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U.S. Internet connection speeds still lag behind other developed nations

U.S. Internet connection speeds still lag behind other developed nations

The average U.S. Internet connection speed continues to lag, according to the latest State of the Internet report.

The total number of IPv4 addresses allocated by each regional Internet registry, Q1 2015.

The total number of IPv4 addresses allocated by each regional Internet registry, Q1 2015.

The average U.S. Internet connection speed continues to lag behind that of many other developed nations, according to the latest State of the Internet report from CDN and cloud service provider Akamai.

In the first quarter of 2015, Akamai said, the average U.S. Internet connection speed was 11.9Mbps - considerably below the 23.6Mbps mark posted by South Korea, which had the fastest average connection speed worldwide. The top 10 was dominated by countries from Europe and east Asia, including Ireland, Hong Kong, Sweden and the Netherlands. The U.S. placed 19th in the rankings.

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Nevertheless, global averages were up, the report found, with the overall average increasing by 30% year over year to 5Mbps. Within the U.S., Delaware, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Utah and Massachusetts filled the top five slots Delaware's average connection speed was 18.6Mbps, Massachusetts' was 15.4Mbps.

Around the world, the slowest average Internet connections were, unsurprisingly, those in developing nations countries like Bangladesh and Ghana averaged 2.1Mbps and 1.5Mbps respectively, and were generally among the few countries in which speeds actually decreased, against the global trend.

Akamai, like most Internet-watchers, predicts unceasing growth in demand, driven by the exploding numbers of connected devices.

"From rudimentary Internet-connected smartphones in 2008 to sensors in nearly any imaginable device in 2015, the so-called Internet of Things will continue to drive massive increases in Internet usage," wrote senior director of industry and data intelligence David Belson in a forward to the report.

The report also found that the pool of available IPv4 addresses is continuing to shrink precipitously, underlining the importance of the ongoing IPv6 transition.

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