data shows that the country led the region in download and upload speeds in Q2 2024. South Korea has one of the highest median speeds among the countries analyzed at 729.89 Mbps (download) and 77.65 Mbps (upload). The other top-performing country is the U.A.E with a median download speed of 879.89 Mbps and a median upload speed of 70.93 Mbps. 

All three service providers in Singapore commercialized 5G SA services, covering more than 95% of the country. Users experienced excellent download speed with a median value of 481.96 Mbps. However, Singapore lagged in upload speed with a median value of 32.09 Mbps.

Macau and Japan are second and third in the region with median download speeds of 404.22 Mbps and 272.73 Mbps, respectively. Mainland China followed with a median speed of 236.95 Mbps. Policies and initiatives such as network-sharing agreements and government subsidies supported 5G growth.

In Australia, TPG Telecom launched its 5G SA network in November 2021, following Telstra’s announcement in May 2020. However, the country lagged behind its regional peers with median download speeds and upload speeds of 146.68 Mbps and 17.69 Mbps, respectively.

The performance of most reviewed DVAP countries remained largely stable or slightly declined between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024. The only two exceptions are South Korea and Australia where performance improved by 12% and 18%, respectively. The most substantial declines were observed in upload speeds, while South Korea stood out with a 17% boost in performance.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Developed Asia Pacific
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Developed Asia Pacific

T-Mobile and DISH Push 5G SA Coverage in the U.S.

In the U.S., T-Mobile launched its 5G Standalone (SA) network over 600 MHz spectrum in August 2020, becoming one of the first operators in the world to do so. This was followed by a faster service over 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum in November 2022 which helped the operator to maintain its national lead in 5G performance. On the other hand, Verizon extensively tested 5G SA in 2023 but so far has been slow to deploy a nationwide SA network. DISH, another notable 5G SA operator, pioneered a cloud-native Open RAN-based 5G SA network in June 2023 and expanded coverage to 73% of the population by the end of that year. In Canada, Rogers Wireless launched the first 5G SA at the beginning of 2021, a year after introducing 5G NSA. 

In Brazil, the median download and upload speeds reached 474.65 Mbps and 32.36 Mbps in Q2 2024, respectively, exceeding those in Canada and the U.S. The main operators in Brazil, Claro, Telefonica (Vivo), and TIM have launched 5G SA over the 3.5 GHz band, making the service available to a large proportion of the population.

While download and upload speed improved in Canada and the U.S. between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024, according to Speedtest Intelligence, it declined in Brazil. The deployment of C-band has likely helped to increase download speed in both Canada and the U.S.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in the Americas
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in the Americas

India leads in the Emerging Asian Pacific (EMAP) region with fast expansion to 5G SA network

India is at the forefront of the Emerging Asian Pacific region’s rapid 5G Standalone (SA) network expansion. However, according to Ookla’s Speedtest data for Q2 2024, the Philippines surpasses both India and Thailand with a median 5G SA download speed of 375.40 Mbps. Globe, the first mobile operator to introduce 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) in the Philippines, expanded its 5G outdoor coverage to 97.44% of the capital by the end of H1 2023. The company also launched 5G SA private networks in 2023, along with network slicing.

India follows closely behind the Philippines, with a median download speed of just under 300 Mbps. Jio has been a leader in enhancing 5G SA coverage since its launch in October 2022, while Bharti Airtel initially opted for NSA, with plans to transition to full 5G SA. 

Jio’s rapid coverage expansion and high throughput are supported by its access to mid-band (3.5 GHz) and low-band (700 MHz) frequencies. Additionally, all new 5G handsets released in India are SA-compatible, boosting the adoption of 5G SA services, and more than 90% of them support carrier aggregation and Voice over New Radio (VoNR). 

Thailand lags behind in median download speed for Q2 2024 but outperforms India and the Philippines in upload speed. It was among the first countries in the region to introduce 5G services, with operators quickly expanding coverage to reach over 80% of the population. AIS, the leading operator in Thailand, launched 5G NSA services in February 2020 using 700 MHz, 2.6 GHz, and 26 GHz bandwidths, followed by 5G SA in July 2020. The operator enabled VoNR in 2021. 

