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12 African Countries With The Fastest Broadband Speeds

12 African Countries With The Fastest Broadband Speeds

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In business terms, countries with the fastest broadband speeds have a distinct advantage over others, and this is especially true for Africa.

New research from British company Cable, a broadband, TV and phone comparison firm, looked at over 63 million broadband speed tests across the globe to determine the fastest broadband speeds based on country averages.

The research took into account 189 countries, including most African nations ranking them from first to last with regards to average speeds that users experience in those countries.

Singapore ranks as the world’s fastest country with speeds of 55.13Mbps (megabyte per second), while Yemen is in last place in the ranking at an average speed of only 0.34Mbps. By comparison, the U.S. placed 21st at 20Mbps in the rankings.

Here are the 12 African countries with the fastest broadband speeds.

Sources: Cable, TechCentral, Businesstech, AllAfrica.

Expanding internet capacity in Africa
A fibre optic cable bringing broadband internet to East Africa arrives in Mombasa in 2009. Photo: AFP/Getty

12) Uganda

With an average speed of 2.12Mbps, Uganda is the nation with the 12th fastest broadband speed in Africa, while placing 116th in the world just above Myanmar and fellow East African country Rwanda.

tech hubs
Liberia is 11th on the list of fastest broadband speeds in Africa. (Photo: Code Innovation)

11) Liberia

With the same average speed as Uganda at 2.12Mbps, West African country Liberia has managed to increase general speeds in recent years, and now ranks 115th in the world with the same speed as Colombia.

Young Ghanians using the internet at school. Photo: CNN.com

10) Ghana

Starting off the African top 10 is Ghana, a country in West Africa that is increasingly embracing the internet, and therefore the speed requirements that come with it. Placed 110th in the world with an average speed of 2.3Mbps.

Businessmen visiting Zambia may be surprised at the average internet speed. Photo: thecabinhongkong.com

9) Zambia

In 106th place globally on the Cable broadband speeds ranking, Zambia clocks in with a speed of 2.45Mbps, which means that it would take Zambians an average of just under seven hours to download an HD movie that was 7.5GB in size.

African education is ripe for a digital revolution
#RuzivoDigitalLearning platform registration in progress at Kensington Primary School, Bulawayo. Photo: Twitter

8) Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is the African country with the eighth fastest broadband speed on the continent, boasting average speeds of 2.49Mbps, according to Cable research. At 105th overall, Zimbabwean broadband speeds are slightly faster than those found in El Salvador and Martinique.

Nigerian bloggers during a lunch with Google. Photo: wealthresult.com

7) Nigeria

Perhaps quite surprisingly considering the fact that Nigeria is one of the biggest economies on the African continent, they are only seventh in Africa in terms of broadband speeds, while they place 95th in the world with a speed of 3.15Mbps.

Madagascar provides average broadband speeds of 3.49Mbps for its people. Photo - RisingVoices
Madagascar provides average broadband speeds of 3.49Mbps for its people. Photo – RisingVoices

6) Madagascar

The island of Madagascar provides average broadband speeds of 3.49Mbps for its people, allowing it to rank 89th globally and sixth on the African continent in terms of broadband internet download speeds.

Tunisians have fairly fast internet speeds in the African context. Photo: Thinkstock

5) Tunisia

The first North African on this list, Tunisia is home to an average speed of 3.5Mbps. This means that Tunisians can count on being fifth among African nations with the fastest broadband speeds, and 88th internationally.

Internet Access
Solar Powered Internet school in South Africa. Photo: Samsung Electronics/blogs.voanews.com

4) South Africa

South Africa is placed just ahead of the United Arab Emirates with an average download speed of 4.36Mbps, making it the fourth fastest for broadband speeds in Africa, and 80th in the world.

Satellite Agreement Set To Expand Broadband Access In East And Central Africa - broadband africa shutterstock_128237849 East Africa's broadband boom | BiztechAfrica Mobile,Technology ... www.biztechafrica.com
Morocco can boast the third fastest speeds on the continent. Photo: Shutterstock

3) Morocco

Morocco is third out of Africa’s fastest broadband speeds with an average speed of 4.38Mbps, which means that Moroccans can download a 7.5GB high definition movie in an average time of three hours and 53 minutes.

Internet speeds are increasing across Africa. Photo - QZ
Internet speeds are increasing across Africa. Photo – QZ

2) Seychelles

At 72nd in the world on this particular ranking, the Seychelles provides Africa’s second fastest average broadband speeds at 5.84Mbps, allowing those on the islands to benefit from the fastest speeds on the continent, aside from the number one on this list.

Internet Contribution
People get online at an internet cafe in Nairobi. Photo: Wikipedia

1) Kenya

The highest ranked African nation in terms of broadband internet speeds is Kenya, with an average speed of 10.71Mbps, enough to see the East African country place 51st in the world with almost twice the speeds of second-placed Africans in the Seychelles.