Pando Networks Releases Global Internet Speed Study

From a Pando Networks Announcement:

A study released by Pando Networks revealed the speed and reliability of Internet connections around the globe with some surprising findings. Based on 27 million downloads by 20 million computers in 224 countries from January through June 2011 , the study provides a comprehensive look at worldwide data accessibility, singling out the very best and the very worst places to link up with the web.

The average worldwide download speed is 580KBps, placing the U.S. only slightly ahead of the pack with an average speed of 616KBps. While South Korea leading the list with a blazingly fast average speed of 2,202KBps may not come as much of a surprise, the small eastern European nations of Romania (1,909KBps) and Bulgaria (1,611KBps) unexpectedly claimed the second and third highest speeds. In fact, eastern European nations dominated the top of the list with Lithuania in fourth at 1,462KBps, Latvia in fifth at 1,377KBps and Ukraine in eighth at 1,190KBps. The completion rate for measured downloads closely correlates with average speed, South Korea again taking top prize with a 94% completion rate and most of the other speedy countries not far behind.

The other end of the list is fairly unsurprising; developing nations in Africa and Asia trail far behind the speeds of those with more mature economies. The Congo has the absolute slowest average speed at 13KBps, followed closely by the Central African Republic at 14KBps and Comoros at 23KBps. Other notable countries studied include Germany at 647KBps, Australia at 348KBps, and China at 245KBps.

The study goes on to break down the data to the city level, the fastest six of which are, unsurprisingly, located in South Korea. Andover, MA (2,801KBps) and Bucharest, Romania (2,665KBps) are the only cities outside of gaming heavyweight South Korea to break into the top 10. The slowest measured city was Algiers, Algeria at 56KBps followed by Itapema, Brazil at 61KBps and Santa Cruz, Bolivia at 62KBps.

Average download speeds also vary based by ISP, and choosing the correct one could be the difference between speedy downloads and frustrating wait times. In the United States, Verizon Internet Services provides the fastest service, averaging 1,056KBps due to their widespread FIOS network. In Great Britain, Virgin Media is the fastest choice with average speeds of 612KBps while Dacom Corp. takes the top spot in speedy South Korea with an average of 5,151KBps.

Heat Map of Pando’s Data

Infographic: Which Country Has the Fastest Download Speeds in the World (via Mashable)

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Hat Tip & Thanks: Kevin Adams

Filed under: Data Files, News