The Asia Pacific region is ahead of European countries in 5G network deployment, according to statistics reported by Ookla. Malaysia and South Korea had the highest speeds, with median downloads of 512.10 Mbps, and 503.99 Mbps, respectively, according to Speedtest Intelligence® H1 2023 data.
Several other markets in the Asia Pacific region had faster median download performance compared to European countries. Singapore, India, New Zealand, China, and Australia achieved a median 5G download speed exceeding 200 Mbps, compared with Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Spain, which recorded median download speeds below 150 Mbps.
Ookla listed a couple distinctions in their 5G approach that might have led to the leadership of the two countries. The Malaysian government uses a nationwide single wholesale network approach, while South Korea was the first market in the world to launch a commercial 5G network.
Early in 2021, Inside Towers reported that Europe had fallen behind the U.S. and Asia in the race to build 5G networks. That’s despite increased investment by the region’s largest players, reported the Financial Times. Twenty-four percent of Europeans were able to connect to a 5G network at the end of 2020, compared to 13 percent at the end of 2019, according to research.
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