Data from an internet speed testing service has revealed that Perth has the slowest internet speed of any Australian capital city, which is even paling in comparison to some developing nations.
According to testmy.net, the average download speed for metropolitan Perth is 7.1 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to Australia’s average of 8.8Mbps. The highest speed in a capital city was found in Canberra at an average of 39Mbps, followed by Hobart with 19Mbps, Sydney (13.1Mbps), Melbourne (10.1Mbps), Brisbane (9.3Mbps) and Adelaide (8.1Mbps).
Perth’s download speed puts it behind developing nations such as Mexico, Brazil and Malaysia.
In a comment to the ABC, RMIT senior lecturer in network engineering Mark Gregory said Australia ranked 48 out of 180 countries for broadband speeds, which he believes will worsen as time goes on. He blames this on the fibre to the node NBN.
“If we continue down this pathway with this government’s version of the NBN, then Australia will be a first-world country with a third-world broadband network,” he said.
“In terms of Australia competing in the global digital economy, business is struggling to compete. Many businesses look at places like Singapore or Hong Kong with much better connection speeds and think maybe they should move their business out of Australia.”
He added that Perth has been short-changed as it will only get fibre to the node.