Tag: Global Speeds

Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 24, 2020

Ookla Partners with House Majority Whip Clyburn on Broadband Maps for South Carolina

Global Speeds

Yesterday, United States House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn showcased South Carolina’s innovative and entrepreneurial approach to broadband mapping. This new approach utilizes advanced data science to analyze FCC Form 477 and Ookla® Speedtest® data together to produce exceptionally accurate maps that show the best available broadband technology in a given area, as well as which areas are in need of better service. Once rendered, these maps – representing all 46 counties in South Carolina – are made available for free to all who are interested via the nation’s first broadband map store.

Congressman Clyburn was joined by Jim Stritzinger, President, CEO & Founder, Revolution D, Inc.; Doug Suttles, CEO, GM and Co-Founder, Ookla; Molly Spearman, South Carolina Superintendent of Education; Kathy Schwarting, CEO, Palmetto Care Connections and Jason Dandridge, CEO, Palmetto Rural Cooperative on the announcement via conference call. They discussed challenges in education, healthcare and economic development due to the digital divide in South Carolina, while also providing an introduction to broadband maps and methodologies used by telephone companies, ISPs and localities to better compete for broadband infrastructure funding. Watch the video.

Ookla is passionate about improving internet access and performance

Ookla is aware of the challenges and disparities many face in accessing fast and reliable internet. We’ve been listening and learning as we work to find ways to use our data to spotlight disparities and opportunities for improvement.

We’ve learned that countries need funding and legislation at the federal level to improve data collection and broadband mapping efforts. This information helps governments more accurately understand where people are falling on the wrong side of the digital divide. It’s also important to work with and learn from leaders and providers within local and regional communities who understand the specific challenges and opportunities in a given area.

How this project came about

We were thrilled to be invited by Congressman Clyburn’s team to join an early 2019 brainstorming session on how to close South Carolina’s broadband divide. As the brainstorming session began, Congressman Clyburn and his team challenged us to develop a new approach to mapping that would use real-world network performance data, rather than relying solely on self-reported network speeds advertised by internet service providers. Further, he asked us to get it done in 18 months. We were more than happy to oblige.

During that initial call, we were introduced to Jim Stritzinger, the person leading broadband efforts in South Carolina. As the Founder and CEO of Revolution D, Stritzinger proposed a new approach to broadband mapping based on his background as an electrical engineer with extensive experience in software development, artificial intelligence (AI) and geographic information systems (GIS). This novel approach determined the best deployed technology in each census block (fiber, cable, DSL etc.) and then built a model which could calculate, with a high degree of confidence, the likely available download and upload speeds. Ookla’s role was to help ensure the integrity of the model by comparing calculated values with actual consumers’ network performance results as seen in Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence®.

This working hypothesis got everyone excited, especially Congressman Clyburn. He clearly understood the national significance of overcoming the potential discrepancies between what providers report in the FCC Form 477 and was elated that we could develop a national prototype to validate network information in his home state.

Congressman Clyburn’s team, Revolution D and Ookla kicked off the project in the summer of 2019. With funding from the S.C. Hospital Association, the S.C. Office of Rural Health and Palmetto Care Connections, Revolution D spent several months developing the model together with a preliminary set of GIS maps. Separately, the Ookla data science team packaged up nearly 7 million data records for the first iteration. Ookla delivered this first dataset in mid-August and the broader team delivered the first comprehensive set of S.C. broadband maps – all 46 counties – on August 31, 2019.

This project has been a huge success, and Congressman Clyburn frequently proclaims “South Carolina has the best broadband maps in the United States!”

Announcing Ookla for Good™

Our work within South Carolina quickly became part of an existing internal initiative to further explore how we could help Ookla achieve its mission: “To help make the internet better, faster and more accessible for everyone.” Through conversations with city leaders, educators, healthcare providers and more, we quickly came to a realization. Our wealth of data, insights and expertise would also be of value to NGOs, research institutions, humanitarian nonprofits and local governments looking to improve lives through better and more reliable internet access.

This realization and the desire to help more led to the development of our new initiative, Ookla for Good, to formalize a program around this and other similar initiatives we’ve been working on.

At its core, Ookla for Good is about the people at Ookla wanting to help others by making the internet better, faster and more accessible to all — at a more personal, grassroots and community engagement level. Why? Because in today’s connected world, reliable internet access is vital for many aspects of life: education, healthcare, economics, safety, just to name a few. The combination of our vast trove of data from Speedtest Intelligence and the industry-leading knowledge of our team gives us the tools to help providers improve internet speeds and connectivity all over the world. It’s also important to us to listen and learn from those on the ground in state capitals, nonprofits and at universities working hard to close the digital divide. These conversations allow us to better understand how we can help, and then follow up that understanding with actionable support, whether that be through the sharing of data, industry knowledge, skills, mentoring the next generation or something else we have yet to discover.

So far, we’ve learned that by partnering up with those who passionately want to make a difference at a grassroots level, we can help them do great things.

Other in-flight initiatives

Over the past year, we’ve licensed certain datasets to assist academic institutions, NGOs and local governments that are focused on understanding where better internet quality provides a higher quality of life. These organizations include:

  • World Bank
  • Fundacio puntCAT
  • Onja
  • Brookings Institution
  • Dorset Council
  • State of South Carolina
  • And a number of universities both in the U.S. and abroad:
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST)
    • National Institute of Design Bengaluru
    • New York University
    • Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM)
    • University of Illinois Chicago
    • University of North Carolina Wilmington
    • University of Tennessee Chattanooga
    • University of Texas Austin

We’ve also become actively involved within industry groups, working together to help educate, share insights and help define policies and global telecommunications standards. These include partnering with GSMA Intelligence as its exclusive network performance data provider and membership in the ITU-T.

Are you an academic exploring how internet speeds may affect economic opportunities within a state? Or a non-profit organization needing to know where high-quality internet exists to set up classrooms for your online learning? Or a local government needing to prove where internet access does not meet minimum standards in order to apply for grants to improve infrastructure for your citizens? If you are, we’d love to hear from you and explore how we may be able to help.

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

Global Speeds
Ookla for Good

About the Author

Kathy Macdonald

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 13, 2022

Ookla's Take on Telco Trends in 2023

Global Speeds

2023 is shaping up to be a challenging year. The ongoing war, energy crisis, rising interest rates, and rampant inflation have created a perfect storm for the telco industry. That said, there are plenty of exciting developments and changes on the horizon. As we approach 2023, we took stock of what happened during 2022 to predict what might be in store for next year.

5G roll outs continue but speed gives way to QoE 

According to the Ookla® 5G Map™, there were 127,509 5G deployments in 128 countries as of November 30, 2022, compared to 85,602 in 112 countries the year prior. 5G download speeds stabilized as more consumers adopted 5G, with a median global 5G download speed of 168.27 Mbps in Q3 2022 compared to 166.13 Mbps in Q3 2021. However, some operators believe they may have over-invested in their early emphasis on speed; they now need to monetize their investments through differentiation. One of our clients has famously said: “We are aiming for 1st world speeds and using 3rd world ARPU.” Indeed, in 2023 we will see a big focus on the Quality of Experience (QoE) and initiatives to increase ARPU (average revenue per user) and consumer stickiness by adding entertainment services such as television and music streaming or cloud gaming platforms. 

