Internet speeds of countries are measured by their average peak connection speeds, which represent the average of the maximum measured connection speeds of all the IP addresses registered in a particular region. Countries all over the world have different capacities in covering high-speed fibres and communication cables. These fibres and cables are primarily responsible in the transmission of communication signals and thus determine the range of connection speeds that a certain country can accommodate. Here is a list of the top 10 countries with the fastest internet connection based on their average peak connection speeds.

10. Singapore

Considered today as one of the richest tech hubs in the world, Singapore boasts of its average peak internet speed of 30.7 megabits per second, almost twice the global average peak internet speed of 15.09 megabits per second. The country currently has six internet service providers and over 300,000 broadband users. When the country launched the “Wireless@SG” program in 2006, its national internet access speed almost doubled to 1 megabit/second. Its fast internet speed is also buttressed by the nationwide ultra-high speed fibre network that it launched in 2010, dubbed as the “Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network.”

9. Israel

A Middle East country, Israel has an average internet connection peak speed of 30.9 megabits per second and is one of the very few nations that have developed broadband capabilities that can reach up to 95% of its total population. Internet connection in this country is provided through the phone and cable infrastructures of two of its major communications companies, Bezeq and HOT. Bezeq is currently firming up plans of conducting a pilot of its new “fibre to the home” (FTTH) network in Israel, a fibre optic cable connection which can carry high-speed broadband services to both homes and businesses.

8. Bulgaria

With its broadband rate of 32.1 megabits per second, Bulgaria positions itself as having one of the fastest internet connections in the world. About 50% of its internet subscribers use the local area network (LAN) over any other type of access because of its speed and the variety of services that it offers to its subscribers. In 2004, the Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) was also introduced in Bulgaria along with the liberalization of its telecommunications market. This presages faster data transmission for the country in the near future.

7. Switzerland

This European country has one of the highest internet and broadband penetration rates in the continent and is currently has an average internet connection rate of 32.4 megabits per second, second to the United States that has an average peak internet speed of 29.6 megabits per second. xDSL technologies as well as satellite access and fibre channels in this country are not as popular as the ADSL and VDSL among home broadband subscribers, though businesses generally rely on these connections due to their affordability.

6. Belgium

When ADSL was first introduced in Belgium in 1999, its average internet connection soared to 32.7 megabits per second, making it one of the fastest internet countries in the world. Download speed in this country, particularly in its capital, Brussels, is between 5GB to 500GB per month and makes possible the downloading of a full movie within just a span of 5 minutes. The country also has cable networks with speeds varying from 100 megabit per second to 512 kilobits per second.

5. Czech Republic

Czech Republic has an internet connection average peak speed of 6.7 megabytes per second, one of the fastest in Europe. After the country had launched a good number of reasonably-priced ISPs in 2003, the number of internet subscribers in the country reached 300,000 by the end of 2007 and WISPs turned to have the greatest share of the internet access. With its average speed ranging from 1 to 120 megabits per second, cable internet is currently the most popular internet connection type among broadband subscribers in Czech Republic.

4. Ireland

The average internet speed in Ireland is 6.8 megabytes per second and is among the list of fastest internet countries in the world. Over 50% of its total population has access to its 70-100 megabits per second broadband service, while its at least 40 megabits per second broadband service is available to around 20% of its total population. Among the most popular broadband services available in this country are 3G technologies, DSL, fixed wireless and cable. Around 33.6 million or 77% of its population are internet users.

3. Romania

Though European country Romania’s average peak speed recently fell by 3.2%, it still manages to be among the countries with the fastest internet connectivity with its broadband speed of 32.5megabits per second, just a little behind South Korea. Nearly four million of its 7.8 million internet subscribers are broadband users and the number of domains registered under its name is now pegged at 340,000. Available through coaxial cable, broadband service remains the most preferred type of access in this country with speed ranging between 2 to 120 megabits per second.

2. South Korea

South Korea is among the very few Asian countries that are among the top list of countries with the fastest internet in the world. With its average peak internet connection of 48.8 megabits per second, this country is widely considered as the world leader in internet connectivity and speed. In terms of the number of DSL connections per head globally, South Korea is still the leading. Its ADSL network can provide speeds ranging between 2 to 8 megabits per second, though VDSL speed in Seoul and Incheon can reach up to 100 megabits per second.

1. Hong Kong

With its average peak internet speed of 54.1 megabits per second, internet connection in Hong Kong is often labelled as “blazing fast.” Downloading a full movie with this kind of speed can be completed in just a matter of four minutes. The fast broadband internet access that it provides has a speed that ranges between 10 to 1000 megabits per second and is made available through the broadband network infrastructures called “Fibre to the Building” and “Fibre to the Home” that both use optical fibres in communication.