Speedtest.net

Speedtest.net, also known as Speedtest by Ookla, is a web service that provides free analysis of Internet access performance metrics, such as connection data rate and latency. It is the flagship product of Ookla, a web testing and network diagnostics company founded in 2006, and based in Seattle, Washington, United States.[5][6]

Speedtest.net
Screenshot of the Speedtest.net app on Android.
Original author(s)Ziff Davis
Developer(s)Ookla
Initial release1 April 2006 (2006-04-01)
Stable release(s)
Android4.4.32 / 28 January 2020 (2020-01-28)[1]
iOS4.2.1 / 17 March 2020 (2020-03-17)[2]
macOS1.6 / 9 June 2019 (2019-06-09)[3]
Chrome Web Store1.0.9.2 / 5 April 2019 (2019-04-05)[4]
Operating systemWindows 10, Web site, Android, iOS, Apple TV, Mac, Chrome Web Store
Available in11 languages
List of languages
English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Indonesian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch
TypeInternet Speed Test
LicenseFreeware
Websitewww.speedtest.net

The service measures the data throughput (speed) and latency (connection delay) of an Internet connection against one of around 8,000 geographically dispersed servers (as of November 2019).[7] Each test measures the data rate for the download direction, i.e. from the server to the user computer, and the upload data rate, i.e. from the user's computer to the server. The tests are performed within the user's web browser or within apps. As of September 2018, over 21 billion speed tests have been completed.[8]

Tests were previously performed using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) at Layer 7 of the OSI model. To further improve accuracy, Speedtest.net now performs tests via direct Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) sockets and uses a custom protocol for communication between servers and clients.

The site also offers detailed statistics based on test results. This data has been used by numerous publications in the analysis of Internet access data rates around the world.[9][10][11]

History

The owner and operator of Speedtest.net, Ookla, was established in 2006 by partners Mike Apgar and Doug Suttles. Suttles suggested the name Ookla because he already owned the Ookla.com domain name in honor of his pet cat, who was in turn named for a character on the TV series Thundarr the Barbarian.[5]

As of 2011, Ookla claimed 80% market share and was one of the top 1000 most popular websites. At the time, Ookla derived its revenue primarily from fees paid by companies to license custom speed test and proprietary testing software. Clients reportedly included media companies like CNN and Disney, and telecommunications providers like AT&T, Verizon, and CenturyLink.[5]

Ookla was acquired by Ziff Davis in 2014.[12]

Acquisitions
Acquisition date Company Country Value (USD) References
19 June 2018 Mosaik United States [13]
9 August 2018 Downdetector Netherlands [14]
10 October 2018 Ekahau Finland [15]

Technology

The technology of Speedtest.net is similar to that of Ookla NetGauge, which is provided to a wide variety of companies and organizations on a licensed basis.[16] Speedtest.net Mini was a free, stripped-down Flash version of the speed test technology used on Speedtest.net that users could run on their own web servers, however it was replaced in 2016 with Speedtest Custom, an HTML5-based tool.

Speedtest.net data

Speedtest market reports

In 2016, Speedtest began releasing market reports for different countries and cities, providing raw statistics regarding download and upload speeds for the past year for ISPs and mobile carriers. It also includes analysis of the current ISP and mobile markets of the respective country and breakdowns by region and city. ISPs and mobile carriers are ranked by their geographic performance.

Year Country Name (Alphabetical) Average ISP Download Average ISP Upload Average Mobile Download Average Mobile Upload Fastest ISP Speed Score Fastest Carrier Speed Score
2017  Canada[17] 59.67 Mbit/s 18.55 Mbit/s 35.19 Mbit/s 10.29 Mbit/s Rogers (80.02) TELUS (42.16)
2017  United States[18] 64.17 Mbit/s 22.79 Mbit/s 22.69 Mbit/s 8.51 Mbit/s XFINITY (69.58) T-Mobile (23.17)
2018  Saudi Arabia[19] 21.66 Mbit/s 9.25 Mbit/s 17.71 Mbit/s 10.64 Mbit/s Mobily (17.81) STC (20.66)

See also

References
  1. "Speedtest by Ookla APKs". APKMirror. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  2. "Speedtest by Ookla". App Store. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  3. "Speedtest by Ookla". Mac App Store. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  4. "Speedtest by Ookla". chrome.google.com. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  5. Hintze, Lynnette (2011-03-22). "Mike Apgar, co-founder of Ookla, global leader in broadband speed testing". Daily Inter Lake / fosters.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  6. "About Ookla". www.ookla.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  7. "Speedtest Frequently Asked Questions". www.speedtest.net. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  8. See tests completed on page.
  9. "Broadband speeds around the world". BBC News. December 2, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  10. Greenop, Matt (July 27, 2007). "The truth about Kiwi broadband". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  11. Lane, Terry (June 24, 2007). "Hey Telstra, forget about broadband". The Age. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  12. "Ziff Davis Acquires Ookla... (NASDAQ:JCOM)". Archived from the original on 2014-12-27. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  13. "Mosaik is joining Ookla". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  14. "Downdetector is now part of Ookla". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  15. "Ekahau is now part of Ookla". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  16. "NetMetrics from Ookla - Internet performance database". ookla.com.
  17. "2017 Canada Speedtest Market Snapshot". Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  18. "2017 United States Speedtest Market Report". Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  19. "2018 Saudi Arabia Speedtest Market Report". Retrieved May 8, 2018.
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