With 4K streaming services starting to trickle into the market, Akamai added a “4K Readiness” metric to its first quarter State Of The Internet Report, finding that 17% of the U.S. is prepared to deliver those services via broadband – not quite enough to break into the global top 10.
In the report, Akamai noted that 4K/Ultra HD adaptive bit rate streams generally require 10 Mbps to 20 Mbps of sustained data, and, in the report, highlighted the percentage of connections to Akamai that generate speeds above 15 Mbps. Its 4K findings don’t factor in other “readiness” components, such as the availability of 4K-encoded content or 4K-capable TVs and media players. Akamai also acknowledged that the 15 Mbps threshold could change as more efficient codecs, such as HEVC or VP9, become more widespread.
Across the U.S., a total of 39 states had 4K readiness levels of 10% or more, with Massachusetts (27%) and Delaware (26%) having over a quarter of their connections to Akamai at speeds above 15 Mbps, according to Akamai. Hawaii (6.2%) and Kentucky (6.1%) had the lowest 4K readiness rates, as seen through Akamai’s speed-focused lens.
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