FWA will continue to be a poster child for 5G

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solutions received renewed interest in 2022 as a key use case for 5G networks and as a way to connect rural and underserved areas. In fact, one-third of service providers are offering 5G FWA, according to Ericsson Mobility Report. Fixed Wireless Service solutions have been a success story in the U.S., where T-Mobile has added 1.6 million new subscribers so far this year. T-Mobile now has 2.1 million total FWA customers, with Verizon totaling 620,000 consumer FWA clients and 440,000 business customers. Moreover, emerging markets such as Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, and the Philippines are seeing an uptick in FWA adoption, and there is a growing interest in India too. Jio announced that it will launch Jio AirFibre, a plug-and-play device connected to Jio’s 5G network that will act as a hotspot. While the exact launch date is still unknown, the operator revealed that it targets 100 million households with its 5G FWA offering. With the demand for fast networks growing, FWA offers an excellent opportunity to cover areas that are too costly to lay fiber and is an alternative to fixed networks. We expect further adoption of FWA on the back of CPE devices getting cheaper, as well as more schemes aimed at connecting the unconnected. 

Satellite coming to your home and phone 

Globally, satellite already plays an important role in providing network backhaul for 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies in rural and remote areas while also connecting a range of enterprise verticals such as logistics. Thanks to the emergence of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology can provide access to areas outside 5G coverage. As our recent analysis shows, LEO satellites benefit from lower latency than Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). Therefore, they will be well-suited to offer backhaul and provide direct connectivity. As the 5G standard is adopted, new markets will open up for satellite operators, including IoT, private 5G, and cellular backhaul for densification to enable more cell sites and edge devices. At the same time, start-ups such as Lynk were the first to demonstrate the power of the direct-to-satellite communication market. The recent Starlink/T-Mobile and Globalstar/Apple partnerships point to this market seeing further growth. We will see more players entering the market in 2023 as providers attempt to bring connectivity to all.

The quest for Net Zero becomes more urgent 

Focus on energy efficiency isn’t new; we have already seen this as a major trend for 2022. Across the broader tech industry, vendors look at the option of dialing down performance to help save energy costs – Microsoft’s survey of X-Box users asks how they feel about features that would reduce frame rates and resolution, thus reducing power consumption and saving money. Unsurprisingly, cost-cutting and optimizing operations are top-of-mind for telcos in 2023 as energy prices and broader inflation remains high. We are already seeing operators look to sustainable solutions, such as wind and solar farmers, to supply sites with green energy instead of commercial electricity, partially to reduce costs. Network planning and optimization teams also play a critical role. Using the right site locations, configuration, and optimum coverage/quality service for consumers reduces interference, resulting in less waste of power resources and fewer emissions. Some other ways telcos will reduce energy usage will be through hybrid power implementations instead of relying on petrol/diesel for off-grid sites. They will also implement the latest software features that include smart sleep mode at times of no/low traffic demand. Energy efficiency will be a key focus area in 2023, with vendors lending a hand to telcos to help them reduce energy consumption. 

Convergence helps to capture shrinking consumers’ wallets

Raising interest rates, inflation, and the contraction of disposable income will force many consumers to re-evaluate their telecom spending. Operators will be forced to reprice tariffs further, and consumers will shop around for better deals, which in turn will lead to churn. We have already seen an increase in the adoption of fixed-mobile bundles across Europe during the economic downturn in 2008 when several European operators introduced convergent bundles, offering discounts on the discrete underlying services. History could repeat itself in 2023. In the U.S. we already see moves by operators to offer converged services as we have stipulated in our recent article but also elsewhere as consumers look for discounts across fixed and mobile. 

Metaverse work will continue behind the scenes

Metaverse will not become mainstream next year, but investments will continue despite continued financial woes for the tech industry. The year ahead will primarily focus on standardization. Ookla plays an active role in defining the network requirements as part of the Metaverse Standards Forum (MSF). We expect new devices to launch in 2023 and beyond at a lower cost than Meta’s Quest Pro, priced at $1,499. Apple is not participating in the MSF as it follows its usual walled-garden approach. There is talk of an Apple device that will give the metaverse device ecosystem a boost too. But for the metaverse to become real, it will have to be more than just about devices. Metaverse is about creating a virtual world, with Meta, Microsoft, and Nvidia all working on creating them. 2023 will see more telco players jumping on the metaverse bandwagon and including it as part of their strategic roadmap.

Operators’ M&A activities will heat up

In Asia and Europe, companies facing challenging economic times will try to merge, with regulators having the last word on whether they can. M&A activity heated up across the Asia Pacific region recently, with deals on the table across several countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Indonesia but potentially also in Japan and Hong Kong. Mergers and acquisitions should continue in Europe as well, as we discussed in our recent article, with recent examples including the agreed joint venture between MasMovil and Orange in Spain, Iliad’s recent bid for Vodafone Italy, and Vodafone and Three UK talks to merge. In Asia, Telenor and Axiata were allowed to merge their Malaysian operations, while Thailand still awaits regulatory approval. European operators will closely follow whether Orange and MasMovil will consolidate in Spain. If they succeed, others in Europe will follow in 2023. 

5G SA will power enterprises 

The majority of 5G networks thus far are 5G Non-Standalone (NSA), which still uses 4G core to support enhanced mobile broadband and FWA use cases, while also providing significant capacity increases. Evolving to 5G Standalone (SA) brings additional service differentiation possibilities such as URLLC, network slicing, and edge computing. In the future, 5G SA will also deliver time-sensitive networking for high-precision devices.  When RootMetrics® measured the performance of T-Mobile’s 5G SA vs NSA in Las Vegas, it found that T-Mobile’s 5G SA network delivered speeds over twice as fast as its speed on NSA 5G. According to GSMA Intelligence as of Q3 2022, 31 operators had launched 5G SA networks, with a further 11 expected by the end of 2022. In total, 123 operators from 55 countries have launched or demonstrated intent to launch 5G SA networks. Recently, Singapore covered 95% of the country with 5G SA, with operators focusing on developing innovative services for enterprises supported by encouraging regulation from the government and the regulator. 

Private networks growth will continue

Private mobile networks play an important role in broader digital transformation and will only continue to gain traction. As enterprise digitization continues to gain momentum, countries are looking to private networks to address Industry 4.0 objectives. Dedicated spectrum for private mobile networks has already been allocated to industry players in France, the U.S., Germany, Japan, and the UK. We have commented on how the private networks landscape is developing in Europe and made a case for private networks in India. According to GSA, at the end of June 2022, 889 customers were deploying private mobile networks across 70 countries. Increasingly, these networks are using 5G and 5G SA. However, the 5G device ecosystem has yet to mature, so most of these networks are still 4.9G. The availability of industrial-grade devices depends on the standardization of 3GPP Releases. The industrial chipsets, based on Release 16, are scheduled to come to market in 2023. As a result, mainstream adoption of 5G solutions will likely happen later in the year.

Furthermore, once available, Release 16 5G industrial features (reliability, low latency, etc.) will need to be tested in partnership with industrial OEMs to help to convince them of the enhanced scope of capabilities of 5G for industrial use cases. As such, it will be some time beyond 2023 when 5G private networks will start to scale. 

