Tag: Global Speeds

Ookla Research™ Articles
| October 8, 2018

Just How Much Does Roaming Affect Mobile Performance in Southeast Europe?

Global Speeds

This week the Wholesale Agreements and Solutions Group (WAS) will be meeting in Rovinj, Croatia as part of a GSMA working group to discuss the big deals that will affect worldwide roaming speeds over the next year. That made us curious — what kinds of roaming speeds might these telecom execs experience while they’re deciding our roaming fate?

We looked into Speedtest Intelligence® data from over 2.7 million consumer-initiated tests in Southeast Europe during Q1-Q2 2018 on devices using LTE networks to see how median speeds and latency were affected as mobile users roamed around the region. Roaming speeds include Android results only.

Though we expected to see a general decline in speeds and increase in latency (the time it takes for data to travel from your phone to the nearest server and back) while roaming, we were surprised by how much a person’s home country affected their mobile roaming experience.

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro are excluded from this analysis due to insufficient sample size during the examined time period. Data for Serbia includes the disputed region of Kosovo.

There’s no correlation between local download speed and decrease in roaming speed

Median Local vs. Roaming Download Speeds
Southeast Europe
Q1-Q2 2018 | 4G LTE
Country Local Download (Mbps) Roaming Download (Mbps) % Difference
Bulgaria 37.97 18.21 -52.0%
Croatia 34.50 31.67 -8.2%
Greece 33.61 27.87 -17.1%
Romania 28.47 20.89 -26.6%
Serbia 34.19 30.32 -11.3%
Slovenia 26.26 28.26 7.6%
Turkey 29.93 21.75 -27.3%

Slovenians are the only Southeast Europeans who see better mobile speeds while traveling than they do at home. Considering Slovenia’s local mobile download speed is the lowest on this list, we can presume that residents are encountering better infrastructure abroad and seeing better speeds as a result.

That does not that mean that countries with the fastest local download speeds see the largest declines in speed when roaming. For example, Bulgaria shows the fastest median mobile download speed in Southeast Europe and sees the largest declines in download speed when roaming. But Croatia, which has the second fastest mobile download speed in Southeast Europe, shows the second smallest decline in download speed when roaming.

On the other hand, Romania, which ranks sixth on our list for median local download speed shows the third largest decline when roaming. While Turkey, which ranks fifth in the region for local download speed, shows the second largest decline when roaming.

In fact, roaming speed is affected by in-country infrastructure and also by how operators prioritize out of country traffic. These decisions are made between each individual operator in each individual country, often at meetings like those in Rovinj this week where operators negotiate who has access to what networks and how much that access should cost them. This is why some operators offer extensive roaming packages and why those often come at a cost.

Roaming dramatically increases latency

Latency is measured in milliseconds, and a mobile user usually won’t notice a lag between taking an action on their phone and seeing an expected result when latency is low. Even in Croatia, the country with the highest local latency on our list, latency is very close to what the rest of the countries experience.

Median Local vs. Roaming Latency
Southeast Europe
Q1-Q2 2018 | 4G LTE
Country Local Latency (ms) Roaming Latency (ms) % Difference
Bulgaria 23 135 487.0%
Croatia 26 84 223.1%
Greece 23 144 526.1%
Romania 24 118 391.7%
Serbia 19 31 63.2%
Slovenia 19 67 252.6%
Turkey 24 130 441.7%

However, latency can skyrocket when roaming as some operators route a user’s traffic back through their home country, which leads to a much different user experience. This is definitely what we found in our analysis of Southeast Europe. As we saw with download speed, the percentage change between local and roaming latency was not correlated to local latency.

For example, Slovenia and Serbia show the same median local latencies (19 ms), but Slovenia shows a large increase in latency while Serbia’s increase is the smallest on our list.

This is because latency, like roaming speed, is a lot more complex than simply what infrastructure consumers are on. There’s also the matter of network agreements… the very deals that telecom execs are hammering out right now in Rovinj.

Are you at WAS? Stop by booth 23. We’d love to share a sneak peek of our roaming data with you. We have the insights and data for use in decisioning, sales, negotiation and quality steering related to wholesale and roaming solutions.

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 23, 2019

Canadian ISP Doubles Speeds, Canada Jumps 9 Places in World Ranking

Global Speeds

How would you like it if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) decided to double your speeds overnight? On December 3, 2018, Canadian ISP Shaw did just that. And the results were so impactful that Canada jumped nine places in the Speedtest Global Index, from 16th fastest country in the world in November 2018 to 7th in December 2018 as Canada’s average download speed over fixed broadband increased from 91.05 to 108.75 Mbps.

The upgrade also helped Shaw rise from third to second place ISP in Canada based on Speed ScoreTM, a measure that combines download and upload speeds at a variety of performance tiers.

