Back in 1991, in the days of dial-up modems, modem speeds were 14.4 kilobits per second, and by 1996 they were up to 56 kbps.
With this awesome technology, you could send an email, go to lunch, and when you got back it was sent.
These days you probably need faster internet than that. But how fast does it need to be?
According to CNET it depends on what you’re transmitting. For example, email requires the least speed, about 1 mbps, while gaming needs about 25-35 mbps, and video streaming might need more.
But it also matters how many people and devices are drawing on your internet. Even with just one or two people, your network might be hosting multiple devices, from laptops and cellphones to gaming consoles and smart TVs.
CNET advises if your internet is slow it could be due to network congestion, poor router placement, interference from nearby networks or even your own internet service provider deliberately making your Wi-Fi slower, because they can.
This list of cites with the fastest internet comes from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, which compares internet speed data based on the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people who use their speed test. About 10 million unique tests are actively initiated daily by users on Ookla’s Speedtest.
The Speedtest index ranks nearly 200 cities around the world for median internet download speeds in September 2022. The ranking includes the two largest cities from each country. The cities all have over 500,000 inhabitants and sufficient samples to be included.
China tops the list, with Shanghai as the fastest city for mobile, with a median download speed of 158.63 mbps, while Beijing was fastest for fixed broadband at 238.86 mbps.
The global average for fixed broadband was a download speed of 72.40 mbps and an upload speed of 31.16 mbps.
Here are the 30 cities with the fastest internet speeds, ranked by average fixed broadband speed.
1. Beijing
- Fixed broadband speed: 252.51 Mbps
- Mobile: 154.17 Mbps (rank: 5)
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2. Shanghai
- Fixed broadband speed: 227.97 Mbps
- Mobile: 159.17 Mbps (rank: 4)
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3. New York
- Fixed broadband speed: 225.01 Mbps
- Mobile: 111.10 Mbps (rank: 16)
4. Bangkok
- Fixed broadband speed: 219.33 Mbps
- Mobile: 40.42 Mbps (rank: 65)
5. Lyon, France
- Fixed broadband speed: 208.79 Mbps
- Mobile: 57.68 Mbps (rank: 47)
6. Valparaiso, Chile
- Fixed broadband speed: 206.36 Mbps
- Mobile: 19.15 Mbps (rank: 126)
7. Bucharest, Romania
- Fixed broadband speed: 196.15 Mbps
- Mobile: 50.90 Mbps (rank: 53)
8. Madrid, Spain
- Fixed broadband speed: 195.40 Mbps
- Mobile: 41.47 Mbps (rank: 62)
9. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Fixed broadband speed: 195.28 Mbps
- Mobile: 144.29 Mbps (rank: 6)
10. Los Angeles
- Fixed broadband speed: 188.30 Mbps
- Mobile: 101.05 Mbps (rank: 21)
11. Chon Buri, Thailand
- Fixed broadband speed: 182.76 Mbps
- Mobile: 37.87 Mbps (rank: 70)
12. Geneva
- Fixed broadband speed: 182.23 Mbps
- Mobile: 81.68 Mbps (rank: 28)
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13. Barcelona, Spain
- Fixed broadband speed: 181.14 Mbps
- Mobile: 42.91 Mbps (rank: 61)
14. Santiago, Chile
- Fixed broadband speed: 178.86 Mbps
- Mobile: 23.31 Mbps (rank: 109)
15. Copenhagen, Denmark
- Fixed broadband speed: 178.27 Mbps
- Mobile: 143.56 Mbps (rank: 7)
16. Toronto
- Fixed broadband speed: 174.44 Mbps
- Mobile: 102.73 Mbps (rank: 20)
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17. Zurich
- Fixed broadband speed: 173.27 Mbps
- Mobile: 91.73 Mbps (rank: 24)
18. Tokyo
- Fixed broadband speed: 169.10 Mbps
- Mobile: 50.20 Mbps (rank: 54)
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19. Paris
- Fixed broadband speed: 160.72 Mbps
- Mobile: 72.85 Mbps (rank: 35)
20. Auckland, New Zealand
- Fixed broadband speed: 152.62 Mbps
- Mobile: 75.81 Mbps (rank: 33)
21. Budapest, Hungary
- Fixed broadband speed: 152.40 Mbps
- Mobile: 49.92 Mbps (rank: 55)
22. Osaka, Japan
- Fixed broadband speed: 150.04 Mbps
- Mobile: 51.36 Mbps (rank: 52)
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23. Krakow, Poland
- Fixed broadband speed: 141.14 Mbps
- Mobile: 40.34 Mbps (rank: 66)
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24. Warsaw, Poland
- Fixed broadband speed: 140.75 Mbps
- Mobile: 40.54 Mbps (rank: 64)
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25. Taipei and
26. New Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei:
- Fixed broadband speed: 136.51 Mbps
- Mobile: 69.37 Mbps (rank: 38)
New Taipei:
- Fixed broadband speed: 132.62 Mbps
- Mobile: 66.04 Mbps (rank: 41)
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27. Sao Paulo
- Fixed broadband speed: 130.38 Mbps
- Mobile: 59.23 Mbps (rank: 45)
28. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Fixed broadband speed: 128.82 Mbps
- Mobile: 159.90 Mbps (rank: 3)
29. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Fixed broadband speed: 113.97 Mbps
- Mobile: 55.07 Mbps (rank: 49)
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30. Gothenburg, Sweden
- Fixed broadband speed: 112.50 Mbps
- Mobile: 118.46 Mbps (rank: 14)
31. Milan
- Fixed broadband speed: 109.60 Mbps
- Mobile: 48.84 Mbps (rank: 57)
See the ranking of all 194 cities at Speedtest.net.
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