UAE ranks first in world for mobile network speed in Q1

The UAE leads a global mobile index as the country with the fastest mobile network speed in the first quarter of 2021, according to the latest data from Ookla, a global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network testing applications, data and analysis.

This significant achievement adds one more feather to the UAE’s cap, and comes at an opportune time with the recent declaration of 2021 as “Year of the 50th” as the nation celebrates its milestone Golden Jubilee.


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With a download speed of 178.52 Mbps in March, the country overtook South Korea and Qatar in the mobile broad speedtest. The UAE also overtook both countries in January and February, with download speeds of 183.03 Mbps and 177.10 Mbps, respectively.

The Speed Test Global index, which assesses over 135 countries, compares internet speed data from around the world on a monthly basis. Data for the index comes from the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people using the speed test every month.


Picture used for illustrative purpose.

Mobile network speed is a major contributing factor to the well-being, economic wealth and social prosperity of a nation. This achievement has a lot of favourable implications for a enabling environment for future aspirations, country’s ICT agenda, productivity of businesses, amongst others.

The UAE’s largest telco Etisalat has been recognised recently as the world’s fastest mobile network operator in Q2-Q3 2020 in a new ranking from Speedtest by Ookla.