Report: R.I. Internet connection speeds 19% faster since 2012

AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC. reported Wednesday that Rhode Island's average Internet connection speed of 11.7 megabits per second ranked the state eighth in the country. In addition, Rhode Island ranked No. 2 for broadband connectivity. Ninety-two percent of Rhode Island Internet connections achieve broadband speeds of 4 Mbps or higher. / COURTESY AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC. reported Wednesday that Rhode Island's average Internet connection speed of 11.7 megabits per second ranked the state eighth in the country. In addition, Rhode Island ranked No. 2 for broadband connectivity. Ninety-two percent of Rhode Island Internet connections achieve broadband speeds of 4 Mbps or higher. / COURTESY AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC.

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island boasted the eighth-fastest average Internet connection speed in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2013, according to the “State of the Internet” report released Wednesday by cloud services firm Akamai Technologies Inc.

The quarterly report is based on data collected from the Akamai Intelligent Platform, a network of servers that supports traffic to the company’s cloud-based offerings and gathers information about Internet connection speeds, broadband adoption rates, mobile connectivity and cyberattacks.

Connection speeds in the Ocean State averaged 11.7 megabits per second for the three months ended in December, 19 percent faster than the average speed during the same period in 2012. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, however, Rhode Island’s average speed dipped nine-tenths of a percent.

The fastest average speed in the U.S. during the fourth quarter was recorded in Virginia, at 14.4 Mbps, followed by the District of Columbia at 13.8 Mbps and Massachusetts at 13.5 Mbps. Massachusetts’ Internet connection speeds showed a 28 percent year-over-year improvement and a 2.3 percent increase over speeds reported the previous quarter.

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Rhode Island also ranked in the top 10 for broadband and high broadband connectivity. According to the Akamai report, 92 percent of Internet connections in Rhode Island achieve broadband speeds of 4 Mbps or higher, ranking the state second in the country for broadband adoption, below Delaware at 95 percent.

Fifty-two percent of Rhode Island Internet connections reach speeds over 10 Mbps, which is considered “high broadband.” Rhode Island tied with Maryland at No. 4 for high broadband adoption in the U.S. Massachusetts ranked No. 1 for high broadband connectivity and No. 4 for general broadband connectivity.

Globally, Akamai said, the United States ranks No. 10 for its average connection speed of 10 Mbps, which increased 25 percent year over year and 2 percent quarter over quarter. Although the United States has the world’s eighth-highest adoption rate for high broadband connectivity, at 34 percent, it did not rank in the top 10 for general broadband connectivity.

South Korea boasted the highest adoption rates worldwide for both broadband and high broadband, at 94 percent and 71 percent, respectively.

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