Fiber Broadband is King in Speed Test

Data generated by HighSpeedInternet’s speed test tool has determined that Google Fiber – with an average download speed of 160.5 Mbps – is the fastest in the United States. Google Fiber’s maximum advertised speed is 2 Gbps and prices range between $70 and $100 per month.

Rounding out the top five in the assessment, which made use of 3.6 million speed tests – are Verizon (138.0 Mbps); MetroNet (135.2 Mbps); Cox (134.5 Mbps) and Xfinity (131.6 Mbps).

Xfinity has the widest nationwide availability. It has an average download speed of 131.6 Mbps with a maximum advertised speed of 2 Gbps. Monthly prices are from $24 to $299.95.

Verizon has the largest fiber network. The provider offers average download speeds of 138.0 Mbps, with maximum advertised speeds as fast as 940 Mbps. Monthly prices range from $24.99 to $299.95.

The HighSpeedInternet report also provided the fastest and best performers by connection type.

• Fiber: Google Fiber, with 160.5 Mbps average download, 173.6 Mbps average upload and 23.3 ms average latency.
• Cable: Cox with 134.5 Mbps average download, 17.6 Mbps average upload and 26.6 ms average latency.
• DSL: CenturyLink with 62.3 Mbps average download, 53.5 Mbps average upload and 33.3 ms average latency.
• Fixed Wireless: Starry Internet with 118.9 Mbps average download, 100.7 Mbps average upload and 17.4 ms average latency.
• Satellite: HughesNet with 24.3 Mbps average download, 18.8 Mbps average upload and 46.0 ms average latency.

Not surprisingly, the report anointed fiber king. “Fiber-optic internet is the fastest type of internet. Across the US, fiber internet providers ranked highest in our speed comparisons,” the report reads “Cable internet also made a good showing among the fastest internet service providers in the US. Both fiber internet and cable internet offer speeds up to (and sometimes exceeding) 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps).”