US Internet Speeds Improve But The Country Ranks Only 20th In The World

In the broadband-testing world, Ookla's Speedtest dominates with copious amounts of useful data being compiled every day. According to its latest US broadband report, the company says that there are a staggering 8 million tests conducted worldwide each and every day. Those numbers mean one thing: we can get a very accurate picture on what broadband speeds are like across the globe.

Speedtest has produced such reports in the past, and ultimately it has never painted the prettiest pictures for US broadband performance. Even with this latest report, the country's broadband landscape has been improving, but the United States still ranks 20th in the world. Considering the fact that the US is bustling with technology companies and technological innovation, it's downright disappointing that this is the case. However, the important thing is that the situation is in fact improving - just slowly.

If you feel like our broadband speeds are not getting any faster, consider the fact that year-over-year, average download speeds increased 42%, and upload speeds increased 51%. This marks the first time the US has exceeded a 50Mbps average.

Things are not all rosy, though. According to the report, 10% of Americans still lack access to the FCC's target speeds of 25Mbps down, 3Mbps up. Looking further into rural communities, that number jumps to 39%.

This report also highlights the best ISPs out there for speed, with Comcast's XFINITY claiming the top spot, with 125Mbps download on average. Verizon's FiOS places fourth in the download category, with 88Mbps, but it dominates the rest in upload: 93Mbps. Yes - higher than the download.

Mobile carriers get some love in this report also, with average speeds in the US falling a hair short of 20Mbps down, and 8Mbps up. The fastest carrier overall is T-Mobile, which scored 21Mbps down and 12Mbps up.

If you want more granular information, including what average speeds you'd be able to expect from your city or area, hit up the full report in the via link below.