Edward Wyatt:

> In Riga, speeds average 42 megabits a second, but many users had service of 100 to 500 megabits as of mid-December, according to Ookla. In San Antonio, broadband speeds average 16 megabits a second. Higher speeds are available through cable TV and phone companies, but the expense is such that many households cannot afford a connection.

There’s another side that these reports often gloss over: upload speed. When everyone first got on the web download was paramount because the web was mostly consumption. I’d argue that now most people also *add to* the web in the form of photos, videos, etc being uploaded. In the US a standard Comcast internet service account is likely 20mbps guaranteed down, and 5mbps guaranteed upload speeds. That is sad.

Even my upgraded Comcast service nets me just 50mbps down and 20 mbps up — and I pay a price for that which most people would flat out refuse to pay.

Faster internet services are among one of the few reasons left to live in densely populated areas.