Australian broadband speeds have got worse according to latest global report

The latest Ookla Speedtest Global Index report reveals that Australian mobile speeds are slowly improving but our fixed broadband has got worse compared to the rest of the world.

Every month Ookla’s report breaks down mobile and broadband internet speeds across the world. It also delves into the average speeds of the biggest cities, as well as the best providers.

September’s report was a bit of a mixed bag for Australia and our telcos.

Mobile improved but fixed broadband speeds took a hit

Australia is slowly trending upward when it comes to mobile speeds. According to the Speedtest report, we have an average download speed of 88.2Mbps, an upload speed of 11.47Mbps and our latency is sitting at 21ms. This has kept us in the 12th spot worldwide, right behind Brunei and Kuwait. However, we’re nowhere near the 126mbps+ that the United Arab Emirates and Norway are getting.

When it comes to fixed broadband, it’s a sadder but familiar tale. Australia dropped four spots in September, bringing us down to 71 worldwide. Our average speed for the month sat at 52.46Mbps for downloads and 17.98Mbps for uploads. While Singapore previously had the top spot on the list, Chile now holds the crown with an average download speed of 217.42Mbps.

And if you were looking for your Sydney vs Melbourne rivalry fix, Melbourne is slightly ahead. The two cities swapped spots for mobile speeds in September, with Sydney dropping to 17 and Melbourne going to 16. For broadband speeds, Sydney dropped one spot to 92, with Melbourne holding steadfast at 93.

This paints quite a bad picture for Australia, and with good reason. Broadband connectivity has been contentious since the NBN was first proposed. A hotbed for political commentary, both sides of the aisle had different views on what the NBN rollout should look like and what technology should be used.

What we have ended up with is a mixed bag of seven different connection types across an expansive island nation, some of which are still relying on old copper and HFC technology, as well as slow and expensive satellites.

And depending on where you live, you may not get a choice in what connection type you can access.

It’s also worth noting that the Speedtest reports are based on the speeds delivered, as opposed to actual capabilities.

Because Australian telcos offer a range of speed options at different price points (with the fastest generally being quite expensive), the numbers are going to be slightly skewed.

Which Australian telcos were the fastest?

When it comes to mobile speeds, Telstra was well ahead of the competition with a median download speed of 95.3 Mbps. Optus and Vodafone trailed significantly at 86.92 Mbps and 66.40 Mbps, respectively.

For fixed broadband, Aussie Broadband took the top spot at 67.40 Mbps, with Optus coming in second at 52.93 Mbps.

Disclosure: the author’s partner works for Aussie Broadband.