Ookla will be at MWC Barcelona 2023 – visit us at our Stand 2I28 in Hall 2, to talk with us about telco trends. In the meantime, if you’re interested to find out more about Ookla Speedtest Intelligence and its wealth of fixed and mobile consumer-initiated 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.

Global Speeds
Tech Insights

About the Author

Sylwia Kechiche

Ookla Research™ Articles
| January 18, 2017

Which US Airport has the Fastest Internet?

Global Speeds

You may have read our recent coverage of the airports and carriers with the fastest internet during the holidays. But the holidays are behind us and it’s time to get real about the year’s upcoming business trips and vacations to sunny spots. That has us asking, “Which airports have the fastest mobile and Wi-Fi speeds right now?”

We went bigger this time, examining the 20 US airports with the most passenger boardings. Once again we looked at Speedtest data for the four largest carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon as well the airport-sponsored Wi-Fi at each location. We chose to focus on data from the last three months of 2016 because, thankfully, the internet keeps getting faster (except for Wi-Fi at nine of these airports, more on that later). Wi-Fi gets upgraded and carriers are regularly rolling out new technology and capacity at US airports.

Enough methodology already, you want to know who won and how that affects your next wait at the gate.

The fastest connections

You’ve probably noticed that your internet experience varies a little when traveling, but you likely had no idea how much the airports you’ve chosen to fly through affect the mobile internet speeds you’ll achieve. So who’s winning the airport internet game?

Fastest airports (cellular)

If you’re connecting via cellular signal, the difference between the average download speed of 7.25 Mbps at LaGuardia and Detroit’s 45.79 Mbps is the difference between kinda sorta getting through the latest episode of Westworld on your phone and enjoying the full HD video experience on your tablet.

For context, mean mobile speeds in the US during the same period are 21.77 Mbps for download and 8.54 Mbps for upload.

Although San Francisco’s upload speeds are nearly three times as fast as those at JFK, upload speeds at these airports fell into a much narrower band that’s pretty close to the national average. So unless you’re trying to upload all of your vacation photos while waiting for that connecting flight, you’re probably going to have the bandwidth you need no matter where you’re departing from.

Fastest airports (Wi-Fi)

If you’re committed to using airport Wi-Fi, you’ll find an even bigger range of speeds for both download and upload depending on your location. From a dismal 2.71 Mbps average download speed over Atlanta’s Wi-Fi to Denver’s average of 61.74, you could be facing the difference between an audio-only experience and actually being able to distract your weary travel companions with an HD movie.

Interestingly, Wi-Fi uploads are faster than downloads at seven of the airports we surveyed. Atlanta’s uploads are also snail-paced, so you probably want to wait on uploading your Walking Dead Zombie Tour pics until the next leg of your trip, but if you’re in Dallas you’ll have the speed you need to video chat while uploading every photo and video you ever took. Ever.

Airport download speeds (cell vs. Wi-Fi)

You might think cell signals are a lot faster than Wi-Fi. Our data show that when it comes to airports, it’s impossible to guess which type of connection will be faster until you’ve actually arrived. Unless, of course, you have this handy chart:

In seven of the airports we looked at, Wi-Fi easily won the speed race, especially in Denver where Wi-Fi is more than three times faster than cellular service. In fact, Denver’s Wi-Fi is faster than cell or Wi-Fi at any of the other 19 busiest airports. Which is probably a good thing, considering Denver recently invested $2.5 million in their Wi-Fi network.

LaGuardia and Philadelphia’s public Wi-Fi networks were nearly three times faster than their average cell download speed, and in Miami and Seattle, Wi-Fi is nearly twice as fast as cell.

In airports like Charlotte Douglas, JFK and Newark, your internet download speeds are relatively similar on cell or on Wi-Fi.

On average, cellular downloads are the way to go at ten airports. In San Francisco and Orlando, cell was about seven times faster than Wi-Fi while McCarran in Las Vegas and Minneapolis-Saint Paul say cell downloads were about four times faster than airport Wi-Fi.

Fastest carriers

Frequent flyers who are also Verizon subscribers will be pleased to know that Verizon wins at nine out of 20 airports we surveyed for Q4 2016. AT&T takes eight and one airport is tied between Verizon and AT&T. Sprint and T-Mobile each check in at one.

Who has the fastest internet where you’re connecting

The map below breaks down the fastest carrier at each of the 20 busiest airports in the US. You’ll also find that carrier’s download and upload speed.

Though Verizon offers the fastest downloads at the most airports, the company doesn’t dominate any particular area of this map. Instead, Verizon and AT&T vie for fastest at top airports across the US except at those closest to the Great Lakes. In that area, Sprint takes fastest carrier title in Chicago and T-Mobile wins Detroit. In Miami, fastest carrier is really too close to call.

Just because a carrier is fastest in a given airport doesn’t mean that the speeds there are good. AT&T’s 8.69 Mbps at LaGuardia is particularly slow. At eight of the 20 airports we examined (LaGuardia, LAX, Charlotte Douglas, Miami, Phoenix, Newark, Philadelphia and JFK), the speeds offered by fastest carriers AT&T and Verizon are below the US average.

On the other end of the spectrum, T-Mobile’s average download speed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport is more than three times the national average while Verizon’s speed at San Francisco International Airport and Sprint’s showing at O’Hare are more than double that national average. And it’s hard to complain about the 30+ Mbps download speed offered by the fastest carriers at airports in Dallas, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Orlando.

Carriers are improving service

Just because a carrier didn’t win, doesn’t mean their speeds are slow or that they aren’t improving. Now you know who the fastest carriers are today, but who will be fastest a few months or a year from now? We took a look to see which carriers improved their download speed the most at each airport between Q3 and Q4 2016.

As expected, the news is mostly good. Speedtest data shows that in some cases, like O’Hare, Dallas and SeaTac all four carriers boosted their mobile download speed. We’re proud to boast that at SeaTac, our home airport, those percent increases were all in the double digits.

Verizon made an excellent showing with massive improvements at JFK and SeaTac. They were also the most improved carrier at five other airports. AT&T’s improvements at LAX are a bright spot in an otherwise slow airport. AT&T was also most improved at four other airports. T-Mobile demonstrated the biggest improvements at seven airports from Denver to Boston. And Sprint was the most improved carrier at Miami International.

We did see minor dips for individual carriers at some airports. We’d like to keep the emphasis on the winners this time, but we are keeping an eye out to see how those speeds evolve over time.

Wi-Fi gets better (mostly)

At 12 of the 20 busiest airports in the US, Wi-Fi download speed increased when comparing Q4 2016 to Q3 2016. Cheers to JFK for more than doubling their Wi-Fi download speed. Speeds in Denver and Philadelphia continued to improve between Q3 and Q4 of 2016. Because both airports have already invested significantly in their Wi-Fi, what’s good is only getting better. Seattle also gets a shout-out for a strong improvement on an already above average speed.

As needed as some of these improvements are, airports would do well to shoot for a benchmark speed rather than incremental increases. Orlando International, in particular, could benefit from a large investment in Wi-Fi, because although they show the second highest percentage increase, the resulting average download speed still is not at all serviceable for anything beyond basic calls and texts.