Fastest ISPs in Canada
Based on Speed Score for ISPs with 3% or more of Speedtest results
ISP November 2018 December 2018
Rogers 147.96 146.08
Shaw 82.78 136.71
Bell Canada 100.36 103.33
TELUS 66.59 69.59
Vidéotron 56.44 59.30
Cogeco 51.59 51.30
Teksavvy 29.59 30.97

Shaw’s Speed Score increased 65.1% between November 2018 and December 2018. Bell Canada’s increased 3.0%, TELUS 4.5%, Vidéotron’s 5.1% and Teksavvy’s 4.7%. Rogers’ Speed Score decreased slightly, as did that of Cogeco. All ISPs have improved since our report on Q1-Q2 2018 performance and Rogers remains the fastest provider in Canada.

Only some Canadian cities see the speed boost

The Shaw effect becomes very evident when we compare fixed broadband speeds in Canada’s largest cities. Cities where Shaw is a major player saw large increases in speeds; the rest did not. The exception was Québec City whose speed increase was actually a recovery toward a previous high seen in April 2018.

Change in Fixed Broadband Download Speed (Mbps)
Canada’s Largest Cities
City November 2018 December 2018 Change in Speed Fastest ISP
London, Ontario 130.93 121.18 -7.4% Rogers
Halifax, Nova Scotia 122.88 123.17 0.2% Bell Canada
Toronto, Ontario 117.36 123.14 4.9% Rogers
Ottawa, Ontario 115.36 113.35 -1.7% Rogers
Calgary, Alberta 92.26 143.66 55.7% Shaw
Edmonton, Alberta 91.72 136.06 48.3% Shaw
Vancouver, British Columbia 86.47 121.90 41.0% Shaw
Québec City, Québec 84.78 104.31 23.0% Bell Canada
Winnipeg, Manitoba 75.26 138.20 83.6% Shaw
Montreal, Québec 59.06 65.36 10.7% Bell Canada

In Vancouver, Shaw’s December speed increase was significant enough to unseat Novus, the fastest ISP in that city for the rest of 2018. The fastest ISP remained unchanged in all other cities on the list.

This highlights the radical impact ISPs can have on a country’s overall speed. And it’s not just happening in Canada; Deutsche Telekom expanded 250 Mbps service to an additional 2.3 million customers in Germany. We’ll be watching to see how this and improvements by other ISPs impact country-level speeds across the world.

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 11, 2019

Analyzing India’s 4G Availability: Including a Look at the 15 Largest Cities

Global Speeds

It’s a good time to be a mobile customer in India with Airtel expanding its LTE service in major cities using the 900 MHz band and Jio making continuous progress on its mission to provide 4G coverage to all Indians. All this good news made us want to check in to see what cellular availability in India currently looks like.

We analyzed General Availability and 4G Availability using coverage data from 250,138,853 samples on 595,034 enabled devices during Q3-Q4 2018. General Availability is the percentage of an operator’s known locations where a device has access to any kind of service (including roaming). 4G Availability is then the percentage of an operator’s known locations where a device has access to LTE service (including roaming). We compared these results across Indian mobile operators to see which provides the best availability.    

Cellular service is widely available across India

General Availability statistics are good for all of India’s major mobile operators. In a country where there are only 1.33 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, access to mobile internet is critical. Jio’s General Availability was best, with users finding service in 99.3% of locations. Airtel was second at 99.1%, followed closely by Vodafone (99.0%) and Idea (98.9%).

Percentage of Locations With Cellular Service
India | Q3-Q4 2018
Operator General Availability (%)
Jio 99.3
Airtel 99.1
Vodafone 99.0
Idea 98.9

As you can see from the map below, most areas in India are covered by at least one of the country’s four largest mobile operators.

All-Carrer-Map-Animate-1

Coverage data relies on the presence of a user in a location, so it’s normal to see the majority of results that show coverage (seen in blue) coming from the most populated areas. When a sample is taken and a user does not have cellular coverage (seen in red), that data is transmitted later. Areas that show no dot are places where no coverage data was collected. These gaps often correspond with national parks or other remote areas that people visit less frequently.

Jio showed the densest pattern of coverage samples for General Availability across India, with only a few areas where coverage data showed no service.

Airtel’s pattern of coverage samples showed only slightly less areas with coverage. Airtel had only slightly more “no service” areas, particularly in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

Idea and Vodafone had a similar density of coverage samples showing coverage, but were strong in different parts of the country. Idea showed more density in Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, while Vodafone was stronger in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Neither showed a large number of “no service” areas.

4G availability in India depends on your mobile operator

LTE connections, while widely available in much of India, depend heavily on which mobile operator a consumer has chosen. At a country-level, Jio shows an impressive 98.8% 4G Availability. That means that a Jio customer has access to LTE service at 98.8% of surveyed locations. Airtel is second at 90.0%, followed by Vodafone (84.6%) and Idea (82.8%).

Percentage of Locations with LTE Service
India | Q3-Q4 2018
Operator 4G Availability (%)
Jio 98.8
Airtel 90.0
Vodafone 84.6
Idea 82.8

Coverage data from the four largest mobile operators reveals that LTE is not available in all the areas that general cell service is in India. This is especially true in the center of the country, in Sikkim and in the Andaman Islands.