Unlike the DVAP region, countries in EMAP have experienced a more substantial decline in 5G SA network performance compared to Q2 2023. The rapid coverage expansion and adoption have likely increased the load on 5G SA infrastructure, putting pressure on the operators to scale up network capacity in the future to at least maintain a similar performance level.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Emerging Asia Pacific
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Emerging Asia Pacific

Europe is home to the highest number of operators looking to deploy 5G SA

A growing number of European operators are offering or planning to offer 5G SA, driven by a maturing device ecosystem. However, many remain hesitant due to cost and the need to demonstrate clear business cases for 5G SA. GSMA Intelligence reports that Europe has the highest number of planned 5G SA launches, with 45 operators planning to deploy it as of Q1 2024.

Elisa in Finland was one of the first operators in the region to launch 5G SA in November 2021. Other notable examples of SA implementations include Vodafone in Germany (April 2021) and the UK (June 2023), Bouygues Telecom (2022) in France, Three in Austria, Wind Tre in Italy (both in 2022), Orange and Telefónica in Spain, and TDC Denmark in 2023. 

The recent 5G SA launch in Spain may explain why that country saw such high speeds, with Speedtest Intelligence reporting download and upload speeds of 614.91 Mbps and 56.93 Mbps, respectively, in Q2 2023. However, Spain experienced a significant drop in performance in 2024, with speeds falling to 427.64 Mbps (download) and 30.55 Mbps (upload). Despite this decline, Spain continued to outperform the UK and Germany.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Europe
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Europe

While 5G SA deployments appear to have slowed in 2023 compared to previous years, we expect momentum to increase from 2024 due to rising enterprise demand for private networks and interest in network slicing, as well as consumer demand for immersive gaming and VR applications.  The ecosystem’s maturity and the availability of more network equipment and devices supporting 5G SA will also stimulate the market. According to the GSA, 21% of operators worldwide investing in 5G have included 5G SA in their plans.

Interestingly, the growing popularity and adoption of 5G SA have impacted its performance, with many markets seeing some degradation compared to 2023, according to Speedtest Intelligence.  Nonetheless, 5G SA still offers a markedly faster download speed than 5G NSA. Beyond speed, 5G SA promises new capabilities, such as network slicing, that have started to emerge in the most advanced markets but will take time to become a reality for most consumers and enterprises worldwide.

We will continue to track the deployments of 5G SA and monitor their impact on network global performance. For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, please contact us.

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

Hong Kong
macau

About the Author

Karim Yaici

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 3, 2024

Asia-Pacific Subscribers Will Benefit from More 5G Mid-band Spectrum

Spectrum

In the dynamic landscape of 5G deployment across the Asia-Pacific region, the strategic selection of spectrum frequency bands plays a pivotal role. The mid-band range, notably C-band (3.3-4.2 GHz), stands out as a key enabler, offering the ideal balance of broad coverage and high capacity. In this article, we use Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data to highlight the relationship between spectrum bands and network performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Mid-band is important for unlocking the full potential of 5G. The mid-band spectrum offers a balance of speed and range and is the preferred choice for most 5G deployments globally. Speedtest Intelligence® showed that C-band was present in 62.1% of global Speedtest consumer-initiated 5G samples in the first half of 2024.
  • Markets with a higher proportion of included C-band samples experienced faster 5G speeds. Global Speedtest Intelligence samples that included C-band were 1.7 times faster than lower mid-band spectrum and 4.27 times faster than sub-1-GHz low-band based on 1H 2024 data. Data also indicates that for markets with a higher reported proportion of included C-band samples typically experienced faster 5G speeds and improved overall network performance.
  • Operators face the challenge of balancing the need for broad 5G coverage with the desire for better performance. Some APAC markets experienced a decline in speed as 5G services and availability have increased. Malaysia, with its unique single-wholesale 5G network, showed declining 5G median download speeds, falling from 506.96 Mbps in Q2 2023 to 387.39 Mbps in Q2 2024, as 5G Service increased from 9.4% in Q2 2023 to 26.5% in Q2 2024. Thailand, on the other hand, achieved a 5G Service of 65.4% in Q2 2024, but reported a lower 5G median download speed of 135.30 Mbps due to the lack of C-band allocations.

