Marina Pomela

Marina Pomela

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

Brazilian Capitals with Best Internet Connection

Marina Pomela

Marina Pomela

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

The Brazilian government and private initiatives have recently made substantial investments in the expansion of Brazil’s internet infrastructure. In this article you are going to discover the Brazilian locations with best internet connections.

In 2013, 60% of Brazilian residences suffered from a lack of internet access. At the beginning of 2015, Brazil had 24,29 million fixed broadband accesses. In February, multimedia communications service or SCM, was present in 36.77% of households.

Internet Data in Brazil

Brazil has a huge territory and covering it with materials like fiber and copper is not easy or cheap. That means internet access can vary greatly. Ranging from having good broadband connections if you are in the right neighbourhood of a particular city to having no broadband at all in other parts of the country.

Brazilian broadband connections have an average download speed of 9.9 mbps, ranking it 80th out of 190 countries. Connection speeds can be slow, especially for the 45% of the country’s population who live outside of the big cities.

Fastest ISPs in Brazil

The Internet Speed Index rating for each Internet Service Provider, or ISP, provided by PCMag, is calculated from the average of 80% of the ISP's download speed and 20% of its upload speed. With this speed number, it is possible to identify the fastest ISPs available.

According to PCMag, Brazil's best internet service is provided by TIM Live that offers a 26.8 Speed Index rating. It has a download speed of 28.9 mbps, but it is the 18.2 mbps upload speed that takes it to first place. This is also the best download and upload proportion. TIM Live not only comes first, but has an index number more than double that of Vivo, which takes second place in the ISP service ranking.

TIM’s performance can be explained by the 5.500 kilometers long fiber network which covers 21 cities, including state capitals São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. As an example of the company’s recent investment in infrastructure expansion, TIM Participações SA bought the telecommunications infrastructure from Companhia Brasiliana de Energia for BRL 1.6 billion in 2011.

Second position goes to Vivo Fibra, with a 12.8 index. The maximum speed advertised by Vivo is 200 mbps for download and 100 mbps for upload. The cost is around BRL $139.90 for internet service only, which can be bundled with television and other telecommunication services.

NET has the largest broadband market share in Brazil, with an 11.8 index. NET’s distinction is in the download speed, 10 times faster than its upload speed.

Fastest Internet Services in Brazilian Capitals

The broadband speeds are measured in mbps and are highest in the most populated cities. That is why the best internet connections are all located in capitals with São Paulo in first place.

1. São Paulo, capital of São Paulo state

Speed Index: 16,7 mbps
Average Download Speed: 19 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 7 mbps

2. Curitiba, capital of Paraná

Speed Index: 12 mbps
Average Download Speed: 14 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 5 mbps

3. Rio de Janeiro, capital of Rio de Janeiro

Speed Index: 11,4 mbps
Average Download Speed: 13,8 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 4 mbps

4. Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte

Speed Index: 10,8 mbps
Average Download Speed: 13,6 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 3 mbps

5. Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul

Speed Index: 10,4 mbps
Average Download Speed: 13,5 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 2 mbps

6. Recife, capital of Pernambuco

Speed Index: 8,9 mbps
Average Download Speed: 10,5 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 2 Mbps

7. Fortaleza, capital of Ceará

Speed Index: 8,2 mbps
Average Download Speed: 10 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 2,5 mbps

8. Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais

Speed Index: 7,8 mbps
Average Download Speed: 9,8 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 2 mbps

9. Brasília, Federal District

Speed Index: 7,3 mbps
Average Download Speed: 9,7 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 2,1 mbps

10. Salvador, capital of Bahia

Speed Index: 7,3 mbps
Average Download Speed: 9,7 mbps
Average Upload Speed: 2 mbps

Brazilian States with best Internet Connection Service

The Olhar Digital website has provided a different ranking, with extensive research from Anatel. This research includes every telecommunication company available comparing mobile and broadband internet services. With this it was possible to rank the states with the best internet connection available instead of a specific city. In this case, the list is presented as follows:

1. Rio de Janeiro: 14,72 mbps
2. Distrito Federal: 14,41 mbps
3. Alagoas: 13,93 mbps
4. Bahia: 13,86 mbps
5. São Paulo: 12,57 mbps
6. Espirito Santo: 12,34 mbps
7. Mato Grosso do Sul: 12,34 mbps
8. Santa Catarina: 12,27 mbps
9. Rio Grande do Sul: 11,92 mbps
10.Pernambuco: 11,33 mbps