Bangladesh slumps in global mobile internet rankings

Bangladesh performed poorly in Ookla' Speedtest Global Index in January, descending 7 spots from the 101st position to 108th in the mobile internet segment.

The country's position in the broadband internet index also slipped one spot to 109th in January from 108th in December.

This is a setback for mobile internet quality parameters as Bangladesh had improved in the index in recent months.

Meanwhile, India ranked 18th in the mobile internet index while it was 87th in the broadband segment.

According to the index, the median mobile download speed in Bangladesh was found to be 23.85 Mbps while the upload speed was 11.36 Mbps in January.

During this period, the median latency in the country was 25 milliseconds.

For the broadband segment, the median download speed was 41.59 Mbps, upload speed was 42.60 Mbps, and median latency was 5 milliseconds.

Download speed measures how quickly data travels from the internet to the user's device while upload speed measures the speed of data sent from the user's device to the internet. Latency indicates the time it takes for data to travel between the user's device and the server.

Ookla, a global internet testing and analysis provider, gives a view of worldwide network performance, quality and accessibility based on millions of results obtained through the Ookla Speedtest app each day.

Ookla's Speedtest Intelligence also revealed the top performer among mobile operators in Bangladesh in the fourth quarter of last year.

Banglalink delivered the fastest median download speed at 26.74 Mbps followed by Robi with a median download speed of 24.62 Mbps.

With this, Banglalink won the Ookla Speedtest Award for the "Fastest Mobile Network" in Bangladesh for the fourth consecutive year.

"Our steadfast commitment to a customer-centric ethos is demonstrated through the delivery of the nation's fastest internet," said Erik Aas, CEO of Banglalink.

"We have undertaken significant expansion, doubling our network reach, to empower our customers with unparalleled connectivity," he added.

Aas also said that by unleashing the power of the fastest internet, Banglalink is actively paving the way for a "Smart Bangladesh" and setting the industry standard for internet excellence.

DOT Internet was the fastest fixed broadband provider with a median download speed of 91.35 Mbps in the fourth quarter of 2023.

AR Ferdous, a resident of Manikganj, expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of internet service he receives considering what he pays for the facility.

"The mobile operators claim to provide us with 4G service. However, the internet service falls far short of 4G standards," he added.