South Korea's Fixed Broadband Speed Ranks '22nd'... Falls Behind Vietnam and Thailand

South Korea Ranks 22nd for Fixed Broadband Speed...Singapore Leads
Seoul Ranks 34th...South Korea Sixth Worldwide for Mobile Internet
Limited Sample Representativeness Makes Objective Comparisons Difficult

South Korea, once home to some of the world's fastest internet, has fallen behind Vietnam and Thailand. It ranked sixth globally for mobile internet but only 22nd for fixed broadband.

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South Korea Falls Behind Vietnam and Thailand... 22nd for Fixed Broadband Speeds, Seoul 34th

According to Ookla's Speedtest Global Index, the median fixed broadband download speed in South Korea was 251.33 Mbps in August 2026, ranking 22nd worldwide. South Korea, which ranked first in average connection speed in Akamai's 2017 State of the Internet report, has fallen to 22nd in less than 10 years.

Vietnam and Thailand have made particularly strong gains. As recently as 2015, Vietnam's fixed broadband speed was just one-sixth of South Korea's. But in August 2026, Vietnam's fixed broadband download speed reached 301.48 Mbps, about 20% faster than South Korea's, and its ranking was 14 places higher. Thailand also ranked ninth globally, with a speed of 298.92 Mbps.

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Both countries have invested heavily in recent years in replacing fiber-optic cables and expanding 5G infrastructure. Vietnam's fixed broadband download speeds have also risen sharply in 2026. By contrast, critics say South Korea has invested relatively slowly in upgrading its infrastructure since building a world-class high-speed internet network in the early 2000s.

South Korea also lagged in city rankings. Seoul's fixed broadband download speed was 238.69 Mbps, leaving it 34th worldwide. It trailed not only Bangkok (321.90 Mbps, sixth) but also Ho Chi Minh City (298.38 Mbps, 14th) and Hanoi (251.94 Mbps, 30th).

Singapore ranked first for fixed broadband, at 462.50 Mbps, about 1.8 times South Korea's speed. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Chile followed, while the United States ranked seventh. China (24th) and Japan (26th) ranked below South Korea.

South Korea Ranks Sixth Globally for Mobile... Different Measurement Methods Make It Difficult to Draw Conclusions About Technical Capabilities

South Korea remained among the top-ranked countries for mobile internet. Its mobile internet speed was 250.56 Mbps, placing it sixth worldwide. The actual speeds for fixed and mobile internet were similar, but their rankings differed by 16 places. For mobile internet, only five countries, including the UAE and Qatar, ranked ahead of South Korea. For fixed broadband, 21 countries were faster. The figures show that while South Korea has been ahead in 5G investment, it has lagged relatively in modernizing its fixed broadband infrastructure.

The rankings reflect measurements taken by users around the world from June through August 2026. However, Ookla's methodology includes mobile Wi-Fi connections in its fixed broadband measurements, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about differences in countries' telecommunications capabilities based on rankings alone.

Ookla Does Not Disclose Measurement Methods, Criteria or Sample... Making Objective Comparisons Difficult

Meanwhile, Ookla's analysis is based on voluntary measurements by users, leading to concerns about the representativeness of its sample. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ookla does not disclose its measurement methods, criteria or sample size, making objective comparative analysis difficult. The ministry also said that results can vary significantly even for the same device and network, depending on the measurement method.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said, "In the 2025 telecommunications service quality assessment, South Korea's fixed broadband service delivered high speeds: 91.91 Mbps for the 100 Mbps tier, 496.05 Mbps for the 500 Mbps tier and 987.70 Mbps for the 1 Gbps tier."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.