Ookla has announced that Global 5G download speeds improved in its analysis of the Speedtest® data in Q3 2023, comparing 5G year over year, identifying the 10 countries with the best performance. However, consumers may be moving the goalposts.
The median global 5G download speed increased 20 percent, reaching 203.04 Mbps, which aligns with a rise in global 5G subscriptions. Global 5G connections reached 1.4 billion according to GSMA Intelligence, representing a 65 percent year-on-year increase from 872 million a year ago. Upload speeds, however, grew only 1 percent to 18.71 Mbps.
Even though 5G technology is advancing, there has been a decline in the Net Promoter Score (or user satisfaction) among 5G users. Factors contributing to user dissatisfaction could include unmet expectations and discrepancies between actual 5G speeds and advertised speeds.
The countries with the best 5G performance have shifted. The United Arab Emirates led the way with 592.01 Mbps, followed by South Korea with 507.01 Mbps. Malaysia, Qatar, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Kuwait, Macau, Singapore, and India round out the top 10 rankings.
Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, and India made significant strides, while Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, and Bahrain dropped out of the rankings. The U.S. had a median download of slightly above 200 Mbps
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
Reader Interactions