With the current lockdown restrictions, almost everything we do is made possible by technology, by the internet specifically. From learning modules and side hustle to buying food supplies and juggling work demands — it’s safe to say that we all are dependent on the virtual connectivity we have.
May it be a broadband connection or via mobile data services, having a decent internet connection has become “essential” since the global pandemic pushed all of us to stay at home.
While it’s all about convenience, it can get really frustrating if it’s not fast enough. Ookla, a global leader in testing applications and owner of Speedtest.net, has recently released its Q2 2021 report on Vietnam’s state of mobile and fixed network and the rest of Speedtest Global Index, where they ranked mobile and fixed broadband speeds from around the world.
Ranking 49th in 2020, Vietnam’s mobile internet speed dropped to 58th this year. However, in terms of speed, the mobile internet providers may have seemed to improve the quality of their services from the 38.40 Mbps download and 18.04 upload speed, it’s now 43.02 Mbps and 19.82 Mbps, respectively.
The global average for mobile download and upload speed is 55.34 Mbps and 12.69 Mbps, respectively.
Meanwhile, the country’s fixed broadband speed has improved but maintained the 59th spot in 2020 — scoring 74.46 Mbps download speed and 68.46 upload speed this year, Vietnam was only having a download speed of 47.66 Mbps and upload of 48.50 in April 2020.
The average worldwide is 106.61 Mbps download speed and 57.67 Mbps upload speed.
Fastest providers
An operator or Internet Service Provider (ISP) must account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market for the entire period to be designated as a top provider.
The Speedtest Global Index uses this designation to ensure that most consumers in the area have actual access to the provider to qualify it as the fastest, most consistent, or having the best coverage.
In Vietnam, for Q2 this year, the report reveals Viettel was the fastest mobile operator among top providers with a Speed Score™ of 44.16 on modern chipsets. Ookla closely monitors the launch and widespread release of new device models built on chipsets capable of utilizing the latest mobile network technologies.
“When calculating Speed Score™ and determining the winners of Speedtest Awards for mobile broadband, we focus solely on results from devices built on modern chipsets that are able to measure the network’s full capabilities. This ensures that an operator’s score is not negatively impacted if a portion of its subscriber base continues to use older technology,” the report reads.
In terms of the highest mobile Consistency Score, Vinaphone topped the list with 94.1% of results showing at least a 5 Mbps minimum download speed and 1 Mbps minimum upload speed; followed by Viettel (91.0%), mobifone (88.3%), and vietnamobile (45.9%).
With the devices, an analysis of performance on some of the fastest phones in Vietnam demonstrated the iPhone 12 Pro 5G showed the fastest average download speed with 99.43 Mbps. Another Apple product followed, iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G (95.77 Mbps), iPhone 12 5G (94.72 Mbps), Xiaomi’s Mi 10T Pro 5G (68.99 Mbps), and Samsung’s Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (54.27 Mbps) also made it to the list.
The Ookla report also examined combined performance by major cell phone manufacturers and found that devices from Apple had the fastest average download speed in Vietnam at 46.61 Mbps. Samsung came in next at 39.83, Xiaomi at 38.42, Oppo at 34.13, and Vietnam’s very own, Vsmart at 31.52 Mbps.
As for the locations, Hanoi edged out Ho Chi Minh City (43.70 Mbps) and Da Nang (43.22 Mbps) for the fastest average mobile download speed at 43.83 Mbps. The northern city of Hai Phong at 41.63 and Mekong Delta’s Can Tho at 40.61 landed on the fourth and fifth spots, respectively.
Meanwhile, Viettel also achieved the best-fixed broadband Consistency Score at 80.9%, tightly edging out FPT Telecom’s 80.0% and Vinaphone’s 79.6% for the fastest mean fixed broadband download speed.
Unlike the mobile speed, HCMC showed the fastest average download speed over fixed broadband among Vietnam's most populous cities at 77.14 Mbps. Can Tho at 75.96 on the second spot, then Da Nang (73.73), Hanoi (71.43), and Hai Phong (68.19).