And then there are the airports where average Wi-Fi speeds decreased: Detroit Metropolitan, Charlotte Douglas, Logan in Boston, McCarran in Las Vegas, Phoenix Sky Harbor, LAX, Dallas Fort Worth and Chicago’s O’Hare. Whether their existing Wi-Fi systems are reaching their limits or something else went wrong, no one wants to see internet speeds decrease. If Idaho Falls Regional Airport offers 100 Mbps Wi-Fi (and our tests show on average, users were achieving speeds of over 200 Mbps) there’s a path to Wi-Fi success for every airport.

Worth mentioning is the fact that public Wi-Fi is not the only option. For example, Comcast is testing new Xfinity-on-the-Fly lounges in Philadelphia. While we did not include tests over this network in our ratings, they did show an impressive average download speed of 101.37 Mbps. Though we’re reporting on public Wi-Fi networks only, if your airport Wi-Fi isn’t cutting it, try looking for airline-specific networks in lounges.

What this means for you

Now that you know which airports have the fastest internet, it’ll be that much easier to book the most productive business trip or the most frustration-free vacation.

And if you have an extra second during your next layover, please download our app for iOS or Android then take a Speedtest. We’ll tell you how fast your connection is and use that data to create more content like this in the future.

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| January 20, 2022

Why Verizon and AT&T Couldn’t Wait Any Longer for U.S. C-band to Go Live

Global Speeds

Key takeaways

  • Verizon and AT&T’s concessions on 5G around affected airports marks a breakthrough in a situation that could easily have escalated further and ended up in court, with subsequent delays to their planned C-band launch.
  • The opportunity cost of any delay is significant, as T-Mobile continues to extend its lead on 5G performance, which has helped the self-styled “Un-carrier” attract more postpaid net additions than its key rivals combined. This is why both Verizon & AT&T had little choice but to placate the FAA.
  • Further mid-band spectrum auction results announced on January 14, saw AT&T and DISH in particular increase their holdings, and underline just how critical mid-band spectrum is to operator performance.
  • Comparable international benchmarks from operators in France, Germany and Taiwan show that similar C-band spectrum holdings can drive 5G performance well over 100 Mbps, offering a means for Verizon and AT&T to close the gap with T-Mobile and potentially even move ahead.

Verizon and AT&T play catch-up with T-Mobile

Opportunity cost of further C-band delay too great

Back in February 2021, Verizon and AT&T paid $45.4 billion and $23.4 billion, respectively, for C-band spectrum for 5G use in the most expensive spectrum auction in history. Fast forward almost a year, and both telcos voluntarily agreed in early December to postpone their C-band deployment for a month due to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concerns that the use of these 5G bands could interfere with existing radio-based safety equipment, a delay which was subsequently extended to January 19.

In early December, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg and AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh were bullish about the prospect of being able to launch in early January following a “short delay,” and that it would have no meaningful impact on their businesses. However, their insistence on a January 19 launch belies obvious concerns over T-Mobile’s increasingly strong lead on 5G performance — a lead which it continued to extend throughout the second half of 2021 — and coinciding with stronger postpaid net adds than its two main rivals combined during the year ended Q3 2021.

Averting an impasse with the FAA was critical

It was critical for both telcos that the delay to their C-band launch was only temporary, despite any skepticism over the potential impact on aircraft passenger safety. Part of the frustration evident from the network operators lies in the fact that C-band spectrum is already widely used elsewhere in the world for 5G, without showing any detrimental impact on aircraft passenger safety. C-band spectrum has already been deployed, and commercial networks launched, by a total of 136 network operators in 56 countries worldwide, according to the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA). This includes almost 11,000 airports (assuming nationwide coverage in each market). It’s also not new — the earliest use of C-band spectrum for 5G was in South Korea, which launched in Q4 2018.

Both have sought to compromise by agreeing not to turn on 5G equipment in the vicinity of affected airports. The delayed launch in these locations will enable the FAA to analyze proposed 5G cell site deployments and the impact on airports nationwide. One of the affected airports is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. If we look at Verizon’s current 5G (excluding C-band) footprint around the airport using Ookla Cell Analytics below, we can see widespread 5G coverage across its terminal buildings, as well as surrounding highways. The operators have been at pains to point out that their C-band spectrum includes a 220 MHz wide guard band, utilizing the lower portion of the C-band, from 3.7 GHz to 3.8 GHz.

C-band spectrum resets the playing field for 5G in the US

C-band spectrum is considered a sweet spot for 5G, as it strikes a good balance between capacity and coverage. While its reach isn’t as wide as the lower frequency spectrum, it allows operators to add much more capacity while also allowing for significantly better geographical reach when compared to mmWave. At launch, AT&T and Verizon won’t be able to utilize all their C-band assets, being limited to 40 MHz and 60 MHz, respectively, until the end of 2023. Despite this, deployments in the 3.7 GHz band will drive a considerable uplift in performance, helping them begin to close the gap on T-Mobile. The recently announced results of a further auction of mid-band spectrum (3.45 GHz) highlight the importance of mid-band holdings among the US network operators, with AT&T and DISH emerging as the main winners, in the third most expensive spectrum auction in US history. Once made available, this spectrum will allow them to gain further ground on T-Mobile and Verizon (which holds a greater share of C-band spectrum).

If we look internationally at other markets where operators have deployed 5G in the C-band with similar bandwidths, we see 5G median download speeds well in excess of 100 Mbps for O2 in Germany and SFR in France. At the top end of the scale, Taiwan Mobile has deployed 5G in 60 MHz of C-band spectrum, but has pursued an aggressive 5G densification strategy in what is a very competitive 5G market to achieve median speeds approaching 300 Mbps.

Examining the transition from LTE to 5G in France, which launched 5G in the C-band in late November 2020, shows a considerable uptick in performance from day one. Median LTE download speeds in France were 35.30 Mbps in Q4 2020, while 5G median speeds were 94.66 Mbps once launched and have since advanced strongly to a high of 194.69 Mbps in Q4 2021.

While this indicates that both Verizon and AT&T may continue to play catch-up with T-Mobile upon the initial launch of 5G in the C-band, the margin of difference will be substantially reduced, and then it will largely come down to how many 5G cell sites each operator deploys, and when they can turn on additional spectrum resources — the race is on.

This is good news for consumers and businesses alike, and over time will help propel the U.S. up the Ookla Speedtest Global Index™, where it sits in 24th place as of December 2021, and languishes well behind global leaders such as South Korea and China in terms of absolute median speeds.

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

Mark Giles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| April 25, 2023

How a DAS Integrator, Wireless Services, Resolved a Carrier’s Mobile Network Issues at Miami International Airport with Ookla Wind® [Case Study]

Global Speeds

Airports are critical locations for mobile network operators to ensure reliable, high-quality service — both for the millions of travelers passing through each year and for the airlines that rely on mobile networks for key technology. When a major U.S. mobile network operator updated its network technology around Miami International Airport, one of their biggest commercial customers started experiencing issues because their equipment was configured for legacy technology. Complicating the situation, the network operator and airlines had conflicting results from their testing and devices, both seeing different issues at the same spots within the airport.

Wireless Services is the design, installation, commission, and testing provider of distributed antenna systems (DAS) that manages DAS and critical infrastructure in the area. To troubleshoot the issues that arose during this major network update, Wireless Services needed the ability to accurately test the network, identify spikes in usage, and quickly make recommendations for optimizations and added capacity. To better serve the operators, Wireless Services used Wind®, Ookla’s handset-based mobile network testing solution, to walk test Miami International Airport and rapidly deliver recommendations.

