Latest Data Reveals Fastest Broadband Regions Worldwide

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Though the details have shifted slightly, the headline remains the same: the United States is home to ten of the top twenty fastest Internet regions in the world. According to the latest Akamai State of the Internet report, Washington, D.C. tops the list with the fastest Internet in America with an average peak connection speed of 72.7 Mbps. The next fastest is next-door-neighbor Maryland with 66.5 Mbps. This should come as little surprise as these regions are most like the small, densely packed urban regions also reflected in the top twenty like Singapore and Japan.

Akamai’s State of the Internet report is released quarterly and after every release, we update the facts on our Broadband by the Numbers page and then across our entire website. After that, we share the numbers through our social media networks and publish them here on our blog. Doing so almost inevitably leads to the question, “Why do you report average peak Internet speeds instead of average speeds? Wouldn’t average be a better gauge of actual throughput?” It’s a great question – one best answered by Akamai.

In a blog post, David Belson, Product Line Director for Custom Analytics & MCDN at Akamai, said,

We believe that the average peak connection speed is more representative of Internet connection capacity. By using the fastest measurement observed from each unique IP address, we are capturing just those connections that reached maximum throughput rates. Often, though not always, these connections are associated with the download of larger files, such as desktop applications, games, or software updates. 

In other words, measuring average peak gives a better sense of the actual observed ability of a network connection when it’s under maximum stress. While average is a great way to measure what people are doing on the network, it’s not an ideal measure of the ability of the network. And to clarify a common misconception, average peak is not the peak available, but peak observed – actual, real-world results.

Take a look at the data below and see where the new fastest broadband regions in the world are. How does your state stack up?

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