Mid-band spectrum dominates 5G deployments

In our previous report on spectrum and performance, we discussed how the effectiveness of 5G networks depends on the strategic use of spectrum bands. Regulators allocate spectrum for 5G networks across three ranges: low-band (sub-1GHz), mid-band spectrum (frequencies between 1 GHz and 6 GHz), and high-band or mmWave spectrum (24 GHz and above), each with unique characteristics and capabilities. An operator’s spectrum holdings play a crucial role in determining its 5G deployment strategy and the range of services and experiences it can offer.

Mid-band spectrum occupies a strategic position in the 5G landscape, offering a blend of range and speed that is critical for realizing the full potential of 5G networks. It occupies a middle ground between the extensive reach of low-band spectrum and the high-speed but limited-range capabilities of high-band or mmWave spectrum, making it a crucial enabler of high-speed connectivity and low latency. , offering a blend of range and speed that is critical for realizing the full potential of 5G networks. It occupies a middle ground between the extensive reach of low-band spectrum and the high-speed but limited-range capabilities of high-band or mmWave spectrum, making it a crucial enabler of high-speed connectivity and low latency. 

Global Breakdown of Spectrum Bands Used in 5G Deployments (%)
GSMA | Q1 2024

Due to mid-band’s ability to balance coverage and performance, it is the preferred choice in 5G deployment. According to GSMA Intelligence’s Spectrum Navigator, out of the 295 operators that have launched commercial 5G networks globally, as of the end of Q1 2024, 72% utilized mid-band spectrum. 

Within the mid-band spectrum, the C-band spectrum, which includes n77 (3,300–4,200MHz), n78 (3,300–3,800MHz), and n79 (4,500MHz), has emerged as the de facto standard for 5G deployment. GSMA Intelligence reported that 186 out of 295 operators worldwide (63%) use bands n77 or n78 for their 5G network, showing a clear preference for the C-band spectrum. Additionally, Speedtest Intelligence® data from the first half of 2024 revealed that C-band was present in 62.1% of global Speedtest consumer-initiated 5G samples where spectrum information is available.

Proportion of Included Spectrum Band (%)
Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024

APAC region mirrors the global trend of prioritizing mid-band spectrum for 5G deployment

We analyzed 5G networks in selected Asia Pacific (APAC) and top-performing markets from the Gulf region using Speedtest data from the first half of 2024 to gain insights into the spectrum bands utilized by operators. It’s important to note that operators will employ differing strategies in order to optimize spectrum utilization and the user experience. Consumer-initiated Speedtest samples will attempt to saturate a network connection, and operators will tend to serve this capacity demand through the spectrum bands with the highest capacity, and where required supplement this capacity through carrier aggregation. This active testing gives a better indication of the maximum throughput and state of the network, in contrast with background idle-state testing, which will often camp on lower frequency bands and more specifically on 4G-LTE. For many of these selected markets, it is evident that the mid-band spectrum is the cornerstone of 5G deployments, reported in 81.5% of user samples with spectrum information. Within the mid-band, 73.1% of total test samples included C-band.

Chart of Spectrum Band Distribution Based on Primary Reported Band

Speedtest Intelligence reveals a strong preference for C-band in certain APAC markets. For instance, in South Korea, New Zealand, and Malaysia, the recorded 5G test samples were exclusively reported on the C-band spectrum.