Situation

As a major U.S. operator updated its network technology around Miami International Airport, an important commercial airline customer began to experience problems. During this crucial time period, the operator started experiencing massive issues with service at the airport. Wireless Services, who provided DAS and other infrastructure services to the operator, needed to rapidly discover the root cause of the network issues and make recommendations. Beyond testing their own infrastructure, it was important to analyze the entire airport to discover areas of poor performance, throughput, or signal strength, as well as locations where users were connecting to unexpected cell sites.

Read the full case study here.

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

Ookla

Ookla Research™ Articles
| November 1, 2023

Plan, Optimize, and Monitor Your 5G Network with QoS and QoE Data

Global Speeds

5G is a critical technology for the future of mobile communications. To meet the growing demand for mobile data and to enable innovative applications, mobile network operators are expanding 5G networks around the world. As operators face economic challenges with inflation and constrained Capex budgets, the optimization of existing infrastructure and cost-effective investments is essential. Having access to good quality data can help them make informed decisions on how best to allocate resources. Crowdsourced data needs to be a part of the 5G network strategy because it provides operators with a real-time view of their 5G network performance and coverage, as well as insights into how users are experiencing the network. 

Operators can use QoS (Quality of Service) and QoE (Quality of Experience) metrics to plan, monitor, and optimize 5G network performance. In this article we will look at an example of how an operator in Bangkok, Thailand has used Ookla’s QoS and QoE data over the past two years. 

Planning where to add 5G SA cell sites or deploy 5G NSA 

QoS and QoE data can help operators understand whether to add 5G standalone (SA) cell sites or deploy 5G non-standalone (NSA) on existing 4G cell sites. Using Ookla Cell AnalyticsTM, operators can find out where they have poor coverage and performance with existing cell sites, so that they can prioritize additional cell sites in areas that need the most improvement. 

As 5G replaces 4G LTE footprints, operators need to understand existing LTE network performance. LTE optimization priority is a KPI that can help operators identify where optimization is needed by showing areas that have good LTE signal level and poor signal quality. A high percentage indicates that optimization is most urgently needed, and a low percentage indicates that no optimization is needed. 

Looking at data from late 2021, we can see areas with high optimization priority (shown by the red bins in the first image), and network performance test results that indicate low LTE downlink throughput and low 5G downlink throughput (shown by the red dots in the second image). 

Operator A was able to visualize the areas with high optimization priority and low download speeds on LTE and 5G, indicating that those areas have good coverage but bad quality, and should be prioritized for adding new 5G sites.

Operators can also use Consumer QoETM to understand where they have poor user experience and where a new 5G cell site would have the most impact on QoE metrics such as web page load time for web browsing. Customers expect to have good connectivity on the go, so slow page load time for web browsing leads to poor customer experience. 

Looking at data from 2022, Operator A was able to see on a map where web pages were taking the most time to load on customer devices (shown in red). 

Operators can also use Cell Analytics to see where existing 5G cell sites are on their network. In the screenshot below, we can see all of the 5G cell sites for Operator A in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Using 5G cell site locations in conjunction with RF metrics such as LTE optimization priority and QoE metrics like web page load time, Operator A was able to make informed decisions about where to add new 5G SA cell sites or deploy 5G NSA. 

Optimizing your 5G network

After adding new 5G SA cell sites and deploying 5G NSA, operators can use Ookla data to continually optimize their 5G network. QoS and QoE data supports optimization use cases including pinpointing overshooting cells, finding areas with a lack of cell dominance, and identifying areas where users are experiencing poor performance, coverage, quality, or degrading QoE. 

For example, Operator A was able to identify areas with high data traffic that was leading to poor signal quality. In the image below, Operator A can see that mobile data usage is particularly high (shown in red) in the Ratchaprasong District, a popular shopping area with 9 major malls and more than 5,500 shops. 

Taking a look at 5G RSRQ data for this area, Operator A was able to see that signal quality was poor (shown in green and blue) in some of the busier areas of the shopping district.

These problem areas with high traffic and low signal quality are areas where Operator A should optimize their network by ensuring signals are routed efficiently. One year later in Q2 2023, there are many more areas with strong signal quality (shown in red), indicating that Operator A has improved the signal quality in the area. 

We can see that the improvement is due to a new 5G cell site, and we can examine its cell ID and PCI along with its coverage footprint. We can also see that this operator is using the 2500 MHz frequency band for 5G in the area.

Monitoring your 5G network performance and competitor rollouts 

To ensure that customers are realizing the improved QoS and QoE that 5G has promised, it’s important that operators are continuously monitoring and optimizing their network. Operators can use Ookla data to validate the impact that the rollout has had on performance, coverage, and quality. 

Looking again at LTE optimization priority and downlink throughput two years later in 2023, we can see that Operator A has successfully optimized the network and is providing better RSRP, RSSNR, and download speeds to their customers than they were in 2021 (less red and more green). 

Additionally, Operator A can validate improved QoE by looking at web page load time in 2023. There are significantly more green areas on the map than there were in 2022, indicating that page load times in Bangkok have become much faster and Operator A is now providing a better quality of experience.

Operators can also monitor the rollout of their own network and competitor networks by viewing 5G cell site locations. Operator A can see their 5G cell sites (shown in green), as well as their competitor Operator B’s 5G cell sites (shown in red). Operator A is able to see that they are leading the way in 5G deployments for Bangkok. 

From 2021 to 2023, Operator A used Ookla data to plan where to build 5G SA cell sites and deploy 5G NSA, optimize their 5G network, validate network improvements, and monitor competitor rollouts. 

As operators expand their 5G networks to meet the increasing demand for mobile data and support innovative applications, the need for efficient network management becomes paramount. Ookla can help operators make data-driven decisions at every stage of the 5G lifecycle — planning, optimizing, and monitoring — allowing them to stay ahead and deliver exceptional mobile performance to customers. If you’re interested in getting started with Cell Analytics or Consumer QoE, inquire here. 

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

Matt Knebl

Ookla Research™ Articles
| July 17, 2023

48 New Ookla Market Reports Available for Q2 2023

Global Speeds

Ookla® Market Reports™ identify key data about internet performance in countries across the world. This quarter we’ve provided updated analyses for 48 markets using Speedtest Intelligence® and summarized a few top takeaways below. Click through to the market report to see more details and charts about the countries you’re interested in, including the fastest fixed broadband providers and mobile operators, who had the most consistent service, and 5G and device performance in select countries during Q2 2023. Jump forward to a continent using these links:

Africa | Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania

Africa

  • Cameroon: Speedtest Intelligence data showed no winner for fastest mobile operator in Cameroon during Q2 2023. blue had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 191 ms, while Douala had the fastest median mobile download speed among Cameroon’s most populous cities at 15.51 Mbps.
  • Ethiopia: Safaricom had the fastest median mobile download speed at 35.19 Mbps during Q2 2023. Safaricom also recorded the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 42 ms, and highest Consistency of 89.4%. Of Ethiopia’s most populous cities, Gondar had the fastest median mobile download speed of 61.22 Mbps.
  • Tanzania: There were no winners over fastest mobile or fixed broadband in Tanzania during Q2 2023. Maisha Broadband registered the lowest median multi-server latency in Tanzania at 14 ms. Of Tanzania’s most populous cities, Dar es Salaam had the fastest median mobile download speed of 26.33 Mbps, while Mbeya had the fastest median fixed download speed of 21.32 Mbps.

