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SA broadband speeds falter against EMEA countries

31st January 2014

By: Natasha Odendaal

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The latest report by Akamai this week showed that South Africa’s average broadband speeds had emerged as one of the slowest among countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

The third-quarter Akamai State of the Internet report said South Africa had recorded the lowest average connection speed and was one of only three countries to register quarter-on-quarter declines.

Barring South Africa, every country within the region had an average connection speed higher than the 4 Mb/s broadband threshold during the third quarter of 2013.

South Africa, with an average speed of 2.3 Mb/s, Italy with 4.9 Mb/s and the United Arab Emirates with speeds of 4.5 Mb/s, reported quarter-on-quarter declines of 1.1%, 1.4% and 1% respectively.

Year-on-year, South Africa had the smallest increase, at 5.2%, and was the only surveyed country to see a yearly growth rate below 10%.

South Africa and Italy had also become the only countries in the region to have average peak connection speeds below 20 Mb/s, with South Africa’s 6.8 Mb/s average peak speed the slowest seen across the region during the third quarter, while Italy and South Africa’s peak speeds declined 22% and 18% quarter-on-quarter respectively – some of the largest declines recorded during the third quarter.

The report revealed that quarter-on-quarter changes among the balance of the surveyed EMEA countries were broadly positive.

The Netherlands, replacing Switzerland at 11.6 Mb/s, had registered the highest average connection speed among countries in the EMEA during the third quarter, after experiencing a 23% quarter-over-quarter rise to 12.5 Mb/s.

“Both Switzerland and the Netherlands maintained average connection speeds above the 10 Mb/s high broadband threshold and were joined by the Czech Republic, which grew to 11.3 Mb/s after a 16% quarterly increase,” the report said.

Many of the EMEA countries recorded “extremely” strong yearly growth, with increases ranging from 15% in Hungary to 53% in Russia, with eight other countries reporting yearly growth in excess of 40% and six increasing more than 30% year-on-year.

Six countries saw average connection speeds grow by more than 20% year-on-year, while Slovakia and Hungary added more than 10% from the third quarter of 2012.

Excluding the 20% year-on-year decline seen in the United Arab Emirates, long-term changes in average connection speeds were “very positive” across the EMEA region.

“Overall, seeing ongoing strong growth across so many of the surveyed EMEA countries remains an encouraging trend, pointing to continuous improvements in the quality, availability, and affordability of high-speed Internet services within the region,” Akamai reflected in the report.

Average connection speeds reached 4 Mb/s in Turkey, 5.9 Mb/s in Portugal, 6.8 Mb/s in Slovakia, 7.8 Mb/s in Russia and 8.3 Mb/s in Israel.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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