South Korea gets the fastest Internet in the world

LONDON - The fastest broadband city in the world is Masan in South Korea, according to an analysis.

The data, from network giant Akamai reveals the average global net speed is only 1.7Mbps (megabits per second) although some countries have made strides towards faster services.

And Masan in South Korea stands at the top with Internet speed of 12Mbps.

At the second spot is Hong Kong with 9Mbps, followed by Japan with 7.8Mbps.

Rounding up the top 5 are Romania and Latvia with 6.3Mbps speed each.

In the speed league table, the UK is ranked 27th out of 201 countries, with an average speed of 3.8Mbps.

This is below the 5.2Mbps average speed calculated by regulator Ofcom in its annual broadband report.

“Other countries have got faster,” the BBC quoted David Belson, head of market intelligence at Akamai, as saying.

Even in South Korea, which tops the speed league table and is often perceived as enjoying super-fast broadband as the norm, the average speed is a relatively slow 12Mbps, with the average maximum hitting 33Mbps.

“100Mbps is available in South Korea but it is often at prices that are not affordable by the general public. It can cost several hundred dollars a month,” said Belson.

Asia dominates the list of fastest wired cities with more than half of the top 100 cities in Japan. Only 12 US cities make the list.

All the top twenty cites were in either Japan or South Korea, with the exception of Umea, in Sweden, which was ranked 18th.

Other European cities in the top 100 included Baden-Baden in Germany, Wageningen in the Netherlands and Timisoara in Romania.

Average net speed by region is as follows:

1. South Korea 12Mbps

2. Hong Kong 9Mbps

3. Japan 7.8Mbps

4. Romania 6.3Mbps

5. Latvia 6.3Mbps

6. Sweden 6.1Mbps

7. Netherlands 5.9Mbps

8. Czech Republic 5.4Mbps

9. Denmark 5.3Mbps

10. Switzerland 5.2Mbps (ANI)