Broadband speed comparison
Advertised broadband speeds are seldom indicative of real world performances, and one of the easiest ways to establish the true performance of a broadband service is to use web based speed tests.
One of the best known web based speed tests in the world, Speedtest.net, is using the feedback from over twenty million monthly tests to compile their global broadband statistics. “We collect download and upload speeds, round-trip latency, IP address, ISP, and geographic location,” the Speedtest.net website states.
International comparison
According to the Speedtest.net website Africa has the lowest average download speed at 1.03 Mbps. Europe leads the download speed race with an average throughput of 5.6 Mbps, followed by North America with 5.53 Mbps, Australasia with 4.42 Mbps, Asia with 3.69 Mbps and South America with 1.64 Mbps.
The top countries, when rated according to download speed, are Korea the leaders with 17.83 Mbps, followed by Japan with 16.07 Mbps and Sweden with 11.55 Mbps. The Top 5 is completed by Lithuania with 11.28 Mbps and Romania with 10.33 Mbps. South Africa is ranked 91st in the world with an average download speed of 1.56 Mbps.
When it comes to upload speeds the top country is Lithuania with 8.08 Mbps, followed by Japan on 7.49 Mbps and Bulgaria with 4.43 Mbps. Here South Africa is even further down the list – 104th place with an average upload speed of 0.37 Mbps.
On the African continent South Africa’s average download speed of 1.56 Mbps places it second behind Morocco which boasts an average of 1.59 Mbps and ahead of Reunion which is third on 1.38 Mbps.
Local Speeds
The top speeds from local ISPs are difficult to assess because they are often skewed by speed tests from hosting companies and corporate networks.
According to the Speedtest.net results Uninet has the best download speed amoung ISPs with 4.24 Mbps, followed by Hetzner with 4.15 Mbps and Verizon South Africa with 2.72 Mbps. The top 5 is completed by MTN with 2.41 Mbps and Telkom SA Ltd with 2.07 Mbps.
When schools/universities are included in the results the University of Potchefstroom reigns supreme at 7.67 Mbps, followed by two other universities which are not clearly identified at 5.32 Mbps and 4.29 Mbps respectively.
Loading ...