SEATTLE — Using its Speedtest broadband testing platform, Ookla has been monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on global Internet performance. While fixed and mobile broadband speeds have been declining at a global level in recent weeks, North American countries have seen mobile download speeds increase in the last week and fixed broadband speeds were relatively flat when comparing the week of March 30 to the week of March 23.
In its week-by-week analysis of global mobile and broadband Internet networks, Ookla found Canada’s average download speeds for both mobile and fixed broadband decreased during the weeks of March 9, March 16 and March 23. For the week of March 30 to April 5, however, the average fixed broadband speed in Canada had levelled off, while the average mobile broadband speed increased.
Overall for the month of March, Canada’s average mobile broadband download speed was 73.16 Mbps, giving it a fifth place ranking globally for the month, according to the Speedtest Global Index. In terms of fixed broadband speeds, Canada ranked 17th globally with an average download speed of 120.98 Mbps for the month of March.
In comparison, the average mobile broadband download speed in the United States was 41.68 Mbps for the month of March, giving it a 32nd place ranking globally. However, fixed broadband speeds in the U.S. were higher than in Canada, with the U.S. ranking 11th globally with an average fixed broadband download speed of 132.55 Mbps in March.
The global average download speeds in March for mobile and fixed broadband were 30.47 Mbps and 74.64 Mbps, respectively, according to the Speedtest Global Index.
