Comcast snagged the top spot on the “Netflix ISP Speed Index” in December, which is reportedly the first time that’s happened. According to a Netflix blog, Comcast increased its average monthly speed in December (as measured by the index) to 3.84 Mbps, up from 3.67 Mbps in November.
CenturyLink, which usually tends to hover at the bottom of the index among major operators, got a shout-out from Netflix since it climbed to 2.79 Mbps from 2.55 Mbps in November.
In Canada, Telus (fiber-optic) moved up four spots to take the number five place on the index, delivering an average monthly speed of 3.46 Mbps, up from 3.13 Mbps in November. Telus (DSL) reportedly moved up two spots to ninth place, increasing its speed to 3.28 Mbps in December from 3.05 Mbps in November.
Netflix points out its speed index, which it reports monthly, is a measure of primetime Netflix performance on a particular internet service provider, and not a measure of overall performance for other services/data that may travel across the specific network. Faster Netflix performance is said to generally mean better picture quality, quicker start times, and fewer interruptions.