The UAE rose two spots in the global mobile broadband speed test in May to rank second, behind South Korea.
The Emirate had fallen to fourth place in April but had made a strong comeback. The UAE had overtaken South Korea for the first time to rank first in January.
In the UAE, the average download speed stood at 99.67Mbps in May compared to 78.56Mbps in April, 83.52Mbps in March and 86.35Mbps in February.
The average upload speed in the UAE stood at 24.50Mbps compared to 20.39Mbps in April, 21.79Mbps in March and 23.71Mbps in February.
The global average download speed was 33.71Mbps while the average upload speed was 10.89Mbps in May.
The global speed test conducted by Ookla compares internet speed data from around the world every month. Data for the index comes from the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people using speed test every month.
The global average download speed stood at 33.71Mbps compared to 30.89Mbps in April and 30.47Mbps in March while the upload speed stood at 10.89Mbps when compared to 10.50Mbps in April and 10.73Mbps in March.
In South Korea, the average download speed stood at 100.22Mbps in May compared to 88.01Mbps in April and 81.39Mbps in March while it was 97.10Mbps in China, the third-ranked country.
Qatar, which was ranked third in April, has fallen two places to fourth.
When compared to other Gulf Cooperation Countries, Qatar had a download speed of 89.11Mbps in May compared to 84.81Mbps in April while Saudi Arabia remained at 10th with a download speed of 62.33Mbps in May compared to 55.71Mbps in April, Kuwait also remained at 37th with 42.44Mbps in May compared to 39.65Mbps in April, Bahrain jumped one spot to rank 40th in May to 38.62Mbps compared to 36.71Mbps in April, Oman fell five places to 50th with 34.86Mbps in May compared to 35.43Mbps in April.
Fixed broadband benefits from Covid-19
In the fixed broadband space, all the countries have increased their speeds to absorb the strain on the fibre optic network due to distance learning and work-from-home initiatives due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The UAE rose one place to rank 23rd with an average download speed of 113.77Mbps compared to 106Mbps in April and 100.95Mbps in March while the average upload speed was 61.29Mbps in May compared to 57.61Mpbs in April and 51.17Mbps in March.
The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the UAE has increased the average fixed broadband speeds to 100Mbps across UAE to ensure a seamless continuation of distance learning and remote working.
The global average download speed increased to 76.94Mbps compared to 74.74Mbps in April while the upload speed stood at 41.09Mbps compared to 39.62Mbps in April.
The top three countries for fixed broadband speed are Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand, same as in April.
In Singapore, the average download speed was 205.13Mbps compared to 198.46Mbps in April while in Hong Kong, it was 183.24Mbps compared to 176.70Mbps in April, and Thailand had a download speed of 170.14Mbps.
When compared to Gulf Cooperation Countries, Qatar remained at 26th with a download speed of 108.25Mbps compared to 102.69Mbps in April and 94.94Mpbs in March, Kuwait fell two places to 42nd with a download speed of 73.83Mbps compared to 75.97Mbps in April and 62.51Mbps in March, Saudi Arabia remained at 48th with a download speed of 65.15Mbps in May compared to 62.66Mpbs in April and 61.03Mbps in March, Oman rose three places to 81st with a download speed of 33.91Mbps in May compared to 31.11Mbps in April and 28.41Mbps in March, Bahrain fell seven places to 96th with a download speed of 26.57Mbps in May compared to 26.95Mbps in April and 27Mbps in March.