Americas

  • Argentina: Personal had the fastest median download speed over mobile (35.05 Mbps) and lowest mobile multi-server latency (38 ms) during Q2 2023. In the fixed broadband market, Movistar recorded the fastest median download speed (98.37 Mbps) and lowest multi-server latency (12 ms). Among Argentina’s most populous cities, Buenos Aires recorded the fastest download speeds across mobile and fixed broadband networks.
  • Belize: Digi had the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds of 17.61 Mbps and 9.88 Mbps respectively during Q2 2023. It also recorded the highest Consistency of 79.8%. smart! recorded the lowest median mobile multi-server latency, of 67 ms. NEXGEN had the fastest median download and upload performance over fixed broadband in Belize at 48.65 Mbps and 47.38 Mbps respectively.
  • Canada: Bell was the fastest mobile operator in Canada with a median download speed of 116.59 Mbps in Q2 2023. Bell also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 208.05 Mbps. Rogers had the fastest median mobile upload speed of 13.29 Mbps, and the highest Consistency of 84.7%. Bell pure fibre was fastest for fixed broadband across both download (277.24 Mbps) and upload (235.27 Mbps) speeds. Of Canada’s most populous cities, St. John’s recorded the fastest median mobile download speed (214.29 Mbps) and Fredericton recorded the fastest median fixed download speed (239.28 Mbps). 
  • Colombia: Movistar was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 161.28 Mbps in Q2 2023. ETB had the lowest median multi-server latency over fixed broadband at 8 ms. Of Colombia’s most populous cities, Cartagena recorded the fastest median fixed download speed of 109.01 Mbps.
  • Costa Rica: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 51.88 Mbps and 12.56 Mbps respectively. Liberty had the lowest mobile multi-server latency at 34 ms, and the highest Consistency at 79.7%. Metrocom was fastest for fixed broadband download and upload performance, at 192.00 Mbps and 143.94 Mbps respectively.
  • Dominican Republic: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 30.60 Mbps and 8.70 Mbps respectively. Viva had the lowest mobile multi-server latency at 44 ms. SpaceX’s Starlink was fastest for fixed broadband at 57.31 Mbps.
  • Ecuador: CNT was the fastest mobile operator in Ecuador with a median download speed of 28.45 Mbps in Q2 2023. It also recorded the highest Consistency of 81.5%. Movistar registered the lowest median multi-server latency in Ecuador at 39 ms. Netlife was fastest for fixed broadband, at 78.36 Mbps.
  • El Salvador: Claro had the fastest median download and upload speeds among mobile operators at 42.00 Mbps and 15.42 Mbps respectively. Movistar registered the lowest median multi-server latency in El Salvador at 65 ms. Cable Color recorded the fastest median fixed download speed (51.14 Mbps), upload speed (47.58 Mbps), and lowest median multi-server latency (35 ms).
  • Guatemala: Claro was the fastest mobile operator in Guatemala with a median download speed of 34.67 Mbps and median upload speed of 20.68 Mbps. Claro also had the highest Consistency with 84.4% of results showing at least a 5 Mbps minimum download speed and 1 Mbps minimum upload speed. Claro was also fastest for median fixed download performance, at 40.60 Mbps, while Cable Color was fastest for fixed upload performance, at 26.85 Mbps, and had the lowest median multi-server latency, of 35 ms.
  • Guyana: ENet was the top performing operator in the market, recording a median mobile download and upload speed of 67.58 Mbps and 20.92 Mbps respectively, and a median fixed download and upload speed of 62.40 Mbps and 39.66 Mbps respectively, in Q2 2023. ENet also recorded the lowest median multi-server latency across mobile and fixed networks.
  • Haiti: Digicel was the fastest mobile operator in Haiti with a median mobile download speed of 10.53 Mbps and median upload speed of 6.99 Mbps. SpaceX Starlink had the fastest median fixed download speed at 60.24 Mbps, while Natcom had the fastest median fixed upload speeds (17.76 Mbps) and lowest median fixed multi-server latency at 32 ms. 
  • Jamaica: Flow was the fastest mobile operator in Jamaica with a median download speed of 35.56 Mbps. Flow also had the lowest mobile median multi-server latency at 36 ms. SpaceX Starlink had the fastest median fixed speeds at 84.93 Mbps.
  • Mexico: Telcel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 48.76 Mbps, and for 5G at 223.93 Mbps. Telcel also had the lowest mobile median multi-server latency at 64 ms. Totalplay was fastest for fixed broadband (87.03 Mbps) and had the lowest median multi-server latency at 24 ms. Among Mexico’s most populous cities, Guadalajara recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 39.13 Mbps, and Monterrey the fastest median fixed download speed of 78.30 Mbps.
  • Peru: Claro was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 22.67 Mbps, and had the highest mobile network Consistency in the market with 80.4%. Apple devices had the fastest median download speed among top device manufacturers at 29.68 Mbps.
  • Trinidad and Tobago: Digicel had the fastest median download speed over mobile at 37.34 Mbps, and highest Consistency of 87.7%. Digicel+ had the fastest median fixed broadband download and upload speed at 99.11 Mbps and 98.32 Mbps respectively, and the lowest median multi-server latency at 7 ms.
  • United States: T-Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 164.76 Mbps. T-Mobile also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 220.00 Mbps, and lowest 5G multi-server latency of 51 ms. Spectrum edged out Cox as the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 243.02 Mbps. Verizon had the lowest median multi-server latency on fixed broadband at 15 ms.
  • Venezuela: Digitel was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 9.53 Mbps, and had the highest mobile network Consistency in the market with 58.1%. Airtek Solutions had the fastest fixed median download speed of 73.44 Mbps, and lowest median multi-server latency at 8 ms.

