• According to the latest data from internet speed tester Ookla, 5G speeds have stabilised across the globe.
• South Korea and the United Arab Emirates have the fastest 5G speeds globally.
• Many African countries have eased their reliance on 2G and 3G connectivity, but more work needs to be done for the rest of the continent to adopt the latest generation of mobile connectivity.

5G is no longer a new technology. Countries around the world have enjoyed the 5th generation of mobile connectivity since early late 2019. South Africa’s first 5G network came that same year, with rain leading the charge.

However, even as 2023 is on the horizon, as well as new trends shaping 5G into the future, consumers in many countries are still waiting to see the full benefits of 5G (or even to connect to 5G at all).

This is according to internet speed tester Ookla. The company has used data collected by users around the world on its Speedtest platform and compiled results into a new report outlining the state of 5G around the world.

“We examined Speedtest Intelligence data from Q3 2022 Speedtest results to see how 5G performance has changed since last year, where download speeds are the fastest at the country level, and how satellite technologies are offering additional options to connect. We also looked at countries that don’t yet have 5G to understand where consumers are seeing improvements in 4G LTE access,” Ookla wrote in a press statement.

In its 2021 report on the same topic, Ookla outlined how an expansion of 5G access led to a decline in overall speed at the global level.

This year’s data showed a stabilisation in overall speeds, even as 5G access broadened to more regions, with a median global 5G download speed of 168.27Mbps in Q3 2022 as compared to 166.13Mbps in Q3 2021.

Median upload speed over 5G slowed slightly to 18.71Mbps (from 21.08Mbps) during the same period.

According to the Ookla 5G Map, there were 127 509 deployments in 128 countries as of 30th November 2022, compared to 85 602 in 112 countries the year prior.

The countries with the fastest 5G internet speeds

In terms of the countries that are leading when it comes to sheer speeds, Ookla’s intelligence highlights South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for 2022:

South Korea and the UAE had the fastest median download speed over the latest generation connectivity at 516.15Mbps and 511.70Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2022.

These two countries lead a top 10 list that included Bulgaria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Kuwait, New Zealand, Bahrain, and Brazil.

Bulgaria, Singapore, Bahrain, and Brazil were new to the top 10 in 2022, while Norway, Sweden, China, and Taiwan all fell out of the top 10.

Challenges affected 5G use around the world

Ookla says that one of the major challenges affecting the rollout of the technology across the globe continues to be its availability.

“We see wide disparity in 5G Availability among markets worldwide, with for example the US recording 54.3 percent in Q3 2022, well ahead of markets such as Sweden and the UAE, with 8.6 percent and 8.3 percent respectively,” the speed tester details.

Its “5G Availability” metric measures the proportion of Speedtest users with 5G-capable handsets.

Speedtest Intelligence points to 5G adoption challenges in some markets, with 5G Availability dropping in Bulgaria, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the UAE. No African country even features in the list.

“As more users acquire 5G-capable devices, operators need to balance their pricing models to ensure users have sufficient incentives to purchase a 5G tariff,” Ookla adds.

Speedtest Intelligence showed 29 countries in the world where more than 20 percent of samples were from 2G and 3G connections (combined) during Q3 2022 and met Ookla’s statistical threshold to be included (down from 70 in Q3 2021).

“These are mostly countries where 5G is still aspirational for a majority of the population, which is being left behind technologically, having to rely on decades-old technologies that are only sufficient for basic voice and texting, social media, and navigation apps,” it says.

“We’re glad to see so many countries fall off this list, but having so many consumers on 2G and 3G also prevents mobile operators from making 4G and 5G networks more efficient. If operators and regulators are able to work to upgrade their users to 4G and higher, everyone will benefit.”

These are mostly developing countries. Many are African or Asian nations, which continue to rely on older connectivity networks as 5G infrastructure deployment remains in the far offing for some.

Countries that still heavily rely on 2G and 3G connections:

Ukraine also notably reduced its reliance on older forms of mobile connectivity this year despite weathering the Russian invasion.

While countries like Belarus, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guyana, Madagascar, Palestine, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo, and Turkmenistan are still on this list, Ookla notes that they have improved the percentage of their samples on these outmoded technologies when compared to last year by at least 10 points.

Palestine improved by more than 50 points. 2G and 3G samples in Kiribati increased 3.2 points when comparing Q3 2022 to Q3 2021.

“We’re glad to see performance levels normalize as 5G expands to more and more countries and access improves and we are optimistic that 2023 will bring further improvements,” the speedtester concludes.

The full report from Ookla can be found here.

[Image – David Arrowsmith on Unsplash]