South Korean and New Zealand operators have successfully deployed nationwide 5G access in both markets using the allocated C-band spectrum. In South Korea, all three major operators acquired spectrum in the 3.5 MHz (mid-band) and 28 MHz (high-band) through the auction process in 2018. While all operators prioritized and successfully deployed 5G on the 3.5GHz spectrum, their 28 GHz mmWave band licenses were revoked after failing to meet the deployment conditions set by the country’s regulator, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). This underscores that deploying 5G on the C-band for the operators has been sufficient to meet the operators requirements so far.

In Malaysia, 5G deployment is facilitated through its single wholesale network provider, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), utilizing the 3.5 GHz band for traffic, with 700 MHz serving as the Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G anchor band.

The allocation of C-band for 5G deployment varies across the APAC region. In some markets, 5G deployment relies more on low-band and lower mid-band spectrum range to enable broader outdoor 5G coverage and improved penetration inside buildings in urban and suburban areas. Thailand, one of the first markets to launch 5G in the Asia-Pacific region, has successfully launched 5G services using both 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands. The full allocation of C-band is still pending, which may challenge the country’s ability to fully leverage the capabilities of 5G technology. 

Similarly, Indonesia has yet to allocate the C-band spectrum for 5G, which could be challenging due to broadcast and fixed satellite operators’ traditional use of this spectrum. Extensive refarming work may be needed to ensure that mobile operators have access to the spectrum without interference.

5G performance hinges on the spectrum bands used

Data from Speedtest Intelligence from 1H 2024 shows a large variation in 5G download speeds depending on the included frequency in the 5G test samples globally, from a high 1.3 Gbps for samples that included high-band (mmWave) to a more moderate 75.17 Mbps for low band.

Median 5G Download (Mbps) by Included Spectrum Bands
Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024

Samples that included lower-range mid-band spectrum provided 2.48 times better performance compared to the sub-1GHz low-band, with a median download speed of 187.80 Mbps. While samples that included the upper mid-band, i.e., C-band, the preferred spectrum band used for 5G deployment globally, had significantly higher download speeds at 322.38 Mbps, or 1.7 times faster than lower mid-band spectrum, and more than 4 times faster than sub 1-GHz low-band.

C-Band driving improved performance

Chart of Median 5G Download Speed Against Proportion of Included C-band Samples (%)

Drilling further into the selected markets, our data indicates that markets with a higher proportion of C-band samples in the tests, generally had faster median 5G download speeds.

Operators in the UAE, Qatar, and South Korea have ample spectrum allocation, with each operator being provided at least 100 MHz of contiguous C-band spectrum, partially explaining the strong 5G performance in those markets.

United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Kuwait have consistently secured top positions in Ookla’s Speedtest Global IndexTM for median download speed over all technologies. This is driven by strong 5G performance, with Speedtest Intelligence data reporting median 5G download speeds in 1H 2024 of 667.99 Mbps in the UAE and 610.67 Mbps in Qatar, while Kuwait maintained a reasonably fast 366.79 Mbps during the same period.

The strong 5G performance can be partly attributable to the combination of ample spectrum access and extensive 5G coverage underpinned by fierce competition among operators. The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) in the UAE has reported that as of Q1 2024, the 5G network covers more than 98% of the populated areas. Additionally, Qatar has made massive investments in building robust 5G networks for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In APAC, South Korea continues to solidify its position as a regional leader in 5G deployment, showcasing median 5G download speeds of 524.99 Mbps in 1H 2024. South Korean regulator, MSIT, has set strict milestones and requirements after allocating 100 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz band to all three major operators. This move has prompted the operators to accelerate their 5G rollouts with extensive network densification, as evidenced by deploying more than 115,000 5G sites across 85 cities, covering most metropolitan areas and ensuring the country was among the first to reach nationwide population coverage.

Balancing 5G Service and network performance with increasing user demands

Chart of Median 5G Download Speed Against 5G Service (%)

As the adoption of 5G technology continues to expand, operators face the challenge of balancing the need for extensive 5G coverage and high performance to meet the growing demands for advanced use cases. Ookla’s 5G Service metric measures the percentage of known geospatial locations where a 5G-enabled device has access to 5G Service. When comparing 5G service and performance in selected Asia-Pacific markets, apart from some outliers, we noticed that there is typically a trade-off between performance and coverage when operators deploy 5G using a range of spectrum bands.

