Akamai: Average US Peak Broadband Speed Hits 70.8 Mbps

The average US peak broadband speed was 70.8 Mbps in the third quarter of 2016 – an increase of 23% over the same period a year earlier, according to the latest Akamai “State of the Internet” report. The average peak connection speed is Akamai’s closest approximation to the actual speeds that end users’ connections can support. In comparison, overall average connection speed was considerably lower – measuring 16.3 Mbps for third quarter, a 30% increase over third quarter of 2015. Nearly 90% (88%) of Americans have service supporting speeds of at least 4 Mbps, including 61% who can connect at speeds of at least 10 Mbps and 39% who can connect at speeds of at least 15 Mbps, Akamai said.

Average US peak broadband speed varied considerably by state, according to the Akamai State of the Internet report for the third quarter of 2016. Maryland had the highest average peak broadband speed, which measured 90.6 Mbps, Akamai said. The seven next highest states were also in the eastern US and all had average peak speeds of at least 81.7 Mbps. Those seven were Massachusetts, the District of Columbia (which Akamai counts as a state), Virginia, Delaware, Rhode Island, New Jersey and New York.