LTE-Carrer-Map-Animate-2

Except for a few red spots at the edges of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Sikkim and the Andaman Islands, Jio’s 4G Availability map is nearly identical to their General Availability map.

Airtel’s 4G Availability map is still very dense, but shows gaps in LTE coverage in many areas of the country including portions of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

As we saw with overall scores, the 4G Availability map for Vodafone reveals that the operator’s LTE coverage is not as robust as their overall coverage. We saw major gaps in Vodafone’s LTE in Karnataka in particular and smaller gaps in northeastern India in general (with the exception of the most populated areas of West Bengal).

Idea’s 4G Availability map shows gaps in LTE service across the country, especially in less densely populated areas.

4G Availability does not equal fast speeds

Until 5G is rolled out, LTE is the fastest connection type available to consumers. India shows us, however, that 4G Availability does not automatically equate to fastest service. To compare which of India’s largest mobile operators is fastest, we’ve used Speed ScoreTM, a combined measure of download and upload speed that incorporates several tiers of performance.

Comparing Speeds for India’s Largest Mobile Operators
Q3-Q4 2018
Operator Speed Score (all cell) Speed Score (4G LTE)
Airtel 10.34 11.23
Vodafone 8.19 9.13
Jio 7.11 7.11
Idea 6.20 7.02

Airtel was the fastest mobile operator in India during Q3-Q4 2018, regardless of whether a customer was on LTE or not. The ranking of the other operators does not change based on LTE use with Vodafone taking second fastest, Jio third and Idea fourth.

As the above table shows, Jio’s commitment to LTE remained unwavering as demonstrated by the fact that the operator’s Speed Score did not change when looking at all technologies or on LTE alone. We cannot say why Jio’s speeds were slower than those of Airtel and Vodafone, but it’s likely a combination of network congestion and users accessing the Jio network with slower phones.

We’ll be interested to see how these numbers improve in the near term as operators continue to build out their networks.

How general and LTE availability look in India’s largest cities

Country-wide averages can hide a lot of information. To get a clearer picture of the customer experience across the country, we looked at General and 4G Availability as well as operator speeds in the 15 largest cities in India.

General Availability is strong

india-general-avail-map-1

General Availability was good (in the 98-99% range) for India’s largest mobile operators in most of India’s 15 largest cities. Airtel showed General Availability of 99% or higher in all 15. Jio’s lowest score (in Jaipur) was still high at 98.9%. Vodafone’s only score below 99% was in Kolkata (97.9%). Idea, on the other hand, showed General Availability scores below 99% in six cities: Hyderabad (98.8%), Delhi (98.3%), Jaipur (98.0%), Kolkata (97.9%), Visakhapatnam (97.9%) and Indore (96.6%).

While these scores are all good, consistent mobile service is important to quality of life. If a consumer is living in one of the small sections of these cities that are not well served by their mobile operator it could mean they don’t have access to internet at home, school or where they do business.

4G Availability is all over the map

India’s largest mobile operators were not nearly as consistent with their 4G Availability in India’s largest cities during Q3-Q4 2018 as they were with General Availability. The exception was Jio, which still only showed one city (Jaipur) that was barely below 99%. This is no surprise given Jio’s 98.8% country-wide 4G Availability.

india-4g-avail-map-2

Airtel’s 4G Availability ranged from 92.9% in Visakhapatnam to 97.5% in Bengaluru. Vodafone’s 4G Availability ranged from 74.9% in Hyderabad to 98.0% in Ahmedabad, with two cities in the 70-79.9% band and one in the 80-89.9% band. Idea had the widest spread in 4G Availability — from 38.8% in Delhi to 96.2% in Bengaluru. This includes one city in the 60-69.9% band and three in the 80-89.9% band.

Taking a weighted average of the 4G Availability scores based on number of samples, Kanpur showed the best 4G Availability in India during Q3-Q4 2018 at 98.2%. Bengaluru and Lucknow tied for second and third at 97.6%. Delhi was at the bottom of the list with 93.0%, Kolkata second to last at 95.4% and Pune third to last at 95.9%.

The availability of LTE in India’s largest cities contrasts with our analysis of fixed broadband speeds from last year, which found Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad on top. In that analysis, Delhi ranked fifth, Kanpur fourth to last and Lucknow in the middle.

How a combined Vodafone-Idea could change the map

Vodafone and Idea merged in 2018, but the brands continue to operate independently. If that were to change, we’d expect to see better General Availability for all customers as the two brands’ coverage areas are complementary. 4G Availability would also improve, but not immediately to the level of that of Jio or Airtel because many gaps would remain. In the long run, though, combining operations could allow the two brands to reallocate resources and invest in better LTE coverage, particularly in Karnataka.

Interested in learning more about General Availability and 4G Availability? Schedule a demo at  Mobile World Congress or come see us in Hall 2 at Stand 2I25.

