Is your internet running slow? This could be the reason

Are you one of those who is facing trouble with the internet speed? Well, you are probably not alone. The internet speed in the entire country has gone down, according to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index. As of March, the Index ranks India 130th for mobile, 2 spots down compared to February 2020. The country also dropped two spots on fixed broadband and is now ranked 71st globally in that category.

According to Ookla’s March Speedtest Global Index, UAE is in first position for mobile broadband speed with a mean download of 83.52 Mbps. Singapore still holds the top spot for fixed broadband speed with a mean download of 197.26 Mbps In India, there was a slight dip in mean mobile download speed, from 11.83 Mbps in February to 10.15 Mbps in March 2020.

The mean download speeds on fixed broadband have decreased from 39.65 Mbps in February to 35.98 Mbps in March. The mean fixed broadband speed in India has been declining since the beginning of 2020 - from 41.48 Mbps in January to 35.98 Mbps in March, a drop by 5.5 Mbps.

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Why is the speed down?

The internet speed usually goes down when there is too much load on it, like India is facing now due to the lockdown, explained Doug Suttles, CEO of Ookla.

"When networks are under usage strain, like they are in this unprecedented time of lockdown in India due to COVID-19, it is natural that they experience some level of slowdown," he said.

Suttles said that it is important to note that while the internet itself should handle elevated usage, there may be impacts to speed as people continue to move their daily activities increasingly online.

“While the core of the internet remains stable, some ISP networks may struggle to keep up,” he said.