Mobile download speed in India declined from 11.83Mbps in February to 10.15Mbps in March.

Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, recently released updates to its Speedtest Global Index. It has been reported that Mobile and fixed broadband downloads speeds in India declined in March.

Ookla reported that mobile download speed in India declined from 11.83Mbps in February to 10.15Mbps in March. Similarly, mean download speeds on fixed broadband have decreased from 39.65 Mbps in February to 35.98 Mbps in March.

Ookla says that the mean fixed broadband speed in India has been declining since the beginning of 2020 - from 41.48 Mbps in January to 35.98 Mbps in March, a drop by 5.5 Mbps.

Ookla's Speedtest Global Index compares internet speed data at the country level from around the world each month. The company gets the data for the Speedtest Global Index from the over ten million consumer-initiated tests taken daily by people seeking to understand the performance and quality of their internet connection.

According to Ookla’s March Speedtext Global Index, India ranks 130th for mobile, 2 spots down compared to February 2020. India also dropped two spots on fixed broadband and is now ranked 71st globally in that category.

The report further highlights that UAE is in first position for mobile broadband speed with a mean download of 83.52 Mbps. Singapore still holds the top spot for fixed broadband speed with a mean download of 197.26 Mbps

“When networks are under usage strain, like they are in this unprecedented time of lockdown in India due to COVID-19, it is natural that they experience some level of slowdown,” said Doug Suttles, CEO of Ookla.

“It is important to note that while the internet itself should handle elevated usage, there may be impacts to speed as people continue to move their daily activities increasingly online. While the core of the internet remains stable, some ISP networks may struggle to keep up.”