Asia

  • Afghanistan: The fastest mobile operator in Afghanistan was Afghan Wireless with a median download speed of 7.17 Mbps. It also had the lowest median multi-server latency at 78 ms, and highest Consistency of 58.1% in Q2 2023.
  • Bangladesh: Banglalink was the fastest mobile operator in Bangladesh with a median download speed of 23.47 Mbps in Q2 2023. DOT Internet was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 90.88 Mbps and had the lowest median multi-server latency at 4 ms.
  • Bhutan: There was no fastest mobile operator in Bhutan during Q2 2023, but TashiCell had the lowest median multi-server latency at 42 ms, and offered the highest Consistency in the market with 83.8%.
  • Brunei: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q2 2023 in Brunei, but Apple devices had the fastest median download speed at 143.97 Mbps.
  • Cambodia: Cellcard recorded the fastest median mobile download speeds at 31.60 Mbps during Q2 2023. SINET had the fastest median fixed download speed at 42.26 Mbps.
  • China: China Mobile was the fastest mobile operator with a median download speed of 132.81 Mbps. China Mobile also had the fastest median mobile 5G download speed at 279.14 Mbps. China Unicom was fastest for fixed broadband at 222.22 Mbps.
  • Georgia: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q2 2023 in Georgia. Geocell recorded the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 39 ms, while Magti recorded the highest mobile Consistency with 90.0%. MagtiCom had the fastest median fixed speed at 27.81 Mbps. MagtiCom also had the lowest median multi-server latency at 11 ms.
  • Indonesia: Telkomsel was the fastest Indonesian mobile operator with a median download speed of 28.71 Mbps. Telkomsel also had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 46 ms.
  • Japan: There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile download performance during Q2 2023 in Japan, however Rakuten recorded the fastest mobile upload speed at 19.90 Mbps. So-net had the fastest fixed download and upload speeds, at 276.58 Mbps and 179.51 Mbps respectively, and the lowest median multi-server latency at 9 ms.
  • Malaysia: TIME was the fastest fixed provider in Malaysia with a median download speed of 108.38 Mbps, and had the lowest multi-server latency at 9 ms.
  • Pakistan: Transworld had the fastest median fixed broadband download speed in Pakistan at 17.10 Mbps, and the highest Consistency, at 36.6%.
  • Philippines: Smart delivered the fastest median mobile download speed in the Philippines at 35.39 Mbps. 
  • South Korea: SK Telecom recorded the fastest median mobile download and upload speeds at 161.16 Mbps and 16.37 Mbps respectively. LG U+ had the lowest median multi-server latency in the market at 63 ms. KT delivered the fastest median fixed download speed at 131.09 Mbps.
  • Sri Lanka: SLT-Mobitel delivered the fastest mobile and fixed broadband speeds in Sri Lanka at 20.71 Mbps and 38.97 Mbps, respectively in Q2 2023. Dialog had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 35 ms, and the highest Consistency, at 81.8%.
  • United Arab Emirates: etisalat by e& recorded the fastest median download speeds across both mobile and fixed, at 216.65 Mbps and 261.98 Mbps respectively in Q2 2023. etisalat by e& also had the fastest median 5G download speed at 680.88 Mbps and lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 35 ms. du recorded the lowest fixed multi-server latency, at 12 ms.
  • Vietnam: Vinaphone had the fastest median mobile download speed in Q2 2023, at 52.58 Mbps. It also had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 34 ms, and highest Consistency at 94.8%. Viettel was the fastest fixed provider with a median download speed of 105.72 Mbps.

Europe

  • Albania: Digicom was the fastest fixed broadband provider in Albania in Q2 2023, recording a median download speed of 93.40 Mbps. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 86.0%. There was no winner for fastest mobile operator in the market.
  • Belgium: Proximus recorded the fastest median mobile download speed during Q2 2023, at 78.01 Mbps. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 90.5%. Telenet had the fastest median fixed download speed at 143.42 Mbps. Among Belgium’s most populous cities, Ghent recorded the fastest median mobile download speed of 187.90 Mbps, and Antwerp the fastest median fixed download speed of 87.72 Mbps.
  • Denmark: YouSee was the fastest mobile operator in Denmark with a median download speed of 140.59 Mbps. Hiper was fastest for fixed broadband at 268.02 Mbps.
  • Estonia: The fastest mobile operator in Estonia was Telia with a median download speed of 101.32 Mbps. Telia also had the lowest median multi-server latency on mobile at 31 ms. Elisa was the fastest fixed broadband provider, with a median download speed of 94.70 Mbps.
  • Finland: DNA had the fastest median mobile download speed at 99.07 Mbps. Lounea was fastest for fixed broadband at 105.84 Mbps and had the lowest median multi-server latency at 11 ms.
  • Germany: Telekom was the fastest mobile operator in Germany with a median download speed of 93.39 Mbps, and a median download speed with 5G at 187.25 Mbps. Vodafone recorded the fastest fixed broadband performance, with a median download speed at 121.76 Mbps. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 83.8%.
  • Latvia: BITĖ was the fastest mobile operator in Latvia during Q2 2023, with a median download speed of 114.51 Mbps. LMT recorded the lowest mobile multi-server latency, at 26 ms.  Balticom was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 243.92 Mbps. Balticom also had the lowest median fixed broadband multi-server latency at 4 ms.
  • Lithuania: The mobile operator with the fastest median download speed was Telia at 117.68 Mbps in Q2 2023. It also recorded the highest Consistency in the market, at 95.0%. Cgates was fastest for fixed broadband with a median download speed at 161.67 Mbps.
  • Poland: UPC was the fastest provider for fixed broadband with a median download speed of 223.32 Mbps in Q2 2023. There was no statistical winner for fastest mobile operator during Q2 2023, however Plus recorded the fastest median 5G download performance, at 153.19 Mbps.
  • Switzerland: Salt blazed ahead for the fastest fixed broadband in Switzerland, with a median download speed of 358.73 Mbps. Salt also had the lowest median multi-server latency over fixed broadband at 8 ms, and highest Consistency in the market, at 94.1%.
  • Turkey: Turkcell was the fastest mobile operator in Turkey with a median download speed of 58.52 Mbps. Türk Telekom had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 39 ms. TurkNet was fastest for fixed broadband, with a median download speed of 62.80 Mbps. It recorded the lowest median fixed multi-server latency, at 13 ms, and highest Consistency, at 80.5%. Among Turkey’s most populous cities, Istanbul recorded the fastest median download speeds across mobile and fixed, of 39.89 Mbps, and 40.27 Mbps respectively.

Oceania

  • New Zealand: Speedtest Intelligence data showed no winner for fastest mobile operator in New Zealand during Q2 2023. 2degrees had the lowest median mobile multi-server latency at 40 ms, and the highest Consistency, at 91.6%.

The Speedtest Global Index is your resource to understand how internet connectivity compares around the world and how it’s changing. Check back next month for updated data on country and city rankings, and look for updated Ookla Market Reports with Q3 2023 data in October.

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
Bhutan

About the Author

Mark Giles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 27, 2016

What Does a $200 Wi-Fi Connection Buy You at a Presidential Debate?

Global Speeds

Ars Technica reported that journalists at last night’s presidential debate paid $200 a pop for access to Wi-Fi.

So did they get what they paid for?

According to our data, based on 187 Speedtests run at the event, the speeds were surprisingly good. Laptops were getting download speeds between 250 and 580 Mbps and smartphone and tablet users typically saw results somewhere between 10 and 65 Mbps, with speeds topping out around 100 Mbps. For reference, the average broadband speed in the US was 54.97 Mbps in June and the average mobile speed in the first half of 2016 was 19.61 Mbps.

We saw no successful Speedtests from about 6:15 until 7:30 pm PST. We can’t say if there was an outage due to excessive use or the debate got too good to pause for even a momentary Speedtest.

But $200?

Event Wi-Fi is fraught with logistical challenges of providing access to hundreds of users in a confined space. This kind of internet setup is expensive and it’s not unprecedented for event organizers to pass some of that cost along to attendees. And users had access to internet at the venue for the entire day from setup to teardown. But $200 is a lot to charge an attendee who might already have cellular access on their phone. For comparison, you can usually buy an entire flight’s worth of Wi-Fi for around $30.

Were cheaper alternatives available? Hofstra University reportedly said it was banning rogue access points. That wouldn’t be surprising to anyone who’s ever tried to live tweet at a crowded event, because personal hotspots are a recipe for collective Wi-Fi disaster. Event organizers last night were apparently searching out RF-emitting devices and asking users to turn them off, which has caused the FCC to call for an investigation.

Want an inside look at internet speeds at your next event? Take a Speedtest. We’re on the hunt for interesting clusters of data to share with you as part of our #CrowdSpeed initiative.

