Nearly every U.S. state’s early pandemic school closures set a new baseline for at‑home connectivity, and remote/hybrid work has remained structurally higher than pre‑2020. U.S. time‑use data show that, on days they worked, 34% of employed people did some or all of their work at home in 2023, up from 24% in 2019 (BLS American Time Use Survey), while hybrid has stabilized as the dominant arrangement among remote‑capable workers in 2024 (Gallup). As a result, households rely on their home internet more throughout the workday, with greater emphasis on upstream capacity and stable latency for video meetings and cloud collaboration.
Weekday traffic curves remain flatter than pre‑2020, with elevated midday use and sustained upstream activity for conferencing and collaboration (Cloudflare Year in Review 2024). Fixed‑line data consumption continues to climb: UK regulator data show about 641 GB per fixed broadband line per month in 2023, up ~9% year over year (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024), and U.S. operator analytics report record highs with “power users” (1 TB+/month) now exceeding one‑quarter of subscribers (OpenVault 1H 2024 OVBI).
Independent measurement panels indicate the U.S. network has kept pace. Fixed‑broadband medians generally sit in the high‑200 Mbps range for downloads (~260–290 Mbps), ~30–40 Mbps for uploads, and latency in the mid‑teens of milliseconds, while nationwide mobile medians are roughly ~110–125 Mbps down, ~10–15 Mbps up, and ~30–40 ms latency (Speedtest Global Index — United States; Cloudflare Radar — U.S. Internet quality). The U.S. sits in the global top tier for fixed performance in 2025 (Ookla Global Index), and about one‑third of U.S. subscribers now take gigabit‑class tiers, with average provisioned speeds in the multi‑hundreds of Mbps and rising (OpenVault Broadband Insights).
Despite higher overall traffic, national medians remain near all‑time highs: fixed broadband ~260–290 Mbps down and ~30–40 Mbps up with mid‑teens ms latency; mobile ~110–125 Mbps down and ~10–15 Mbps up with ~30–40 ms latency (Speedtest Global Index — U.S.; Cloudflare Radar — U.S.). Individual experiences still vary by access technology, local congestion, and in‑home Wi‑Fi quality.
U.S. internet speeds hold steady
Ookla, home of the Speedtest, reports U.S. fixed‑broadband medians in the high‑200 Mbps range for download with ~30–40 Mbps uploads and mid‑teens ms latency, while mobile medians reflect widespread 5G with ~110–125 Mbps down and ~10–15 Mbps up. These results place the U.S. among the global top performers and continue to improve year over year as fiber expands and cable upgrades roll out (Cloudflare Radar — U.S.; Ookla Global Index).
Users frequently run Speedtest to check their connections, and measurement platforms show persistent “work‑from‑home” fingerprints: higher weekday daytime usage and flatter evening peaks compared with pre‑2020, alongside rising upstream intensity from video calls and collaboration tools (Cloudflare Year in Review 2024; Sandvine Global Internet Phenomena).
Most providers have expanded capacity and upgraded technology. For example, Comcast reported a 32% traffic increase early in the pandemic and today is introducing DOCSIS 4.0‑based symmetric multi‑gig in select markets, which narrows cable’s traditional upload gap with fiber (Comcast DOCSIS 4.0 rollouts; CableLabs DOCSIS 4.0). Market‑wide testing shows large cable ISPs like Xfinity often among the fastest for download, while fiber ISPs (e.g., Verizon Fios) lead on upload and latency consistency (Ookla U.S. Market Report Q2 2024; FCC Measuring Broadband America).
Verizon has likewise expanded mid‑band 5G coverage and fixed wireless home internet; the company reported 434,000 fixed‑wireless net additions in Q3 2024 as FWA becomes a mainstream option (Verizon 3Q 2024 results). In head‑to‑head comparisons, Fios’ fiber offers symmetric uploads and lower latency, while cable remains strong on downloads and FWA performance varies more with signal and cell load (Ookla U.S. Market Report; FCC MBA).
