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[nomad soul]

Where to find the world's fastest Internet: top 20
By Mark Milian, Bloomberg.com | 28 January 2014
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2014-01-27/where-to-find-the-world-s-fastest-internet-top-20.html#slide1

The U.S. government has been making headlines for its extraordinary (and scary) data-mining capabilities, but the country's broadband Internet infrastructure could use some work. Bloomberg.com got an early look at the quarterly Internet report that Akamai Technologies will publish later today. The rankings, which cover July through September of last year, are based on average peak connection speeds from traffic flowing through the company's global network.

20. Sweden -- The homeland of Mojang, maker of the hit game “Minecraft,” had an average peak speed of 33.1 megabits per second. That's 1.9 percent slower than the previous quarter, but 23 percent faster than a year ago. The global average was 17.9 Mbps. That's good news for the dry-eyed Swedes who can't tear themselves away from the addictive game.

19. Macau -- This region in Greater China generated $45.2 billion in casino revenue last year. But gambling away your money isn't the only activity you can do quickly in Macau -- you can also surf at an average peak of 34.4 megabits per second. The global average was 17.9 Mbps.

18. Czech Republic -- The Czech Republic ranked as the 23rd most innovative country, according to Bloomberg Rankings. It placed even higher when it came to Internet peak speed, averaging 34.8 megabits per second, which was 1.7 percent slower than the previous quarter and 28 percent faster than a year ago.

17. Canada -- While BlackBerry struggles to rebuild itself, even selling real estate to raise cash for its turnaround, Canada's broadband connections are booming. The country's peak average was 34.8 megabits per second, compared with the global average of 17.9 Mbps. The country's faster access is good news for the geeks who are lured away from Silicon Valley by the Canadian government.

16. United Kingdom -- One of the country's wireless operators may be the butt of jokes, but the U.K.'s broadband speeds are no laughing matter. The average peak speed for the U.K. reached 35.7 megabits per second, which was 3.9 percent slower than the previous quarter and 27 percent faster than a year ago.

15. United Arab Emirates -- The oil-rich country has fat pipes to deliver crude, as well as fast Internet connections. UAE's average peak speed was 36 megabits per second. The global average was 17.9 Mbps.

14. Kuwait -- With an average peak Internet speed of 36.4 megabits per second, Kuwait is the second Arab country to make the top 20. The nation's broadband connection was double the global average.

13. United States -- The home of the world's biggest tech companies still hasn't cracked the top 10 places to find the fastest Internet. The country's large landmass, which makes it difficult to fully cover with high-speed fiber, is partly to blame. Average peak speed in the U.S. was 37 megabits per second, more than double the global average and 19 percent faster than a year ago. That was 13 percent faster than the previous quarter, helping the U.S. to advance from 16th to 13th place.

12. Bulgaria -- Bulgaria, which ranked as the 42nd most innovative country, clocked an average peak Internet speed of 37 megabits per second. That was more than twice the global average.

11. Switzerland -- Switzerland, the 8th most innovative country and a major hub for the finance industry, had an average peak Internet speed of 38.4 megabits per second, easily doubling the global average of 17.9 Mbps.

10. Belgium -- Although the country's fastest connections increased 18 percent over the previous year, it dropped 3.6 percent from the previous quarter. Belgium's average peak speed was 38.5 megabits per second, which was more than double the global average of 17.9 Mbps.

9. Netherlands -- The Netherlands, which ranked as the 15th most innovative country, placed ninth in Internet speed. The nation's average peak broadband connection was 39.6 megabits per second, more than double the global average of 17.9 Mbps. The Netherlands increased its top speeds by 1.9 percent compared with the previous quarter.

8. Taiwan -- The home of global technology giants HTC and Foxconn Technology Group had an average peak Internet speed of 42.7 megabits per second. That's 8.2 percent faster than the previous quarter and a whopping 50 percent faster than the previous year. The global average was 17.9 Mbps.

7. Latvia -- Smaller countries are easier to blanket with high-speed Internet, which is one of the reasons why Latvia consistently ranks high on this list. Latvia's average peak broadband speed was 43.1 megabits per second. That's fast, but it's actually 3.3 percent slower than the previous quarter.

6. Romania -- Less than a year ago, Romania took home the bronze medal in Internet speed. The country has since fallen to sixth place with an average peak connection of 45.4 megabits per second. While that's still fast, it's 4.4 percent slower than the previous quarter.

5. Israel -- Israel, the leader in R&D, is also quickly becoming a country with the fastest Internet speeds. The nation's average peak connection of 47.7 megabits per second was a 19 percent increase over the previous quarter and a 55 percent jump in the span of a year.

4. Singapore -- When it comes to places with speedy Internet access, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin picked a good country to call his home. Singapore had an average peak speed of 50.1 megabits per second, nearly three times the global average of 17.9 Mbps. The country's top speeds were 9.9 percent faster than the previous quarter and 63 percent speedier than a year ago.

3. Japan -- The home of Nintendo and Sony ranked third on the fastest Internet list, thanks to the high-speed fiber optics that run through many parts of the island nation. Japan's average peak broadband speed reached an impressive 52 megabits per second, which was 6.4 percent higher than the previous quarter.

2. South Korea -- Serious PC gamers who want to dominate in “StarCraft” need fast, low-latency Internet connections. They'll find that in South Korea, home to consumer-electronics giants Samsung and LG. The country's average peak hit 63.6 megabits per second. The country's average grew 19 percent over the previous quarter and was more than three times the global average.

1. Hong Kong -- A perennial favorite, Hong Kong maintained its place atop the list with an average peak speed of 65.4 megabits per second. That's 21 percent speedier than a year ago and almost four times the global average.

(End of article)

[stinkytofu]

I tested the connection at Hong Kong airport a few months back and it was 94.88 Mbps. Is that fast enough for you?

[damn_my_eyes]

Surprised Thailand's not on the list, I've always found it to be faster than back home in the UK.
Currently on 54Mbps and just downloaded a 1.2GB programme in little over an hour.