Average Net speed in US now 31 Mbps

Washington, December 30

Advertisement

US Internet connection speeds have tripled over 3-1/2 years to keep up with consumer demands for streaming video and downloading content but the US still lags many other countries.

The Federal Communications Commission said in a report average download connection speeds had increased to nearly 31 megabits per second (Mbps) in September 2014 from about 10 Mbps in March 2011. Rising Internet speeds have been driven by consumer demands for growing amounts of bandwidth to watch movies, play video games and download data.

The industry is ramping up efforts to boost speeds. Google Inc is offering up to 1,000 Mbps in nine cities, while AT&T is offering the same speed in 20 cities and plans to add 36 metro areas next year. Comcast Corp said last week it is testing its own 1,000 Mbps service in Philadelphia and by the end of 2016 will offer the service in some other areas. — Reuters