Other countries have seen some lag
Globally, about 5.4 billion people—roughly two‑thirds of the world—were online in 2024 (ITU Facts and Figures 2024). Country panels show rising median speeds year over year; top fixed markets exceed 250–300 Mbps median download, and leading mobile markets surpass 200 Mbps (Ookla Global Index). Since the early COVID‑era peaks, operators have emphasized structural capacity upgrades (fiberization, 5G), more peering and on‑net caches, and adaptive streaming efficiency to handle big events with fewer ad‑hoc measures (Cloudflare Year in Review 2024; Sandvine Global Internet Phenomena).
Luigi Gubitosi, CEO of Telecom Italia, one of the country’s internet providers, told analysts, “We reported an increase of more than 70% of internet traffic over our landline network, with a big contribution from online gaming such as Fortnite.” Those early surges accelerated investments that now underpin higher resilience across Europe and other regions through more local caches, capacity augments, and efficient codecs.
Streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ are automatically reducing the streaming resolution in limited circumstances only when necessary today; the standard playbook now relies on adaptive bitrate ladders, content‑aware encoding, and edge delivery. Platforms widely deploy HEVC and increasingly AV1 to deliver the same quality at lower bitrates (Bitmovin Video Developer Report 2024), use shot‑based, per‑title encoding to cut bandwidth without visible loss (Netflix TechBlog), and place caches inside ISPs (Netflix Open Connect; Google Global Cache) with growing use of open caching standards (SVTA Open Caching). These approaches, combined with multi‑CDN routing and QUIC/HTTP/3, help stabilize QoE during live peaks (Sandvine).
So, why does your internet seem slower?
Remote/hybrid work increases upstream load and latency sensitivity. Typical U.S. fixed medians (~30–40 Mbps up) are sufficient for most households, but simultaneous video calls, 4K streaming, cloud backup, and gaming can saturate lesser upload tiers or congested Wi‑Fi, making everything feel slower. Fiber’s symmetric uploads and lower latency often improve real‑time experience, and recent cable upgrades (high‑split/DOCSIS 4.0) are narrowing the gap in upgraded markets (Speedtest U.S.; FCC MBA; CableLabs DOCSIS 4.0).
This effect is amplified when multiple people and devices are active at once. Shared Wi‑Fi airtime and interference can raise latency; access technology also matters. Fiber (e.g., Verizon Fios) tends to deliver the strongest uploads/latency; cable (e.g., Xfinity) often leads on downloads with improving upstream in high‑split/DOCSIS 4.0 areas; fixed wireless access (5G Home) can be excellent in some cells but is more variable under load. Satisfaction studies generally put fiber ISPs ahead of cable and FWA on perceived reliability and service quality (Ookla U.S. Market Report; ACSI 2023–2024; J.D. Power 2024 ISP Satisfaction).
A few ways to improve your speed
There are a few ways you can improve your connection, grounded in current standards and usage trends:
- Check your router location. Distance and obstacles attenuate signals; place the router centrally and elevated. Newer 6 GHz Wi‑Fi (6E/7) offers clean spectrum and high throughput but shorter range than 2.4/5 GHz (Wi‑Fi 6E). In the U.S., standard‑power 6 GHz access points coordinated by AFC (authorized in 2024) expand coverage options for larger properties (FCC 6 GHz AFC).
- Buy your own router or extender. The router/modem combos your internet provider rent out are often basic. Buying your own router or WiFi mesh system with Wi‑Fi 6E or Wi‑Fi 7, WPA3 security, and 2.5G+ Ethernet can materially improve performance and reliability; look for EasyMesh for multi‑vendor mesh flexibility (Wi‑Fi 7; Wi‑Fi 6E; Wi‑Fi CERTIFIED EasyMesh; CISA home network security).
- Upgrade your speed. For multiple users working/learning/streaming, the FCC now evaluates fixed broadband against a 100/20 Mbps benchmark and has long‑term goals as high as 1 Gbps/500 Mbps (FCC 2024 Broadband Progress Report). Use the new Broadband Consumer Labels to compare typical speeds, latency, data caps, and all‑in costs (FCC Broadband Consumer Labels). Many households are moving to higher tiers as usage grows—gigabit adoption is roughly one‑third of subscribers and “power users” (1 TB+/month) now exceed one‑quarter (OpenVault). Make sure you’ve calculated how much speed you’ll need before committing.
