Average Mobile Connection Speed

Of the 62 countries/regions that qualified for inclusion, the United Kingdom continued its streak with the fastest average mobile connection speed at 20.4 Mbps, up 28% from the fourth quarter. Denmark's 10.0 Mbps speed was the next best behind the United Kingdom. On the low end, Vietnam had the slowest average connection speed at 1.3 Mbps.

Across the first quarter, the United Kingdom and Denmark were the only countries to top 10 Mbps, but a total of 40 countries achieved broadband speeds at or above the 4 Mbps threshold. These 40 countries represent a significant jump from the 30 qualifying countries from the previous quarter. Below are the countries/regions with the highest average mobile connection speeds by continent.

Highest Average Mobile Connection Speed by Continent

• Africa: Morocco, 4.8 Mbps
• Asia Pacific: South Korea, 8.8 Mbps
• Europe: United Kingdom, 20.4 Mbps
• North America: Puerto Rico, 9.6 Mbps
• South America: Venezuela, 7.0 Mbps

Average Peak Connection Speed

As was the case in previous quarters, average peak mobile connection speeds spanned a vast range, from Australia's leading 149.3 Mbps down to Indonesia's 8.2 Mbps. In total, four countries (Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand) achieved average peak speeds north of 100 Mbps, up from the two countries during the fourth quarter. In total, all but two countries (Nepal and Indonesia) had average peak mobile connection speeds above 10 Mbps. Below are the countries/regions with the highest average peak mobile connection speeds by continent.

Highest Average Peak Mobile Connection Speed by Continent

• Africa: Morocco, 51.6 Mbps
• Asia Pacific: Australia, 149.3 Mbps
• Europe: United Kingdom, 90.9 Mbps
• North America: Canada, 46.7 Mbps
• South America: Uruguay, 32.0 Mbps

Mobile Connectivity 4 Mbps Broadband Adoption

The 4 Mbps broadband threshold has commonly been cited as an acceptable lower bound for wired connections, and mobile Internet connectivity has evolved to a point where it can be applied to mobile connections as well. As stated in theState of the Internet Metrics: What do They Mean? blog post, broadband adoption represents the percentage of unique IP addresses connecting to Akamai from a given country/region on a mobile network at speeds of 4 Mbps or more. In the first quarter, Denmark had the highest level of mobile broadband adoption, at a tremendous 98% adoption rate. Sweden, Venezuela, Australia, and the United Kingdom followed close behind. On the low end, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Bolivia all had adoption rates below 1%. Below, are the highest mobile 4 Mbps broadband adoption rates by continent.

Highest Mobile Broadband Adoption by Continent

• Africa: Morocco, 55%
• Asia Pacific: Australia, 96%
• Europe: Denmark, 98%
• North America: Puerto Rico, 89%
• South America: Venezuela, 97%

For more information, check out the Akamai IO for a glimpse at mobile connectivity across the globe. For the full picture, download the Q1 2015 State of the Internet Report.