Once world's fastest, South Korea slips to 22nd in internet speed

SEOUL, October 14 (AJP) - South Korea's fixed broadband speed has plunged to 22nd place, once ranked first in the world, according to an analysis by Seattle-based network intelligence platform Ookla.

Ookla, which tracks internet speeds worldwide, said South Korea's median fixed broadband download speed stood at 251.33 Mbps in August, ranking 22nd among 149 countries, behind Viet Nam in eighth place and Thailand in ninth.

Singapore topped the ranking at 462.50 Mbps, followed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 382.40 Mbps.

By city, Seoul ranked 34th, behind Bangkok in sixth place and Ho Chi Minh City in 14th. Valparaíso, Chile, topped the ranking at 416.81 Mbps, followed by Abu Dhabi in the UAE at 408.67 Mbps.

But South Korea's mobile internet download speed remained high, ranking sixth globally at 250.56 Mbps.

Ookla compiles its rankings from data collected when users visit websites or apps and tap the "go" button. However, results may be skewed if more users repeatedly click the button when their connections feel slow or unstable. Critics also say that differences in subscription plans and access environments across countries make the rankings unreliable for direct comparisons.

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