Editor’s note: The first version of this article unintentionally omitted information about upload speeds at the event. Laptops saw average upload speeds of 96 Mbps and mobile devices saw 38 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

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 6, 2016

Can One Man Change the Internet on a Whole Subcontinent?

Global Speeds

Photo by Michael Faber, used with permission

Mukesh Ambani may have done just that. On September 5, his company, Reliance Jio, launched the world’s largest 4G LTE network in India. Over one billion people, 90% of India’s population, live in the coverage area for what is reported to receive LTE speeds that peak at 135 Mbps. For comparison, the average mobile internet download speed in the US is about 20 Mbps.

Jio’s 4G network reportedly cost $20 billion to build out, and the company is offering special introductory packages including free usage of the network through the end of 2016.

He built it, but did they come?

At least according to our Speedtest data, they sure did. And in droves.

India coverage map

What you’re looking at here is the number of tests taken by Jio users on 4G per month for the first nine months of 2016. The moment where the map is suddenly filled with green? That’s September.

For another way of looking at the data, below is a graph of the number of tests taken on 4G in all of India during 2016. The teal bar represents Jio customers.

The graph above reflects Jio’s launch strategy of releasing to employees and family in January 2016 and then following up with a soft launch three months later.

Is the connection as fast as promised?

It looks like mean download speeds for 4G capable phones actually decreased 23% month-over-month from 11.31 Mbps to 8.77 Mbps, continuing a downward trend for 2016.

One report suggests that the networks are already being “stretched to their breaking point” and facing bandwidth issues when accessing content from outside of India. That shouldn’t affect our data, though, as Speedtest data is gathered using in-country servers. For now it’s safe to say that 135 Mbps is an aspiration rather than a reality for the majority of Jio’s customers as even the top 10% of tests averaged out at 17.77 Mbps in September.

The global impact

One thing’s for certain, shifts in a market as large as India have the power to affect the market worldwide. With over one-sixth of the world’s population and a growing economy, India is a country worth watching. We can’t wait to see what Mukesh Ambani and Jio do next and how other carriers respond.

Wondering about interesting developments with internet speeds in your area? Take a Speedtest. You’ll get an accurate reflection of your individual speeds at that moment, and you’ll help us report what’s happening with internet speeds across the globe.

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 22, 2017

How’s the Mobile Performance at Mobile World Congress?

Global Speeds

You might expect the world’s largest gathering of professionals in the mobile industry to have amazing mobile speeds. Then again, maybe not, since large gatherings can sap the bandwidth right out of a network. We took a look at the speeds at last year’s event to see what you might expect if you’re attending Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017.

Recapping 2016 performance

We isolated MWC 2016 speeds by geofencing Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via, where the conference was held, and analyzing a sample of Speedtest data from February 22–25, 2016, the dates of last year’s MWC. We then compared that data to the results from the entire city of Barcelona during the month of February 2016.

You can see that all carriers except Yoigo significantly exceeded average speeds for Barcelona at MWC 2016. So the mobile performance at MWC 2016 almost universally rocked.

The average download speed over Wi-Fi, on the other hand, was a paltry 14.62 Mbps.

We’re watching 2017 data

Of course the MWC crowd will put connectivity at Fira Gran Via to the test during the conference. Carriers will likely bring portable cell sites to offer fast coverage to the masses of mobile-savvy attendees. But we won’t know the actual speeds until the event begins and the Speedtest data starts rolling in.

  • Will the speeds be as fast as last year?
  • Will Orange come out on top for download speed again this year?
  • Will Vodafone offer the fastest uploads?

To find out, watch this space for daily Speedtest data and analysis during the conference, or follow us on Twitter.

As always, you can contribute to our data by taking a Speedtest at the event. And be sure to share your Speedtest results from #MWC17 with #CrowdSpeed on Twitter.

February 27, 2017

The first official day of MWC is just wrapping up and here’s what we saw for speeds at the event during the hours of 6am-7pm UTC:

  • Orange lives up to the first day excitement by knocking mobile download speed out of the park so far.
  • Vodafone and Yoigo are also significantly faster for downloads than they were last year.
  • Movistar is the only carrier whose download speed decreased compared to last year’s conference.
  • Upload speeds are mixed with Movistar and Orange posting strong increases while Vodafone and Yoigo’s download speeds decreased.

We’ll see how that all changes tomorrow…

February 28, 2017

Day two of MWC 2017 has wrapped up. Amidst all the device unveilings and amazing predictions for the future, we have news on whose mobile speeds are rocking the conference.

And the winner is… Orange!

  • For the second day in a row Orange has the fastest download speed. Though slower than yesterday, their download speed is still enviable.
  • Movistar’s downloads are significantly faster than yesterday and have almost caught up to Vodafone’s.
  • Vodafone’s download speed decreased slightly from yesterday, but is still fast enough to live-stream those keynotes.
  • Upload speeds are slower overall than yesterday, but in most cases you should have the performance you need for a video call back home.
  • Sadly, Yoigo’s download and upload speeds are already showing conference fatigue. Let’s hope they rally for tomorrow.

See you back here tomorrow for a recap of day three.

March 1, 2017

The mobile performance numbers are in for day three of MWC and we saw a huge shakeup overnight:

  • Vodafone has pulled way ahead of previous leader Orange for download speed since yesterday with a speed almost as fast as Orange’s day one showing.
  • Movistar has jumped into second place for downloads with now third place Orange ever so slightly behind.
  • Yoigo more than doubled their download speed from yesterday, but they’re still less than half as fast as Movistar and Orange.
  • Upload speeds are looking better than ever across the board with the three fastest carriers all coming in at better than 30 Mbps. Even Yoigo had their fastest day yet for uploads.

Tomorrow’s your last chance to help us gather data, so don’t forget to download those apps for Android or iOS and take a Speedtest. We’ll have day four results as well as averages from the conference as a whole at the end of the day tomorrow.

March 2, 2017

The final day of MWC 2017 saw the most dramatic shift in speeds of the whole conference:

  • Vodafone downloads came in at a lightning-quick 123.05 Mbps. Their uploads were also the fastest we’ve seen from any carrier during the conference.
  • Movistar’s download and upload speeds dipped way down from their prior strength.
  • Orange brought the stability with a download speed that was relatively close to yesterday’s performance, though their upload speed dipped a bit.
  • Meanwhile, there were no Yoigo tests at all.

MWC 2017 mobile performance as a whole

But what you really want to know is which carrier had the fastest speeds for the duration of the conference. The averages are in and…

  • Orange takes first place with a very impressive 97.36 Mbps average download over the four days.
  • Vodafone is a strong second for downloads and Movistar’s third place speed is still quite respectable.
  • If you’ve been watching these updates, it’s no surprise that Yoigo had the slowest speeds overall. That was also true last year, though their year-over-year improvement is solid.
  • Strangely, the upload speeds of the top three fastest carriers were nearly indistinguishable. That 25 Mbps or so is good news for anyone who’s sending masses of conference pics (or snapshots of Sagrada Familia, we won’t tell) back home.

That’s it for our Barcelona coverage this year. We hope your MWC experience was as amazing as some of these speeds. We’re going to go catch up on some sleep and we’ll be back with more analysis soon.

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Global Speeds

About the Author

Isla McKetta