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
| April 2, 2019

How 100+ Million Additional Users Affects a Network: Mobile Speeds and 4G Usage During the Kumbh Mela

Global Speeds

Millions of Hindus gather in one of four locations in India on a twelve year cycle to participate in the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the world. Though the focus of the festival is a series of ritual baths in sacred waters, pilgrims and tourists use their mobile phones to help them navigate and to find friends and family in the immense crowds.

This year the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj drew over 100 million visitors, and India’s largest mobile carriers have rolled out various mobile programs to help pilgrims. We were curious to analyze how well mobile networks held up. We’ve examined mobile speeds and 4G usage in and around Prayagraj from January 14-March 4, 2019.

How the top four operators performed at the Kumbh Mela

As mentioned above, India’s largest mobile operators put significant preparation into serving the massive influx of pilgrims during the Kumbh Mela. Airtel deployed Massive MIMO to expand network capacity, Jio launched an app that included real-time info on events and a family locator, and Vodafone-Idea offered an RFID tag to help locate children.

Mobile Speeds at the Kumbh Mela
Prayagraj, India | January 14-March 4, 2019
Connection Type Mean Download (Mbps) Mean Upload (Mbps) Mean Latency (ms)
Airtel 15.83 4.67 52
Jio 8.04 4.79 104
Vodafone 7.61 3.03 68
Idea 5.16 3.93 77

Airtel’s emphasis on increasing capacity paid off in speed with their mean download speed in the vicinity of the Kumbh Mela coming in 96.9% faster than that of second-place Jio. Vodafone was third and Idea a distant fourth.

Speeds decrease when traveling between states

Mobile operators in India use different MCC/MNC codes in different parts of the country, which allows us to differentiate speeds for customers who are “roaming” between telecom circles. In most cases these telecom circles correspond to states and union territories, but some represent only portions of a state or combinations of multiple states.

We compared speeds experienced during the time of the Kumbh Mela for customers from eastern Uttar Pradesh with those visiting this area from elsewhere in the country. We omitted data for the Kerala and North East (which comprises most of the North Eastern states) telecom circles for reasons of sample size.

India_Kumbh-Mela_Mobile_Speeds_map-2

Customers visiting from seven telecom circles (Rajasthan, Madya Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, UP West, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh) showed faster mean download speeds in eastern Uttar Pradesh than local customers. The Rajasthan telecom circle showed the fastest mean download speed when “roaming” in UP East at 9.10 Mbps, 9.6% faster than the local UP East download speed.

Customers visiting in UP East from 12 telecom circles (Himachal Pradesh, Kolkata, Haryana, Maharashtra and Goa, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Mumbai) saw slower mean download speeds than local UP East customers. The Himachal Pradesh telecom circle showed the slowest mean download speed when “roaming” in UP East at 6.15 Mbps, 25.9% slower than the local UP East download speed.

Even when “roaming” across states, people remain on 4G

We also compared the percentage of time customers spent on 4G in their home telecom circles with the time spent on 4G when they were “roaming” in UP East during the Kumbh Mela. Time spent on 4G includes on- and off-network connections. We excluded the Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, North East, and Himachal Pradesh telecom circles for insufficient data.

Time Spent on 4G in Home Telecom Circle and While Roaming Domestically
India | January 14-March 4, 2019
Telecom Circle Time on 4G at Home Time on 4G in UP East Difference
West Bengal 81.8% 92.2% 12.7%
Odisha 92.9% 96.8% 4.2%
UP West 85.9% 89.2% 3.9%
Bihar 90.6% 92.8% 2.4%
Delhi 84.3% 86.2% 2.3%
Kolkata 89.0% 89.7% 0.7%
Haryana 90.2% 90.5% 0.4%
UP East 90.0% 90.0% 0.0%
Rajasthan 89.7% 89.3% -0.4%
Andhra Pradesh 88.0% 87.5% -0.6%
Tamil Nadu 88.7% 87.8% -0.9%
Maharashtra and Goa 82.6% 81.2% -1.7%
Punjab 89.9% 87.4% -2.8%
Gujarat 87.7% 85.3% -2.8%
Mumbai 88.0% 83.8% -4.7%
Madhya Pradesh 89.8% 84.1% -6.4%
Karnataka 91.0% 84.9% -6.7%

The percentage of time consumers spent on 4G was remarkably similar in their home telecom circles and when “roaming” in UP East. The outliers were customers from West Bengal (who were connected to 4G 12.7% more frequently in UP East than when they were at home) and those from Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka (who were connected to 4G 6.4% and 6.7% less frequently, respectively, than they were at home).

Managing an influx of 100 million or more additional people is an amazing feat for a mobile network and India’s top four mobile operators held up relatively well. Customers from some parts of the country even saw a faster download speed than the locals. 4G usage also held up relatively well no matter which part of the country Indian pilgrims were visiting from.

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
| April 10, 2019

Analyzing the U.S. Mobile Speed Landscape in Q1 2019

Global Speeds

Last week AT&T announced they were the fastest wireless network in the U.S. based on Ookla’s analysis of average download speed data collected from Speedtest in Q1 2019. We pride ourselves on the depth and accuracy of our data, so today we are digging deeper into the methodology and analysis behind the claim to provide additional clarity.

