With professionals around the world working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, a strong internet connection is more important than ever. A report from Business Fibre identified the best cities in the world for 5G, the most internet-friendly cities, and the least internet-friendly cities. 

SEE: 5G smartphones: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

5G is shifting from hype to reality: The market for 5G infrastructure is expected to hit $4.2 billion this year, and two-thirds of companies said they are deploying 5G in 2020, Gartner found. 5G’s promise of low latency and high bandwidth means greater connectivity for high-level automation and Internet of Things (IoT) devices—from anywhere. 

To see what areas are the furthest along with 5G, Business Fibre determined the locations with the most 5G hotspots around the world. 

15 best cities for 5G    

The following cities have the most 5G networks across the globe. 

1. Seoul, South Korea – 83 networks available
2. Los Angeles, USA – 40 networks available
3. London, UK – 35 networks available
4. Miami, USA – 14 networks available
5. Las Vegas, USA – 13 networks available
6. Hong Kong, Hong Kong – 8 networks available
7. Dubai, UAE – 8 networks available
8. New York City, USA – 5 networks available
9. Shenzhen, China – 3 networks available
10. Shanghai, China – 3 networks available
11. Mecca, Saudi Arabia– 3 networks available
12. Guangzhou, China – 3 networks available
13. Rome, Italy – 2 networks available
14. Barcelona, Spain – 1 network available
15. Bangkok, Thailand – 1 network available

Top 10 most internet-friendly cities 

The report also identified the most internet-friendly cities based on the number of free Wi-Fi spots, the average cost of data, the number of restaurants with free Wi-Fi, as well as the average upload and download speeds. 

1. London, UK
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Paris, France
4. Singapore
5. New York City, USA
6. Amsterdam, Holland
7. Barcelona, Spain
8. Bangkok, Thailand
9. Seoul, South Korea
10. Osaka, Japan

London took the top spot with the second-highest number of free Wi-Fi hotspots at 688,126 and the highest number of restaurants with free Wi-Fi at 3,981. Paris, which came in at No. 2, only had 2,750 restaurants with free Wi-Fi. 

Five of the top 10 were based in Asia, with Japan holding two cities in the list. Europe had four out of the 10 destinations, including Amsterdam, which had the fastest upload speed, according to the data. 

10 least internet-friendly destinations 

The report listed the least internet-friendly locations as well, with the same parameters as the locations that were the most internet-friendly. 

1. Dubai, UAE
2. Agra, India
3. Shanghai, China
4. Antalya, Turkey
5. Shenzhen, China
6. Delhi, India
7. Istanbul, Turkey
8. Mumbai, India
9. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
10. Taipei, Taiwan

While Shenzhen, China had some of the most 5G connections, the location lacked regular internet-friendliness, indicating that areas that are far along in 5G might not necessarily have the most accessibility. 

For more, check out 5G connections could help doctors, teachers, and telecommuters during the pandemic on TechRepublic. 

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