Median 5G Download (Mbps) and 5G Service (%) Quarterly Trend in Selected APAC Markets
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
Median 5G Download (Mbps) and 5G Service (%) Quarterly Trend in Selected APAC Markets

In Hong Kong, 5G Service is widespread at 95.7% as of Q2 2024, thanks to a combination of low-band, mid-band, and C-band spectrum. However, with an average of 75 MHz in C-band allocated to operators, download speeds are constrained at 135.50 Mbps.

Singapore, where all three operators have commercialized 5G SA, reported well-balanced 5G Service and download performance. In Q2 2024, Singapore 5G Service was at 80.3%, and the median download speed was 341.49 Mbps. This is due to the operators’ optimal combined use of the 2.1GHz mid-band spectrum and 3.5 GHz C-band spectrum nationwide.

Despite initially achieving some of the fastest 5G speeds in the region, Malaysia, with its unique 5G deployment strategy through a nationwide single wholesale network, has experienced a decline in speed as 5G services and availability have increased. Overall, the country’s 5G download speed has fallen from 506.96 Mbps in Q2 2023 to 387.39 Mbps in Q2 2024, as 5G Service increased significantly from 9.4% in Q2 2023 to 26.5% in Q2 2024. The 100 MHz C-band spectrum allocated to the SWN provider, shared among five 5G providers, appears constrained as 5G Service and availability increase, leading to declining median speeds. GSMA Intelligence data estimates that the adoption of 5G technology in Malaysia was 10.1% in Q2 2023 and increased to 37.0% in Q2 2024. The rapid adoption of 5G technology is impacting performance and will continue to do so as adoption rates increase and traffic demand per connection rises. This underscores the importance of ongoing spectrum management to maintain high-performance 5G networks and effectively address the increasing demands and new 5G use cases.

It was observed that in markets leveraging lower-band spectrum for wider 5G coverage, there was a trade-off between extensive coverage and performance. Thailand, for example, underscores the critical role of C-band spectrum in unlocking 5G’s full potential. Despite achieving 65.4% 5G Service in Q2 2024, the lack of C-band allocations has limited 5G performance to a median download speed of 135.30 Mbps. This highlights the importance of incorporating C-band spectrum alongside low-band and lower mid-band frequencies to deliver optimal 5G speeds and capabilities.

Wider contiguous spectrum is needed for future 5G networks

5G has been the fastest mobile generation rollout to date, surpassing one billion connections by the end of 2022, rising to 1.6 billion connections at the end of 2023 and 5.5 billion by 2030. As the number of 5G connections continues to grow, sustaining a good user experience becomes more important, underscoring the need to maintain and enhance network capacity.

The increasing data traffic and the proliferation of data-intensive applications and services drive the demand for greater contiguous mid-band spectrum, particularly in the 3.3-4.2 GHz C-band range. Allocating additional spectrum would also help mobile operators meet the ITU’s minimum technical performance requirements for download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 50 Mbps in densely populated urban areas. 

We will continue to monitor spectrum demands and monitor their impact on network global performance. For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, please get in touch.

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

Spectrum
Hong Kong

About the Author

Affandy Johan

Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 17, 2024

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

Consumer

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

Key takeaways

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

9 airports have 100+ Mbps Wi-Fi download speeds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wi-Fi 6 has arrived

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

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

11 airports show mobile speeds over 200 Mbps

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

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

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

Fastest mobile speeds at airports in Africa and South America

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

Airports with slow mobile speeds

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

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

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

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

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

Chart of Comparing Airport Wi-Fi and Mobile Speeds at World Airports

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

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.

