Believe it or not, mobile and broadband speeds everywhere are increasing. Even with the pandemic and the transition to 5G, Ookla's Speedtest Global Index survey shows that global mobile and broadband download speeds have jumped 60% and 32%, respectively, over the last year.
Leading the way on the mobile side this year are United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Qatar, China, Cyprus, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia, and Bulgaria. That means Canada has fallen out of the top 10 in global rankings.
Following a 6th place finish in 2019, Canada fell to 8th in 2020 before falling off the list in 2021, thanks to improvements from Cyprus and Kuwait. Meanwhile, the US has not been included on the list for the past three years, which isn't surprising. Ookla found the country trailing behind in iPhone 12 5G speeds back in January.
When it comes to broadband, the world's leaders include Monaco, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Romania, Switzerland, South Korea, Chile, Denmark, and Liechtenstein. This marks the first time in the last three years that the US didn't make the cut for the top 10 worldwide.
The United States ranked 8th back in 2019 but fell from 9th in 2020 to missing the top 10 completely in 2021. Countries including Chile, Denmark, and Liechtenstein replaced it on the list. And Canada has not made the top 10 for the last three years.
Part of the problem in the US is inaccurate coverage maps for both broadband and mobile, plus low speed requirements for broadband. But work is being done to fix these issues. The FCC recently put out its first mobile coverage map and plans to do the same with broadband. The US is also set to put pressure on providers to offer faster minimum broadband speeds.
(Editor's note: Ookla is owned by PCMag's parent company, Ziff Davis.)(Editor's note: Ookla is owned by PCMag's parent company, Ziff Davis.)