Global ISP Performance Index

Q1 2026: The State of ISP Performance

Fiber continues to dominate every measurable category. The top five global ISPs in our index are all fiber providers, delivering near-symmetrical gigabit speeds with sub-15ms latency. This is not surprising — fiber optic infrastructure does not share bandwidth between neighbors the way cable and DSL do, making it fundamentally more consistent under load.

The real story this quarter is the widening gap between fiber and cable. Fiber ISPs in our dataset average 890 Mbps downstream with 670 Mbps upstream. Cable providers average 310 Mbps downstream but only 30 Mbps upstream — a 22:1 download-to-upload ratio compared to fiber's 1.3:1. As remote work, video conferencing, and cloud backup become the norm, this upload disparity matters more than ever.

Key Findings from Our Data

• Fiber ISPs deliver 2.3x faster real-world download speeds than cable providers on average, and 22x faster upload speeds
• 73% of cable ISPs tested below their advertised speeds during peak evening hours (7-11 PM), while fiber ISPs consistently hit 95%+ of advertised speeds
• Fixed wireless (5G home internet) latency is improving — T-Mobile and Verizon 5G Home averaged 32ms median ping this quarter, down from 44ms a year ago
• Japan's SoftBank leads globally on latency at 7ms median ping with 0.3ms jitter — the gold standard for competitive gaming and real-time applications
• Australia's NBN remains a pain point for Asia-Pacific, averaging just 110 Mbps download despite fiber plans being widely available

Understanding the Scores

Our ISP scoring system uses a weighted composite of four metrics to produce a single grade from A (best) to D (needs improvement):

• Download Speed (40% weight) — The headline number most users care about. Measured as the average throughput during multi-connection download tests.
• Upload Speed (20% weight) — Critical for video calls, cloud backups, streaming, and remote work. Often overlooked by ISP marketing.
• Median Latency (25% weight) — We use the median rather than the mean to eliminate outlier spikes. Lower is better. Under 15ms is excellent.
• Jitter (15% weight) — Measures consistency of your ping. Even low-latency connections are unreliable if jitter is high. Under 2ms is excellent.

Only ISPs with a minimum of 500 verified tests per quarter are included. Tests are validated by IP lookup to confirm the ISP identity and filtered for anomalies (VPN usage, proxy connections, incomplete tests). For full details, read our Empirical Testing Policy.

Fiber vs. Cable vs. Fixed Wireless: How They Compare

If you are choosing between ISPs or considering switching, here is what the data actually shows about each connection type:

Fiber (FTTH)

Fiber-to-the-home connections deliver the most consistent performance across all metrics. Download and upload speeds are nearly symmetrical, latency stays under 15ms even during peak hours, and jitter is negligible. The only downside is availability — fiber is still not available in many rural and suburban areas. In our data, fiber ISPs average: 890 Mbps down, 670 Mbps up, 10ms ping, 0.7ms jitter.

Cable (DOCSIS 3.1)

Cable internet offers strong download speeds but suffers from dramatically lower upload speeds due to the asymmetric design of DOCSIS. During peak evening hours, cable connections in shared neighborhoods show the greatest degradation — download speeds can drop 15-25% from off-peak measurements. Average: 310 Mbps down, 30 Mbps up, 26ms ping, 4.7ms jitter.

Fixed Wireless / 5G Home

5G home internet has improved significantly over the past year. Median latency dropped from 44ms to 32ms as carriers densified their tower infrastructure. However, performance varies dramatically by location — users close to a 5G tower may see 300+ Mbps while those at the cell edge may get under 50 Mbps. Average: 190 Mbps down, 28 Mbps up, 35ms ping, 7.8ms jitter.