Consumer

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 15, 2021

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 37 Countries

Global Speeds

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

Africa and the Middle East

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

Asia and Oceania

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

Europe

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

North and South America

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

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria

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

    Jordan

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

    Kenya

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

    Morocco

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

    Nigeria

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

    Qatar

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

    South Africa

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

    Tunisia

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

    Turkey

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

    Asia and Oceania

    China

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

    Hong Kong (SAR)

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

    Indonesia

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

    Malaysia

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

    Singapore

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

    Taiwan

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

    Vietnam

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

    Europe

    Austria

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

    Belgium

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

    Czechia

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

    Denmark

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

    Finland

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

    France

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

    Germany

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

    Hungary

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

    Latvia

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

    Luxembourg

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

    Malta

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

    Serbia

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

    Slovakia

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

    Spain

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

    North and South America

    Argentina

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

    Brazil

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

    Canada

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

    Ecuador

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

    Mexico

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

    Peru

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

    United States

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

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

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 27, 2021

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

Global Speeds

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

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

ookla_fastest_5g_download_speed_world_capitals_0721

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

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

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

ookla_slowest_5g_download_speed_world_capitals_0721

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

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

The fastest 5G speeds are yet to come

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

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

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| January 18, 2022

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 41 Countries

Global Speeds

Speedtest Global IndexTM Market Analyses from Ookla® identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 41 markets that includes details on fastest mobile and fixed broadband providers, performance of most popular devices and chipsets and internet speeds in cities. Click a country on the list below to see highlights or scroll through the article to learn what Speedtest Intelligence® revealed in all 41 markets:

Africa and the Middle East

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

Asia and Oceania

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

Europe

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

North and South America

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

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria

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

Jordan

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

Kenya

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

Morocco

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

Nigeria

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

Qatar

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

South Africa

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

Tunisia

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

Turkey

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

Asia and Oceania

China

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

Hong Kong (SAR)

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

New Zealand

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

Philippines

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

Singapore

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

Taiwan

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

Thailand

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

Vietnam

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

Europe

Austria

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

Belgium

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

Czechia

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

Denmark

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

Estonia

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

Finland

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

France

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

Germany

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

Hungary

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

Luxembourg

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

Malta

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

Poland

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

Slovakia

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

Spain

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

North and South America

Argentina

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

Brazil

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

Canada

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

Chile

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

Colombia

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

Ecuador

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

Guatemala

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

    Mexico

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

    Peru

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

    United States

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

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 18, 2021

Speedtest Global Index Market Analyses Now Available for 43 Countries

Global Speeds


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

Africa and the Middle East


Algeria | Jordan | Kenya | Morocco

Nigeria | Qatar | South Africa | Tunisia | Turkey

Asia and Oceania


Australia | China | Hong Kong (SAR) | Indonesia

Malaysia | New Zealand | Philippines | Singapore

Taiwan | Vietnam

Europe


Austria | Belgium | Czechia | Denmark

Estonia | Finland | France | Germany

Hungary | Latvia | Luxembourg | Malta

Slovakia | Spain

North and South America


Argentina | Brazil | Canada | Chile

Colombia | Ecuador | Guatemala | Mexico

Peru | United States

Africa and the Middle East

Algeria

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

Jordan

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

Kenya

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

Morocco

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

Nigeria

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

Qatar

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

South Africa

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

Tunisia

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

Turkey

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

Asia and Oceania

Australia

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

China

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

Hong Kong (SAR)

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

Indonesia

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

Malaysia

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

New Zealand

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

Philippines

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

Singapore

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

Taiwan

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

Vietnam

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

Europe

Austria

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

Belgium

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

Czechia

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

Denmark

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

Estonia

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

Finland

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

France

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

Germany

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

Hungary

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

Latvia

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

Luxembourg

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

Malta

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

Slovakia

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

Spain

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

North and South America

Argentina

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

Brazil

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

Canada

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

Chile

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

Colombia

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

Ecuador

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

Guatemala

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

Mexico

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

Peru

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

United States

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

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

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 17, 2022

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

Global Speeds

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.

Global Speeds

About the Author

Josh Fomon