[Volume

[SECTION] 4
GEOGRAPHY
AMERICAS
The metrics presented here for the Americas region (North
and South America) are based on a subset of data used for
Section 2 and are subject to the same thresholds and filters
discussed within that section. The subset used for this section includes
connections identified as coming from networks within North and
South America, based on classification by Akamai’s EdgeScape
geolocation tool.
4.1 Americas Average Connection Speeds (IPv4) /
In the second quarter of 2016, the United States again had the fastest
average connection speed among surveyed Americas countries, with
Canada just 1.6 Mbps behind, as shown in Figure 18. As the only two
countries in the region with average connection speeds above the 10
Mbps broadband threshold, the United States and Canada remained
well ahead of the other countries in the region, with Canada having an
average connection speed more than 6 Mbps faster than third-place
Mexico. The gap in average connection speeds between the fastest
and slowest countries in the region also widened ever so slightly, from
13.4 Mbps to 13.5 Mbps. Unlike the first quarter, which saw positive
changes across the board, in the second quarter, only four surveyed
countries posted quarterly gains, and increases were modest. Peru had
the biggest gain at 6.7%, while Panama posted the smallest increase at
1.0%. On the declining side, average connection speeds in the Americas
dropped between 0.2% (in the United States) to 8.4% (in Costa Rica).
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