Coronavirus impact | Ookla Speedtest data confirms internet slowdown in India

The coronavirus pandemic has forced people around the world to stay in their homes, leading to a surge in internet data consumption. This is also prevalent in India, where the government has enforced a lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The country’s affordable plans have not only made the internet more accessible to more people but also means that hundreds of millions of users are hooked on to their devices, waiting out the lockdown. This has resulted in the country’s internet infrastructure taking a hit.

Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index data suggests that there is a sharp decline in both mobile data speeds and fixed broadband download speeds. This index compares country-wise internet speed data from around the world every month. The data is recorded when millions of users use Okla’s speed test to check the performance of their internet connection.

According to the data, Indian mobile networks have seen an average decline in speed from 11.83 Mbps in February to 10.15 Mbps in March. The data also suggests that the fixed broadband speeds have been consistently down since January 2020. Fixed broadband speeds are also on down by 5.5 Mbps, going from 41.48 Mbps in January to 35.98 Mbps in March.