We’re ranked #1 in speed

We are thrilled to learn we’ve been named the fastest broadband provider nationally in Australia on both mobile and fixed networks in the 2018 Speedtest® Awards by Ookla®*, a global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network speed testing and analysis.
01 August 2018 · 3 minute read

Telstra’s fixed and mobile network capabilities keep millions of consumers and businesses connected every day and we are committed to delivering the best experience for our customers.

That’s why we are thrilled to learn we’ve been named the fastest broadband provider nationally in Australia on both mobile and fixed networks in the 2018 Speedtest® Awards by Ookla®*, a global leader in fixed broadband and mobile network speed testing and analysis.

Telstra has won the fastest mobile network nationally from Speedtest every year it has been run since 2015, and this has helped ensure Australia is consistently in the top 10 for mobile broadband speeds in the Ookla Global Index.

However this year we have also been named fastest ISP nationally. Our win in fixed speeds reflects the investment we have made in delivering an improved performance across our ADSL and HFC networks and on the nbn. 

This fixed network result with Ookla is consistent with the fact we have placed at the top of the Netflix Speed Index every month for the past five months.

On the mobiles side, Telstra has continued our rollout of gigabit capable^ 4GX in major cities and 4GX upgrades around the country, which means 93 per cent of the population now has access to double the speeds that were available when we first turned on 4G in 2011. 

The rollout of new wireless technologies such as these has meant we have been named in the Speedtest award as Australia’s Fastest Mobile Network nationally for the first half of 2018. We performed particularly well in Sydney**, Brisbane**, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Perth, where we are the clear winner when it comes to mobile speeds.

The results of Telstra’s continued investment in network leadership can be seen in measures like the Speedtest by Ookla results as well as the continued expansion of our coverage footprint and leadership in developing and deploying new technologies, including LTE-Broadcast and our preparations for 2Gbps enabled LTE and 5G.

In June we set ourselves the target of leading in all key network performance surveys and the latest Ookla results are a positive sign of our progress on this goal. And while no survey or measure is perfect, Telstra has consistently won a number of credible surveys especially on the more important metrics of data speed and performance. That is where Telstra shines through across more than a dozen different awards in recent years and where we are committed to continuing to lead.

View the 2018 Speedtest Awards by Ookla here.

* Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data for Q1–Q2 2018. Ookla trademarks used under license and reprinted with permission.

** Fastest average download speeds in Sydney and Brisbane are based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data for Q2 2018.

^ Telstra’s gigabit enabled coverage is available in the Sydney and Melbourne CBD plus ~4km, Adelaide CBD plus ~3.0km, Brisbane and Perth CBD plus ~2km and a number of additional sites in selected high traffic areas. Typical customer speeds will be less.

Globally, more than 20 billion user initiated tests have been conducted from Speedtest. In Australia, the Ookla Speedtest Awards are based on the performance of all major network operators in the six months from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2018, and measured across more than 481,000 users and 1.7 million tests for the mobile award and over 9.8 million users and 15.8 million tests for the fixed network award.

By Channa Seneviratne

Executive - Technology Engagement Advancement

Channa Seneviratne is the Executive - Technology Engagement Advancement, which is home to the Centres of Expertise for network technology innovation, technology strategy & architecture, the Chief Data Office, data scientists, data engineers, solutions engineering, and technical product owners and delivery competencies. Channa has more than 30 years of experience in telecommunications networks having worked in both Operations and Engineering across both fixed and wireless technologies. During his time in Telstra, Channa has played key engineering design, support and operational roles as Telstra moved from being a start up in wireless through the evolutions of 2G, CDMA, 3G, 4G and now into readiness for 5G. More recently Channa led the launch of the world’s first commercial gigabit LTE network, the activation of Australia’s largest IoT footprint through our Cat M1 and Narrowband IoT technology and the beginning of our 5G network deployment. Channa has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland. Away from work Channa enjoys travel, sport, wildlife photography and spending time with his two young daughters.