Speedtest
Original author(s)Ookla (Yusmadi Rosen)
Developer(s)Ookla (Ziff Davis)
Initial releaseApril 1, 2006 (2006-04-01)
Stable release(s)
Android5.2.2 / 27 October 2023 (2023-10-27)[1]
iOS/iPadOS/tvOS4.3.15 / 22 December 2021 (2021-12-22)[2]
macOS1.24 / 6 December 2021 (2021-12-06)[3]
Chrome Web Store1.0.9.9 / 14 April 2021 (2021-04-14)[4]
Operating systemWindows 10, Windows Phone, Website, 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

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]

The service measures the data throughput (speed) and latency (connection delay) of an Internet connection against one of over 16,000 geographically dispersed servers (as of December 2023).[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 mobile apps. As of December 2023, over 51 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] The domain speedtest.net has been used to host a speed test since 2000, however speedtest.net only became known to the general public after the acquisition by Ookla in 2006.[12]

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.[13]

Acquisitions

Acquisition date Company Country References
19 June 2018 Mosaik United States [14]
9 August 2018 Downdetector Netherlands [15]
10 October 2018 Ekahau Finland [16]

Technology

Speedtest.net started as a Flash-based broadband speed test service. Ookla took years to port the speed test from Flash to HTML5. The new HTML5 based speed test went out of beta on January 9, 2018.[17] [18]

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 Fixed Broadband Download Average Fixed Broadband Upload Average Mobile Download Average Mobile Upload Fastest ISP Speed Score Fastest Carrier Speed Score
2017 Canada[19] 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[20] 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[21] 21.66 Mbit/s 9.25 Mbit/s 17.71 Mbit/s 10.64 Mbit/s Mobily (17.81) STC (20.66)
2021 South Africa[22] 46.32 Mbit/s 32.42 Mbit/s 46.45 Mbit/s 11.75 Mbit/s Cool Ideas (37.80) MTN (54.38)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Speedtest by Ookla APKs". APKMirror. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Speedtest by Ookla". App Store. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Speedtest by Ookla". Mac App Store. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Speedtest by Ookla". Chrome.google.com. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 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". Ookla.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  7. ↑ "About Speedtest". www.speedtest.net. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  8. ↑
  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. ↑ "Ookla's speedtest.net". 24 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ziff Davis Acquires Ookla... (NASDAQ:JCOM)". Archived from the original on 2014-12-27. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Mosaik is joining Ookla". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Downdetector is now part of Ookla". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Ekahau is now part of Ookla". Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Ookla's speedtest.net". zomdir.com. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  18. ↑ "SpeedTest Ookla".
  19. ↑ "2017 Canada Speedtest Market Snapshot". Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  20. ↑ "2017 United States Speedtest Market Report". Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  21. ↑ "2018 Saudi Arabia Speedtest Market Report". Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  22. ↑ "South Africa's Mobile and Broadband Internet Speeds". Speedtest Global Index. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
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