Australia tumbles in Akamai broadband rankings

Ranked 49 for having only 55 per cent connected to broadband

Australia has fallen in broadband connectivity rankings measured by Akamai, according to the company’s latest State of the Internet report.

At the end of Q1 2014, Australia ranked 49th globally for percentage of broadband connections, defined as an Internet connection above 4Mbps. That was down five positions from the previous quarter, even though the percentage of broadband connectivity in Australia actually increased slightly in the quarter to 55 per cent.

Australia was somewhat higher in global rankings for broadband connections with speeds over 10Mbps, coming in at number 38 for having 11 per cent of users with connections that fast. However, that was down a position from the previous quarter.

The average connection speed in Australia for the quarter was 6Mbps, 39 per cent higher than the country’s average speed in Q1 2013. That put Australia in the position of 42 globally, up two positions from the previous year.

Australia fared better in global rankings when it came to mobile broadband. In Q1 2014, 40 per cent of mobile connections in Australia were recorded above 4Mbps. That was behind Ukraine (89 per cent), South Korea (78 per cent), Venezuela (69 per cent) and Canada (60 per cent).

While the average mobile connection speed in Australia was 4.6Mbps, the average peak speed was a whopping 114.2Mbps. That average peak speed was more than double the next highest country, Japan (47.3 Mbps).

“Australia’s impressive average peak mobile connection speed is not surprising, given that one of the providers in the country achieved an average peak speed of over 130 Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2013, thanks to an initial rollout of ‘LTE Advanced’ technology,” Akamai said.

Telstra and Optus have each performed LTE-A tests in the past year.

Adam Bender covers telco and enterprise tech issues for Computerworld and is the author of dystopian sci-fi novels We, The Watched and Divided We Fall. Follow him on Twitter: @WatchAdam

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU, or take part in the Computerworld conversation on LinkedIn: Computerworld Australia

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags Australiamobilebroadbandakamaispeedsconnectivityrankings

More about AdvancedAkamai TechnologiesOptusTelstra CorporationTelstra Corporation

Show Comments
[]