Akamai released a report Thursday revealing that only 17 percent of U.S. homes have the kind of sustained broadband speeds needed to support streaming of 4K/Ultra HD video content.
Adding a "4K Readiness" index to its first-quarter State of the Internet Report, Akamai determined that the U.S. isn't even in the top 10 in terms of ability to handle 4K's adaptive bitrate--one that needs, under current technology standards, sustained broadband speeds of over 15 Mbps.
South Korea leads all nations with 60 percent of households at or near that benchmark; Japan is second at 32 percent. The lowest readiness rates can be found in India (0.3 percent) and China (0.2 percent). The full report, and its associated lists, can be downloaded here.
Across the globe, 11 percent of all connections are 4K ready, Akamai determined.
Ranking 17th on the global list, the U.S. has 39 states with 4K readiness levels above 10 percent. The leaders are Massachussetts (27 percent) and Delaware (26 percent), with Hawaii (6.2 percent) and Kentucky (6.1 percent) finishing at the bottom.
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4K-ready U.S. states with broadband speeds averaging greater than 15 Mbps. (Source: Akamai) |
For more:
- read this report
- read this Gigaom story
Related links:
4K is everywhere at NAB, and it's about to hit consumer market--ready or not
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Parks: 4K TVs will 'reach mass market pricing' within 3 years