Growing and Slowing: The State of 5G Worldwide in 2021

Ookla examined Speedtest Intelligence data from Q3 2021 Speedtest results to see how 5G speeds have changed, where download speeds are the fastest at the country and capital level, where 5G deployments have increased, and what worldwide 5G Availability looked like in Q3 2021. Over the past year from Q3 2020 to Q3 2021, the median global 5G download speed fell to 166.13 Mbps, down from 206.22 Mbps in Q3 2020. Median upload speed over 5G also slowed to 21.08 Mbps (from 29.52 Mbps) during the same period. More users are logging on to existing 5G networks, and we’re also at the stage in the evolution of 5G where countries that have historically had slower speeds are starting to offer 5G. In addition, the widespread use of dynamic spectrum sharing that has been used to boost early 5G coverage weighs on 5G download speeds. While the dip in speeds looks like a letdown, it’s more of a compromise to enable broader access. With additional spectrum and further deployments slated for 2022, we anticipate speeds will begin to pick up again.

[Isla McKetta is Head of Content at Ookla.]