Q1 2019 mobile speed results

The four major U.S. carriers achieved the following average Q1 download speeds across all devices:

Speedtest Data on Mean Download Speeds for Major Operators
United States | Q1 2019
Operator Mean Download (Mbps)
AT&T 34.65
T-Mobile 34.11
Verizon Wireless 33.07
Sprint 31.21

As we tracked data on mobile download speeds in the U.S. throughout the quarter, it became very clear to us that AT&T was likely to become the frontrunner. As you can see from the graph below, the steep increase in AT&T’s mean download speed continues a trend that started in Q4 2018.

mean-speeds

In the final week of Q1, we also observed an increase in faster tests taken on AT&T’s network. Upon investigation, we discovered that this correlated with the release of iOS 12.2 and the roll out of AT&T’s 5G E icon. We also found that the increase in tests was coming from device models that would have started to display the 5G E icon, such as the newer generations of iPhone (XR, XS Max, XS, X, 8, 8 Plus), indicating that consumers were seeing the new icon and taking a test to see what speeds they were getting. Even excluding data from the last week of the month, AT&T still had the fastest LTE network in the nation during Q1.

AT&T also showed strong speeds on Android throughout the quarter. For instance, looking at the most popular Android device in Q1 (the Samsung Galaxy S9) we see AT&T coming in first with a mean download speed of 44.90 Mbps, an 11.2% increase over the prior quarter.

A conclusion is only as good as the data behind it. This is why Ookla does not validate national claims based on less than a quarter’s worth of data. User experiences on their respective networks can be influenced by a wide variety of factors that ebb and flow over short periods of time, particularly when evaluated at the national scale. Ookla mitigates these influences by looking at trends over a longer period of time and only considering one sample per device during that time.

Data volume is also key. Consumer-initiated testing gives Speedtest a huge volume of data from which we can accurately assess the performance of mobile operators. During the entirety of Q1 in the U.S., we saw over 5 million consumer-initiated mobile network tests taken on over 1.5 million unique devices across all operators.

5-million-tests-1

Understanding how to interpret different reports

There are many companies that claim expertise in the measurement of speed and it can be hard for consumers to wade through the wide array of information out in the marketplace. At Ookla, we want you to be empowered with detailed information about our test, methodology, sample sizes and more so that you can compare it to others who claim to measure speed.

Measuring speed is in our DNA (and name). Our entire company began with a purpose built focus on speeds via the Speedtest platform and grew from there. We are proud of the fact that consumers trust Speedtest so much that they actively initiate over 10 million tests per day, with over 23 billion tests taken to date.

While there are other apps on the market that measure speed in the foreground, none has an adequate user base to produce a volume of data that is representative of the market as a whole.

The importance of testing speed on both iOS and Android

Every mobile operator has a different breakdown of device platforms used by their customer base. In the U.S. during Q1, we saw the following distribution in our database of Speedtest results:

Speedtest Data on iOS Usage Across Major Mobile Operators
United States | Q1 2019
Operator % Devices iOS
AT&T 70%
Sprint 54%
T-Mobile 49%
Verizon Wireless 62%

This wide adoption of iOS in the U.S. makes the ability to test the speed of a network on both iOS and Android crucial to accurately representing the full picture. While every operator has customers on both iOS and Android, tests taken on AT&T in our database during Q1 2019 show a staggering 70% of devices were using the iOS platform. This is likely because AT&T was Apple’s exclusive partner when the first version of the iPhone initially launched and, as a result, has retained a larger than typical iOS customer base.

A dedicated foreground test that saturates a connection is the most accurate way to measure speeds on both iOS and Android devices. Speedtest offers free applications on both iOS and Android that are optimized to measure the specific intricacies of a mobile internet connection in the foreground.

Because iOS limits the use of background activity, testing methodologies that rely on background testing are limited in the information they can gather. Testing methodologies that rely so heavily on data from Android aren’t able to fully represent the large portions of the U.S. customer base that uses iOS.

Further U.S. market analysis coming in 2019

Many changes are coming to the U.S. mobile market in the coming year, including numerous 5G rollouts that could radically alter speeds available to consumers in major markets. In smaller markets, such as states and cities, we will continue to focus on the convergence of high performance and coverage. We’ll examine all of this and more in our upcoming annual report publishing this summer, which will include a comprehensive look at our data on nationwide speeds, coverage metrics and consumer perception.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 10 to add additional context about performance on Android and clarify a sentence.

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
| July 19, 2017

Ranking the Busiest Airports in South America by Internet Speed

Global Speeds

Whether you’ve been closely following our fastest airports on every continent series or you’re simply headed to the southern hemisphere for a little winter in your summer, you must be dying to know which airports have the fastest free Wi-Fi and where you should use cellular service instead. Without further ado, Speedtest data from March through May 2017 reveals which of the busiest airports in South America is also the fastest.

