India’s Average Internet Speed at 5.6 Mbps Ranks 14 Lowest in Asia

The country is moving ahead with its mobile revolution, but not so much in the broadband space.

India’s internet speeds have barely reached global standards. (Photo: iStock)

Globally, the average internet connection speed has increased by 12 percent to 7.0 Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2016 – a 26 percent increase year-over-year, a new report said on Thursday. Sadly, India’s average speed is less than the global average at 5.6 Mbps.

In the Asia-Pacific region, 14 countries, including China have faster internet speeds than India.

This data has been shared in the "2016 State of the Internet Report" by Akamai Technologies. The report pegs South Korea, again, had the highest average connection speed globally at 26.1 Mbps in the fourth quarter.

When Akamai first published the report in 2008, we defined ‘high broadband’ as 5 Mbps and above, which nine years ago, had an adoption rate of 16 percent globally. We’re now seeing a 15 Mbps adoption rate of 25 percent worldwide.

David Belson

The report provided insight into key global statistics, such as connection speeds, broadband adoption metrics, and notable Internet disruptions, among others.

At 26.7 Mbps, Washington DC led the United States in average connection speed. The report talked about how global 4, 10, 15 and 25 Mbps broadband adoption rates increased 15 percent, 31 percent, 37 percent and 45 percent year-over-year, respectively.

(With IANS inputs)