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Data: US broadband speeds among global best

February 8, 2022

In an analysis released entitled A Comparative Analysis of Fixed Broadband Speeds in Cities Across the World, Phoenix Center Chief Economist Dr. George S. Ford compared fixed broadband speeds in US cities to speeds in cities in other advanced economies.

Data from Ookla’s Open Data Initiative were used to compare fixed broadband speeds across 4,480 cities around the globe (910 in the US) from 98 nations. Across multiple comparisons, Ford finds that the US has equal or higher download speeds – often much higher – than do other comparator countries.

Of the 98 countries in the sample, average speeds in the US are in the top 5 per cen of all countries’ average download speeds, and in the top third of upload speeds. But even this lower ranking in upload speeds is unconcerning because upload speed differences are typically small. In any event, the data did not support any claims that the speeds in the US are slower than most other advanced nations.

“Across many cities located in nearly one hundred nations, US broadband speeds are found to be well above average,” said Ford. “The evidence belies the claim of lagging broadband speeds in the United States.”

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