Fastest airport Wi-Fi

São Paulo/Congonhas Airport has the fastest download speed over free airport Wi-Fi of all the airports we looked at in South America. And their upload speed is even faster. Compared with Brazil’s country-wide download speed over mobile Wi-Fi of 13.79 Mbps, travelers using the Wi-Fi at Congonhas should be able to enjoy the best that the internet offers while waiting for connecting flights.


Average download speeds over free Wi-Fi at the rest of the busiest airports in South America are similar to those in much of Europe or Africa. And that’s not a good thing. Some of the download speeds, like those at second-place Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima and Bogotȧ’s El Dorado International, are serviceable. But those at airports in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Brasília, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina and Caracas, Venezuela are likely to leave you daydreaming about faster service while you wait for your pages to load.

This is less surprising in Venezuela where the average download speed over Wi-Fi is 3.18 Mbps than it is in Colombia (9.05 Mbps) or Argentina (10.86 Mbps) during the same time period analyzed. Lima’s airport download speed is slightly faster than the Peruvian average of 10.68 Mbps while the Wi-Fi download speed at Chile’s busiest airport falls far behind that of the country as a whole (26.23 Mbps).

On the other hand, the Wi-Fi upload speed at Bogotȧ’s airport is remarkably fast.

Fastest airport cell

With just over a 10 Mbps difference between fastest and slowest, cellular download speeds at the busiest airports in South America fell into a much narrower band than those on any other continent we’ve surveyed so far. Upload speeds are even more similar to one another with less than 6 Mbps separating the fastest airport from the slowest.


Tancredo Neves/Confins International Airport in Belo Horizonte had the fastest cellular download speed of any of the airports we looked at in South America. The download speed there is nearly twice as fast as the 13.70 Mbps average for Brazil as a whole during the same period. Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima had the fastest upload speed.

Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile took second place for both download and upload speeds over cellular. The download speed at the airport is 22% faster than Chile’s average cellular download speed of 16.23 Mbps.

The cellular download speed at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas is 75% faster than Venezuela’s country average of 8.89 Mbps. Meanwhile, the airports we surveyed in Lima, Peru and Bogotȧ, Colombia both have slower download speeds than their country averages. The average cellular speed for Peru as a whole was 16.97 Mbps. In Colombia it was 14.76 Mbps.

Only at Jorge Newbery Airfield in Buenos Aires, Argentina was the cellular download speed almost exactly the same as the country’s average of 12.06 Mbps.

Wi-Fi or cell?

Unless you’re traveling through São Paulo/Congonhas Airport, cellular service is a much better choice than Wi-Fi at South America’s busiest airports. In many cases, cellular download speeds are several times faster than those over Wi-Fi.


Regional trends

Brazil

Brazil has decent cellular speeds, but their Wi-Fi speeds are all over the map. Avoid the Wi-Fi in Belo Horizonte or Brasília. While at São Paulo/Congonhas Airport the Wi-Fi is your best bet as the speeds are the fastest we saw at any airport in South America on either cell or Wi-Fi.

Andean States

Cellular download speeds at airports in Colombia, Peru and Venezuela are perfectly workable. In each of the airports we looked at in this region, cellular downloads are significantly faster than Wi-Fi. Especially in Venezuela where the Wi-Fi download speed is as awful as you might expect in a politically unstable country.

Southern Cone

Airport internet in the two Southern Cone countries we examined differed widely. Although neither Chile nor Argentina had fast free Wi-Fi in their major airports, downloads over free airport Wi-Fi were especially slow in Buenos Aires. And cellular downloads in Chile’s busiest airport were 62% faster than those at Jorge Newbery Airfield in Argentina.

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| May 22, 2019

Measuring the Success of Government Broadband Efforts in Saudi Arabia, Australia and Ireland

Global Speeds

At Ookla, we well know that as internet speeds are getting faster, end users’ speed expectations are rising and the volume of data consumed by those users is growing exponentially. Ensuring that the rollout of digital services is fair and balanced to populations regardless of location poses a regulatory and commercial dilemma. So far, providing internet services, and in particular high-speed broadband, in rural areas has proven difficult in numerous countries.

Fixed broadband infrastructure is complex and expensive enough that governments in some countries have helped by creating regulatory environments which encourage (and in some cases subsidize) internet providers rolling out high-speed internet. Here at Ookla we are often lucky enough to be in the front seat viewing how different countries and regulators approach this tricky subject. We’ve evaluated the outcomes of government-involved fiber rollouts in Saudi Arabia and Australia using Speedtest data. Based on lessons learned in both, we make predictions about the likely successes and pain points in the coming effort in Ireland.

Incentivizing world-class speeds in Saudi Arabia

Since 2018 Ookla has been providing the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with data to benchmark national internet speeds as part of a project to drive those speeds up. The Saudi Arabian Vision 2030 project is designed to transform the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across all facets of commercial life and propel the economy forward. One of the key strategies is to ensure that the telecommunications and internet infrastructure is not just adequate but is one of the best in the world.

Unlike in other markets where governments engage in long and costly procurement processes to eventually choose a partner for infrastructural projects, the Saudi government has set about working directly with the incumbent operators to try and improve all underlying technologies. This includes setting ambitious speed and technology targets to be met by operators. Should the operators meet these targets, they can unlock financial incentives and grants.

