Akamai’s third quarter, 2013 State of the Internet Report reveals finds the global average and average peak connection speed have continued to climb by 10% over previous quarter to 3.6 Mbps.
A total of 122 countries/regions that qualified for inclusion saw average connection speeds increase during the third quarter, with growth ranging from 0.5% in Namibia (to 1.1 Mbps) to a 76% rise in
Nepal (to 3.6 Mbps).
Average connection speeds saw a 29% year-over-year increase, with all of the top 10 countries/regions climbing 27% or more. Globally, 133 qualifying countries/regions saw year-over-year increases in average connection speeds, from 0.2% in Egypt (to 1.2 Mbps) to 2595 in Réunion (to 6.8 Mbps).
Global average peak connection speeds showed a slight decline in the third quarter of 2013, dropping 5.2% to 17.9 Mbps. Seven of the top 10 countries/regions saw increases in average peak connection speeds during the quarter, ranging from 0.5% in Hong Kong (to 65.4 Mbps) to 19% in South Korea (to 63.6 Mbps). Meanwhile, Romania, Latvia and Belgium saw declines of 4.4, 3.3 and 3.6 % to 45.4, 43.1 and 38.5 Mbps, respectively.
Year over year, the global average peak connection speed grew 13% over the third quarter of 2012. Yearly increases among the top 10 countries/regions ranged from 15% in Latvia to 63% in Singapore. Globally, 115 qualifying countries/regions showed yearly growth in average connection speeds, with increases ranging from 0.3% in South Africa (to 11.9 Mbps) to 111% in Palestine (to 19.9 Mbps).
Global high broadband (>10 Mbps) adoption rose 31% quarter-over-quarter to reach 19 %. Global broadband (>4 Mbps) adoption improved 5.8% over the quarter to reach 53%.
“In the third quarter of 2013, we observed that long-term growth in average and average peak connection speeds remained strong, as did growth in global broadband and high broadband adoption rates. We believe these trends point to continued improvement in the quality and performance of Internet connectivity in countries around the world,” said David Belson, Editor, State of the Internet Report.