30 countries have faster Internet than the United States with the largest economy by GDP. VentureBeat, citing the latest update from Speedtest.net, said that the US falls far short of countries that are even hardly known for being technological powerhouses including Moldova and Uruguay.
Speedtest.net compares and ranks consumer download speeds around the globe, calculating the rolling mean in megabit per second (Mbps). Speedtest is powered by Ookla, a company that makes applications for broadband testing and Web-based network diagnostics, the report said.
Hong Kong topped the list, followed by Singapore, Romania, South Korean and Sweden, according to Speedtest's most recent update.
The US is thought to have the fastest Internet since the country invented the technology. It also has one of the world's most vibrant tech industries, VentureBeat said.
However, building efficient broadband networks can be a challenge in a country with a large population density. VentureBeat, citing a previous CNN report, said that the lack of competition among service providers is also a challenge.
New initiatives to install fiber optics cables that provide faster Internet are currently in the works, the report said.
Search giant Google Inc. will spend around USD84 million to build a fiber network that can serve 149,000 households in Kansas City. A nationwide Google Fiber rollout will reportedly cost Google USD11 billion, TechCrunch said in a report.
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