Broadband and WiFi Speeds
Median global fixed broadband speeds reached ~110 Mbps download in 2024. The fastest countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE, Chile, South Korea) approach 300+ Mbps. The slowest are below 10 Mbps. Mobile speeds vary similarly. The biggest determinant of country-level speed is fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) penetration — countries with high fiber share have high speeds.
Key insights
Fiber is the speed determinant
Countries with high fiber-to-the-home share have high broadband speeds — almost mechanically. China (>90% fiber), South Korea, Japan, Singapore, France lead. The US, UK lag — fiber penetration ~35% in the US. Cable broadband (DOCSIS 3.1) can match fiber on download but lags on upload and consistency. New fiber rollouts in OECD countries are continuing but slower than in Asia.
Mobile speeds have closed the gap with fixed
5G has dramatically narrowed the speed gap between mobile and fixed broadband. Median 5G download speeds: 200-400 Mbps in well-deployed markets. Some users now have higher 5G speeds than fixed home broadband. Fixed wireless access (T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon 5G Home) has become a real fixed-broadband competitor in the US — over 6M subscribers.
Speed gap by region remains wide
Sub-Saharan African broadband speeds: median ~10 Mbps. South Asian: ~20 Mbps. Latin America: ~80 Mbps. East Asia + OECD: 100-300 Mbps. The gap reflects: fiber infrastructure investment, ISP competition levels, regulatory environment, urbanization rate. The gap is narrowing as mobile broadband substitutes for fixed broadband in low-fixed-infrastructure regions.
Median fixed broadband speed by country (Q4 2024)
Megabits per second download
Key Finding: Singapore, Hong Kong, Chile and UAE lead; the US sits mid-OECD; most African countries below 20 Mbps.
Median mobile internet speed by country (Q4 2024)
Megabits per second download
Key Finding: Gulf states lead on mobile speed; 5G deployment has reshaped the rankings.
Methodology & caveats
Measurement
Ookla Speedtest captures hundreds of millions of user-initiated speed tests per quarter. Median values reflect typical user experience, less affected by outliers than means. Caveat: Speedtest is opt-in — users running tests are not representative. M-Lab's NDT methodology provides complementary data. Both show similar country-level patterns.
Download vs upload
Asymmetric residential broadband (faster down than up) is universal. Fiber connections are typically symmetric (e.g., 1Gbps/1Gbps); cable connections are typically 100-1000Mbps down / 10-50Mbps up. As remote work and content creation have grown, upload speeds have become more important. Fiber providers market 'symmetric' speeds aggressively.
FTTH vs FTTC vs cable
FTTH (fiber to the home): full fiber to subscriber. Highest speeds. FTTC (fiber to the curb): fiber to neighborhood cabinet, copper to home. Moderate speeds. Cable (DOCSIS): coaxial cable infrastructure. Highest speeds via DOCSIS 3.1/4.0. The technology choice was made when networks were built — and is expensive to upgrade after the fact.