Why You Can Trust CNET Xfinity Grabs Bragging Rights as Fastest Internet Provider in the US
New Ookla speed test data shows Comcast Xfinity edging out Spectrum for the best median download speeds among all fixed broadband providers.
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Every three months, Ookla releases data compiled from the results of millions of daily customer uses of its Speedtest.net tool. For July through September of 2022, Spectrum held the top spot as the fastest fixed broadband provider among top US internet service providers. Now that title belongs to Xfinity, which finished the fourth quarter of 2022 with a median download speed of 226.18 megabits per second, compared with Spectrum's 225.33Mbps.
The rest of the top performers include Cox in third place (212.37Mbps), Optimum in the fourth spot (190.82Mbps), AT&T Internet in fifth (187.08Mbps) and Verizon in sixth (183.25Mbps). To qualify for this list, an ISP must account for 3% or more of the total test samples during the given period.
Throughout 2022, each quarter had a different provider at the top of the charts. Verizon nabbed the pole position for January through March, Cox leaped to the leader position for April through June, and Spectrum got top billing for July through September.
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If you compare the fourth-quarter numbers against the previous three months, each of the top ISPs saw improvement in its median download speeds. Verizon, Spectrum, Optimum, Cox and AT&T all saw their download speed rise between 7Mbps and 20Mbps. But Xfinity registered the greatest increase with a rise of 34Mbps from its previous score.
However, Xfinity wasn't top of the hill in all categories. AT&T and Verizon had the fastest upload speeds at 142.76Mbps and 104.89Mbps, respectively. That's not surprising, considering both providers have a significant percentage of fiber internet customers. Those users should see upload speeds much closer to their download speeds, while cable internet upload speeds will be significantly lower.
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Overall, after getting shifting champions across 2022, we look forward to watching the next batch of Ookla speed test results in April to see what happens next.