This strategy has connected 1,000,000 homes to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) services and resulted in a gigantic improvement in both fixed internet and mobile internet speeds in Saudi Arabia. Using data from Speedtest IntelligenceTM, we’ve seen Saudi Arabia’s mean download speed over fixed broadband increase 97.2% between January 2017 and December 2018. The country’s ranking on the Speedtest Global Index® also improved significantly, showing that Saudi Arabia’s fixed broadband speed was rising at a faster rate than several other countries during that time period.

Saudi-mean-speed-line-graphs-1

The histograms below show how widespread those improvements are. Whereas 29.0% of fixed broadband samples in Saudi Arabia during Q1 2018 showed mean download speeds of 5 Mbps or less, in Q1 2019 that number was down to 18.3%. We can also see that mean download speeds over 50 Mbps make up an increasing percentage of results. Each sample represents the cumulative test results for each unique device/user per location, per calendar day.

Ookla_Improvement_Mobile_Performance_Saudi_Arabia

What we see in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is what can be achieved when a regulator, government and operators all follow a direct course of action. In the context of global plans of this nature, the rate of improvement in Saudi Arabia is quicker than what we see in other markets.

Constructing a National Broadband Network in Australia

Australia took a much different approach than Saudi Arabia to try and solve a similar problem. In 2009, the NBN Co, an Australia Government Business Enterprise, set out to bridge the digital divide by supplying Australian residents fast and affordable broadband access regardless of their location. The intent was to construct an open-access broadband network under a wholesale approach where consumers purchase plans through any Internet Service Provider (ISP) utilizing the NBN network. A decade later, nearly 75% of Australian homes and businesses have access to this service and the expected completion date is currently slated for 2020.

According to Speedtest Intelligence, the average broadband download speed in Australia has seen a steady rise over the past year and a 60.1% increase from January 2017 to December 2018. However, more aggressive competition and speed increases by other countries have left Australia with a declining rank on the Speedtest Global Index.

Aus-mean-speed-line-graphs-1

Looking at the distribution of speeds, Australians saw a decline in the percentage of samples achieving download speeds of 25 Mbps or slower between Q1 2018 and Q1 2019. Whereas 66.0% of fixed broadband samples had a mean download speed of 25 Mbps or slower in Q1 2018, that number fell 24.8% to 49.6% in Q1 2019. Correspondingly, there was an increase in results in the 25-50 Mbps range during the same period, rising 62.0% from 20.5% of samples to 33.2%. Looking at samples at the highest end of the scale in Australia, the percentage of samples achieving speeds of 50 Mbps or more increased 26.7% from 13.5% of samples to 17.1%.

Ookla_Improvement_Mobile_Performance_Australia

Many Australian consumers are unhappy with the quality and type of service they are receiving on the NBN network. One major struggle is due to the Multi-Technology Mix (MTM) approach used by NBN Co from the beginning. Over the past ten years, the network has adapted three separate approaches at different times in different locations: fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) and fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC), each having vastly different capabilities. As such, quality of service for consumers depends significantly on location. Maintenance costs will also be an issue in years to come because of the mix of technologies and the continued use of degrading copper wires.

Leading up to the Australian federal elections held on May 18th, the Labor party proposed a solution to these current NBN complications through an economic review of the project and plans to upgrade technologies. The party pressed the need for improvement to FTTN households and a financially responsible future for the NBN. Because of the contentious nature of the NBN, many speculated that Labor might win the election. Surprisingly, the Liberal party won out. It remains to be seen what this says for the NBN going forward. The Liberal party has emphasized a shift away from FTTP to a multi-technology approach to connect more homes more quickly and for less money, but FTTC and FTTN offer slower internet speeds than FTTP and could result in further expense to maintain copper wiring down the line.

As of March 2019, only three states and territories are likely to achieve the intended speed capabilities (50 Mbps) once the project completes in 2020: New South Wales, Victoria and the Northern Territory. Other regions in Australia do not expect to see more than 85% of premises reaching the 50 Mbps range which causes consumers continued doubt whether they will strike the lottery in terms of broadband speed.

Ireland’s newest effort to improve rural speeds

As large countries with a predominantly urban populace but rural communities that need internet access, Saudi Arabia and Australia have a lot in common with Ireland. In fact, Ireland has been through numerous iterations of national broadband schemes over the past 15 years. Despite Ireland’s small size it has a large broadband divide, with over 540,000 homes unable to access a reasonable fixed line broadband service. Many use mobile or wireless alternatives outside of urban areas. These alternatives often mean lower speeds at increased prices.

Ireland-mean-speed-line-graphs-1

Although an 80.1% increase in mean download speed over fixed broadband from January 2017 to December 2018 and an improving Irish rank on the Speedtest Global Index look healthy for a country of its size, the large number of homes that have no credible access makes the average an incomplete way to look at Ireland’s issues. In Q1 2018, 75.3% of samples in Ireland were receiving speeds of 50 Mbps or slower. In Q1 2019, that number had only decreased 5.8% to 70.9% of samples. The percentage of samples with mean download speeds between 50 and 100 Mbps increased 10.8% from 14.8% to 16.4%. Samples above 100 Mbps increased 28.3% from 9.9% in Q1 2018 to 12.7% in Q1 2019.

