Netflix on Monday released new stats that reveal the ISPs with the fastest access to the service’s streaming video.
Comcast has reportedly moved up six spaces to the fifth position on the chart, with speeds increased from 1.51Mbps to 2.5Mbps between January and March.
Comcast, however, is still behind Cablevision – Optimum, Cox, Suddenlink and Charter with speeds of 2.98Mbps, 2.84Mbps, 2.67Mbps and 2.61Mbps respectively.
“This month’s rankings are a great illustration of how performance can improve when ISPs work to connect directly to Netflix,” the company wrote in a blog post. “In the US, the average speed on the Comcast network for Netflix streams is up 65 percent from 1.51Mbps in January to 2.5Mbps in March.”
The increase in speeds by over 65 percent over the last two months is the result of the peering deal between Netflix and Comcast. Netflix agreed to make regular payments to the cable giant in order to gain access to the Comcast’s broadband network to ensure high-quality streaming for Comcast customers, in February.
Back in March, Netflix chief Reed Hastings said that he “reluctantly” signed the deals just to ensure the best service possible. He denounced such deals in a plea for Net neutrality calling on the FCC to prevent ISPs from charging these kinds of peering fees.
Comcast as well as other ISPs like AT&T argued that these deals are essential for the huge investments the broadband companies make to meet the heavy demand of the Netflix users.
Apart from Comcast, Netflix also reports increased speeds from service providers in other nations, including Norway, Denmark, Costa Rica, Jamaica and more.
In the previous ISP Speed Index, Google Fiber had consistently topped the chart, which is now included in a larger Netflix list of smaller ISPs.
Among the smaller ISPs, Google Fiber ranks first with 3.6 Mbps, followed by Choice Cable Puerto Rico and Midwestern provider Midcontinent at speeds of 3.02 Mbps each.
