UAE loses ground and falls to fourth place in global mobile broadband speed test in April

UAE, which dethroned South Korea to take the top spot in the global mobile broadband speed test in March, has fallen to fourth place in April.

According to Ookla’s Global Speed Test stats, South Korea is ranked first, followed by Qatar and China.

In the UAE, the average download speed was 78.56Mbps in April compared to 83.52Mbps in March and 86.35Mbps in February.

The average upload speed in the UAE was 20.39Mbps compared to 21.79Mbps in March and 23.71Mbps in February.

The global speed test compares internet speed data from around the world every month. Data for the index comes from the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people using speed test every month.

The global average download speed stood at 30.89Mbps in April compared to 30.47Mbps in March while the upload speed stood at 10.50mbps in April compared to 10.73Mbps in March.

In South Korea, the average download speed was 88.01Mbps compared to 81.39Mbps in March while it was 84.81Mbps in Qatar in April compared to 78.38Mbps in March.

When compared to other Gulf Cooperation Countries, Saudi Arabia rose two places to 10th with a download speed of 55.71Mbps compared to 54.13Mbps in March while Kuwait rose eight places with 39.65Mbps compared to 35.34Mbps in March, Bahrain fell two places to rank 41st with 36.71Mbps compared to 36.49Mbps in March, Oman fell seven places to rank 45th with 35.43Mbps compared to 36.51Mpbs in March.

Fixed broadband benefits from Covid-19

In the fixed broadband space, all the countries have increased their speeds to absorb the strain on the fibre optic network due to work-from-home initiatives due to Covid-19 pandemic.

UAE rose two places to 24th with an average download speed of 106Mbps in April compared to 100.95Mbps in March and 95.80Mbps in February while the average upload speed was 57.61Mpbs in April compared to 51.17Mbps in March and 46.66Mbps in February.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the UAE has increased the average fixed broadband speeds to 100Mbps across UAE to ensure a seamless continuation of distance learning and remote working.

According to telecom operator du, its fixed customers are benefitting from an average of 130Mbps – 30% above the average speed in the UAE.

Saleem Al Blooshi, Chief Technology Officer at EITC, the parent company of du, said that du has managed to double the capacity of its fixed network to meet the demand during the Covid-19 period.

An industry expert said that both the telecom operators in the UAE – Etisalat and du – had increased their bandwidth and improved their network to absorb the strain on the fibre optic network due to work-from-home strategy.

The global average download speed slowed stood at 74.74Mbps in April while the upload speed stood at 39.62Mbps.

The top three countries for fixed broadband speed are Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.

In Singapore, the average download speed was 198.46Mbps in April compared to 197.26Mbps in March while in Hong Kong, it was 176.70Mbps in April compared to 168.99Mbps in March.

When compared to other Gulf Cooperation Countries, Qatar jumped four places higher to rank 26th with a download speed of 102.69Mbps in April compared to 94.94Mpbs in March, Kuwait jumped eight places to 40th with a download speed of 75.97Mbps compared to 62.51Mbps in March, Saudi Arabia rose one place higher to 48th with a download speed of 62.66Mpbs compared to 61.03Mbps in March, Oman rose five places higher to 84th with a download speed of 31.11Mbps compared to 28.41Mbps in March, Bahrain rose four places higher to 89th with a download speed of 26.95Mbps compared to 27Mbps in March.

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