Testing company Ookla named UAE-based Etisalat as having the fastest mobile network globally so far in 2020, beating close competition from SK Telecom, Vivacom in Bulgaria and regional rival Ooredoo.

In a statement, Etisalat said it was recognised by Ookla for having the fastest mobile network in Q1 to Q2 and Q2 to Q3, following an analysis by the company based on millions of tests initiated by customers across every network to check speeds on various applications.

Ookla explained it uses the tests to generate a “speed score”, incorporating a measure of each provider’s networks speeds combining download and upload speeds to rank overall performance.

In total, Etisalat achieved a total score of 98.78Mb/s, the only operator globally to rank higher than 90. Its closest competition came from SK Telecom, which had a score of 89.54Mb/s, following by Ooredoo in Qatar (87.80Mb/s) and Vivacom (86.40Mb/s).

Hatem Dowidar, acting CEO of Etisalat, said the achievement was testament to its “relentless efforts” towards improving its networks and responding to global digital advancements.

Ookla added networks in the UAE registered the fastest average mobile download rates globally in January, March and July.