Ookla Speedtest is reporting a noticeable decline in internet speeds across the US and Europe amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The slowdown has become more apparent over the past week as more countries introduce stricter lockdown measures, including the UK’s announcement yesterday.
Broadband speeds
In the United States, average fixed broadband speeds fell from roughly 140 Mbps in the week beginning March 9 to about 133 Mbps the week of March 16.
Canada experienced a similar decline, with mean broadband speeds dropping from approximately 129 Mbps to around 121 Mbps during the same interval.
Across Europe, several countries recorded decreases in average broadband performance. Germany saw one of the largest drops, falling from about 103 Mbps to roughly 95 Mbps.
The UK’s broadband performance remained relatively stable compared with other European countries. However, until yesterday the UK had imposed comparatively few lockdown measures; it will be important to monitor whether speeds change in the coming weeks as restrictions take effect.
Mobile speeds
Mobile networks also showed performance degradation, and in many places the reductions were more pronounced than for fixed broadband.
In the US, the decline was modest: mean mobile download speeds dropped from around 43 Mbps in the week of March 9 to about 41 Mbps the following week. Canada experienced a small fall as well, from roughly 74 Mbps to 72 Mbps.
Several European countries saw larger mobile slowdowns. Spain, one of the hardest-hit European nations after Italy, saw average mobile download speeds decrease from about 35 Mbps to close to 30 Mbps over the same period. France, Austria, and Switzerland recorded similar declines of around 5 Mbps.
The UK and Germany largely maintained their mobile broadband performance, although their starting speeds were lower than those in some other European markets.
Notably, the Netherlands stood out as an outlier: it achieved its highest mean broadband speeds since last December during the period measured.
Overall, Ookla Speedtest’s data suggest that COVID-19–related lockdowns and the resulting increase in home working and leisure activity are affecting network performance in many regions. While slower download speeds are inconvenient, most people would consider that a small price to pay if it helps reduce the spread of infections.
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