According to the latest report of Ookla, which is the first company that comes to mind when it comes to internet speed testing, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is at the top of the list of countries with the world’s fastest 5G network. The middle eastern country recorded an average 5G download speed of 557.63 Mbps in the second quarter of 2023.
UAE-based telecom operator etisalat by e& became the world’s fastest 5G service provider with an average speed of 680.73 Mbps. Meanwhile, du, another of the country’s leading operators, is among the top 5G operators with a download speed of 453.93 Mbps.
The UAE’s impressive numbers resulted from increased competition between the two operators, according to the analytics firm. Talking about the mobile gaming and video streaming experience, Ookla noted average gaming lags of 43ms and 57ms respectively by etisalat by e& and du.
This led to better video start times and less video buffering compared to 4G LTE or even WiFi. Ookla notes that the UAE’s enhanced 5G experience has boosted its operators’ Net Supporter Score (NPS), and users are more likely to recommend 5G over 4G. NPS is a research metric used to measure the likelihood of a customer recommending a product or service to their friends.
“5G users in the market are more likely to recommend the country’s networks compared to 4G, etisalat by e& is the market leader with a score of 64.7 in Q2 2023, followed by du with 46.7,” Ookla said in his blog post.
The difference in speed between the two operators widened as du recorded a drop in performance in Q2 of 2023. In addition, e& by etisalat repeats the same leadership in the 4G space with an average download speed of 83.35 Mbps, followed by du with 64.96 Mbps.
5G became commercially available in the UAE in 2019 after regulator TDRA (Telecommunications and Digital State Regulatory Authority) allocated the spectrum. Both operators managed to overcome the difficult conditions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to reduced revenues and limited prepaid spending. Now operators are focusing on attracting more postpaid subscribers by offering bundle benefits such as video streaming services, live sports and mobile gaming.
Among the countries with the fastest 5G networks, the UAE is followed by South Korea (501.56 Mbps), Qatar (465.62 Mbps), Brazil (447.30 Mbps) and Singapore (388.55 Mbps). Singapore usually ranks high when it comes to the fastest fixed broadband networks. The US and India, the second largest smartphone market, failed to make it to the top 10 fastest 5G lists.
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