Ookla_Improvement_Mobile_Performance_Ireland

Recently the Irish state appointed a preferred bidder after a procurement process to subsidize a fiber network to 540,000 homes. This project is to be rolled out over the next 7 years. Oddly the process saw all but one of the prospective bidders pull out before its conclusion, which raised numerous questions as to the viability of the underlying plan. The current estimated cost to the Irish taxpayer is €2.1 billion. However, unlike in the Saudi Arabian and Australian markets, the resulting network will be owned and controlled not by the state or one of the current consumer telecoms firms but by the preferred bidder. Regardless, it is planned that the network will operate as an underlying wholesale network, similar to NBN in Australia.

The timing of the announcement of the preferred bidder, the probable costs and the ownership structure (weeks in advance of local and European elections) has led to speculation that there was a political motive to the announcement and that Ireland is still some time away from solving its internet black spots.

Speedtest Intelligence is a resource for many governments as they work to improve access and speeds for their citizens. Learn more about our global performance metrics.

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

James Carroll

Ookla Research™ Articles
| August 14, 2018

Could Your Mobile Network Handle Millions of New Users Overnight? Preparing for the Hajj

Global Speeds

On August 20, millions of people will arrive in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to complete the Hajj, a ritual pilgrimage required of all able Muslims once during a lifetime. Though we don’t expect internet speed will be anyone’s top concern during this sacred period, we were curious how well the local network handles all that extra traffic.

To get a better idea of what this year’s pilgrims might experience, we’ve used Speedtest data to look at download speeds in Mecca before and during last year’s Hajj. We’ve also analyzed roaming speeds from the first half of 2018 for visitors from countries that represent four of the largest groups of pilgrims to understand how roaming agreements might affect performance.

How Mecca’s mobile network performs during the Hajj

Arriving pilgrims more than double the population of Mecca, an influx that could cripple a mobile network. Instead, our data shows a 12.1% decline in mobile download speed in Mecca during the 2017 Hajj, far less of an impact than we’d expect. Not only does the Saudi government invest heavily in ensuring a positive experience during the Hajj, it’s been said that Mecca spends the entire year preparing. From this small decline in speeds, we’d say that whatever mobile networks and the Saudi government are doing to shore up their mobile networks is working.

How the Hajj Affects Download Speeds
Saudi Arabia | 2017 | Measured in Mbps
Location Before the Hajj
(August 1-August 29)		 During the Hajj
(August 30-September 3)
Mecca 11.46 10.07
Saudi Arabia 10.85 11.57

Comparatively, speeds in Saudi Arabia actually increased 6.6% during the Hajj.

Mobile speeds in Saudi Arabia have increased dramatically in the past year, with July 2018 showing an average download speed of 29.59 Mbps in Mecca. Even if this speed dips slightly during the Hajj, pilgrims should, on average, enjoy strong mobile speeds.

How roaming affects these speeds

But travelers don’t experience average speeds. In fact, a visitor’s roaming speeds can vary widely based on their home carrier’s individual agreement with carriers in the country they’re visiting as well as what type of mobile plan an individual has signed up for. To better understand how that affects visitors to Saudi Arabia, we looked at Speedtest results for roaming tests taken by people from Egypt, India, Indonesia and the United States during the first half of 2018.


In all cases, download speeds declined (as you might expect). Visitors from India saw the smallest decrease (22.4%). Indonesian travelers experienced download speeds 43.5% slower than those they’d see at home. Egyptians experienced a 46.6% decrease and Americans a painful 88.4%.

What about Mina and Arafat?

We looked at Speedtest results for areas around Mecca during the first half of 2018 to find out if pilgrims will have coverage during the farther-reaching portions of the Hajj.

Speedtest Results - Mecca, Saudi Arabia

We were glad to see there is some connectivity along the route to Mina and Arafat, should travelers need it.

While the Saudi mobile network appears to be up to the massive challenge of serving millions of pilgrims, roaming speeds can leave something to be desired. It might be worth talking to your carrier about the roaming speeds you can expect before you get on that plane.

Our hope is that this information may be valuable to those who need it during their travels and better illuminate network conditions for those preparing for the Hajj.

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

Global Speeds

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| May 30, 2019

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

Global Speeds

Leer en español | Leia em Português

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

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

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

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

Fastest mobile operators

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

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

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

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

Cellular service is widely available while 4G Availability varies

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

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

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

Mobile operators with the best coverage

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

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

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

How Central American mobile speeds and availability compare

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Operadores de telefonía móvil más rápidos

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Operadores de telefonía móvil con la mejor cobertura

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Operadoras móveis mais rápidas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Operadoras móveis com a melhor cobertura

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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About the Author

Isla McKetta