Fixed broadband internet connections in Romania 80% faster in 2016, mobile speed - up 35%

The average fixed broadband internet download speed in Romania went up by 78% last year, compared to 2015, to 95 Mbps, according to data from local telecom regulator ANCOM. The average download speed for mobile connections also increased by 35% to 26 Mpbs. Average upload speeds also increased in the country, from 53.9 Mbps in 2015 to 78.8 Mbps in 2016 (+46%) for fixed broadband connections, and from 8.39 Mbps to 10.32 Mbps (+23%) for mobile connections. ANCOM gathers data on the quality of the internet service access through the Netograf.ro speed test application. The application, developed by the communications authority, measures the quality of the internet service as it is experienced by the user, benchmarked against one unique reference point. Over 182,500 tests were made by the app's users in 2016. The tests were validated and used in generating the data. ANCOM also released data about the average download and upload speeds offered by local providers. RCS&RDS, the biggest fixed broadband internet provider in Romania, also offered the highest average internet speeds, namely 109.6 Mbps for download and 101.8 Mbps for upload. UPC Romania, which is part of American group Liberty Global, was second for the average download speed, with some 96 Mbps, but provided an average upload speed of only 14.1 Mbps. On the mobile segment, Orange Romania offered the highest average download speed, of 32.6 Mbps, followed by Vodafone Romania, with 29 Mbps. Vodafone had a higher average upload speed, of 13.1 Mbps compared to 11.8 Mbps in the Orange network. Telekom Romania was third, with 16.3 Mbps for download and 7.56 Mbps for upload. World Bank: Romania has top internet infrastructure but fails to reap the digital dividends editor@romania-insider.com