Qatar has the highest average internet connection speeds in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, according to new research from Akamai Technologies.
In its Q1 2017 State of the Internet Report, the cloud delivery platform firm reported that Qatar averaged connection speeds of 13.7 Mbps in the first quarter, an increase of 64 percent year on year.
Qatar ranked 7th in the world and first in the MEA region with the highest average peak connection speed at 107.9 Mbps in the first quarter, surpassing the 100 Mbps threshold for the first time, representing a 21 percent year-on-year increase.
In the mobile market, Qatar had the second highest average mobile connection speeds at 13.6 Mbps.
About 99 percent of Qatari households are in areas covered by a fiber optic network and according to Qatar’s ICT Landscape 2015: Households and Individuals; 86% of the households have fixed wired broadband network.
“Today, the communications sector in Qatar is in good health as the numbers suggest,” said Mohammed Ali Al-Mannai, president of Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority. “We have a fixed line network that covers almost the entire country and the average Internet connection speed is now the highest in the region. Service providers also play an important part by upgrading the overall telecommunications network, and by migrating to improved network and facilities.”
