Speedtest.net


Speedtest.net, also known as Speedtest by Ookla, is an United States based web service that provides free analysis of Internet access performance metrics, such as connection data rate and latency. It was founded by Ookla in 2006, and is based in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
The service measures the data throughput and latency of an Internet connection against one of around 8,000 geographically dispersed servers. Each test measures the data rate for the download direction, i.e. from the server to the user computer, and the upload data rate, i.e. from the user's computer to the server. The tests are performed within the user's web browser or within apps. , over 21 billion speed tests have been completed.
Tests were previously performed using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol at Layer 7 of the OSI model. To further improve accuracy, Speedtest.net now performs tests via direct Transmission Control Protocol sockets and uses a custom protocol for communication between servers and clients.
The site also offers detailed statistics based on test results. This data has been used by numerous publications in the analysis of Internet access data rates around the world.

History

The owner and operator of Speedtest.net, Ookla, was established in 2006 by a small team of internet and technology veterans. Ookla was acquired by Ziff Davis in 2014.

Acquisitions

Technology

The technology of Speedtest.net is similar to that of Ookla NetGauge, which is provided to a wide variety of companies and organizations on a licensed basis. Speedtest.net Mini was a free, stripped-down Flash version of the speed test technology used on Speedtest.net that users could run on their own web server, however it was replaced in 2016 with Speedtest Custom, an HTML5-based tool.

Speedtest.net data

Speedtest market reports

In 2016, Speedtest began releasing market reports for different countries and cities, providing raw statistics regarding download and upload speeds for the past year for ISPs and mobile carriers. It also includes analysis of the current ISP and mobile markets of the respective country and breakdowns by region and city. ISPs and mobile carriers are ranked by their geographic performance.
YearCountry Name Average ISP DownloadAverage ISP UploadAverage Mobile DownloadAverage Mobile UploadFastest ISP Speed ScoreFastest Carrier Speed Score
2017Canada59.67 Mbit/s18.55 Mbit/s35.19 Mbit/s10.29 Mbit/sRogers TELUS
2017United States64.17 Mbit/s22.79 Mbit/s22.69 Mbit/s8.51 Mbit/sXFINITY T-Mobile
2018Saudi Arabia21.66 Mbit/s9.25 Mbit/s17.71 Mbit/s10.64 Mbit/sMobily STC