Earlier this month, UK telecoms provider, Cable, published the average broadband Internet download speeds for over 200 countries worldwide, as of June 2020. The results for 30 Caribbean countries were included, which we discuss.
Last week, United Kingdom triple play telecoms service provider, Cable, published the results of a global broadband speed assessment, which featured 221 countries, including 30 from the Caribbean/Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region. The download speeds tests were recorded over the period 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, and currently are among the most comprehensive sets of results that are publicly available.
Methodology
Similar to previous years, and over a period of 12 months up to 30 June 2020, the 2020 broadband speed test results were collected from a broad range of resources, including regulators and speed test providers that measure and collate broadband speed test results. The results were compiled and presented by Cable.
The download speeds recorded are those available to a device via a router, and so represent actual (or realistic) speeds experienced by the user – via Wi-Fi, Ethernet connection, or other means. For each country, download speed tests had to be recorded from at least 100 unique Internet Protocol addresses. Additionally, test results were excluded if, among other things, the speed test exercises were unduly long or short, if little data was actually transferred, or if a connection between the server and client was not properly established (Source: Cable).
We again have extracted the test results for the Caribbean countries included in the global league tables. For the 2020 assessment, 30 countries and/or island groups were included, as reflected Table 1.
In the sections that follow, we
- present the 2020 results; and
- briefly compare the 2020 results with those recorded in 2019.
2020 test results
For the Caribbean countries examined, typical download speeds ranged from a low of 3.16 Mbps in Cuba, to 89.81 Mbps in Aruba, as reflected in Figure 1. Across the region, the average download speed was 21.52 Mbps.
Among the countries with the fastest download speeds and in addition to Aruba, were the Cayman Islands, with an average download speed of 57.96 Mbps, and Barbados, with 56.90 Mbps. At the other end of the spectrum, and in addition to Cuba, were Suriname, with an average download speed of 4.42 Mbps, and Guyana, 4.43 Mbps.
Comparing 2020 with 2019 test results
In comparing the speed test results recorded in 2020 and in 2019, in all countries but one, Sint Maarten, the average download speeds increased over the 12-month period under review, as shown in Figure 2. These results are consistent with the download speed averaged across the countries examined. For 2020, the download speed averaged across the sample group was 21.52 Mbps, which is almost three times faster than the averaged figure for 2019, of 7.42 Mbps.
Figure 3 shows the change in the actual download speeds recorded in 2019 and 2010. The smallest increase in download speed was recorded in Dominica, at 5.07%, which was followed by Saint Kitts and Nevis and Anguilla, at 15.40% and 17.21%, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, the greatest increase in download speed was recorded in Grenada, at 661.75%, which was followed by Puerto Rico, at 498.33%, and Nevis and Aruba, at 492.83%.
As was noted earlier, Sint Maarten was the only country in the sample group for which a decrease in the average download speed was recorded. In 2019, the recorded speed was 5.13 Mbps, but this year, that figure dropped by 8.58%, to 4.69 Mbps.
Some parting thoughts
Globally, the Internet download speeds are increasing. The average worldwide in 2019 was 11.03 Mbps, in 2020, the figure doubled to 24.83 Mbps. However, to a considerable degree, which was also reflected in the Caribbean region, the dramatic increase in download speeds in some countries would lift the speed when averaged across the countries surveyed.
Additionally, it not clear what impact, if any, COVID-19 has had on download speeds in the Caribbean region, especially since the speeds users have been experiencing were faster than what was recorded last year. Further, and as Cable highlighted, the “speed test data tend to show a negativity bias – people are more likely to measure their speed if there is something wrong or if they aren’t getting the speed they need”. As a result, and in fact, people might be enjoying higher download speeds (generally) than these results suggest.
Image credit: Timo Newton-Syms (flickr)
