Real 5G speeds across Asia: what we measured

What we actually measured

These are real measurements, not estimates. Over June 2026 we ran 39 field speed tests on our own travel eSIM across four countries (Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam), all on 5G, at real places: airports, city centres, temples, train stations, beaches, and rural stops. Every number below comes from those tests. Where a sample is small, we say so, because a single reading is a data point, not a trend, and we would rather show the honest spread than a tidy average that hides it.

Across all 39 tests, the median download speed was 82.5 Mbps, with a mean of 111.7 Mbps pulled up by a few very fast city readings. The full range ran from 17.9 Mbps at the slowest spot to 478.0 Mbps at the fastest. Median upload was 28.2 Mbps. Median ping, measured on 22 of the tests, was 82.5 ms. Those overall figures matter less than the breakdown by country and operator, which is where the useful detail lives. An overall median across four very different countries blends fast Thai cities with quieter Korean towns, so treat it as a starting point and read the country and operator sections for what you will actually experience where you are going.

Download speeds by country

Thailand was our most-tested country and the fastest by median. Across 19 tests, the median download was 112.0 Mbps, with readings from 17.9 Mbps at a quiet island pier up to 478.0 Mbps in central Bangkok. That spread is the real story: Thai 5G in dense city areas was among the fastest we saw anywhere, while remote spots dropped sharply, which is exactly what you would expect and useful to plan around.

Japan came next, with a median of 79.9 Mbps across 12 tests, ranging widely from 18.6 Mbps at one airport to 221.0 Mbps at another. South Korea was the most consistent, if not the fastest: 7 tests gave a median of 69.4 Mbps in a tight band from 58.7 to 82.5 Mbps, with little of the variance we saw elsewhere. Vietnam is a single data point so far, one test at 127.8 Mbps, so we report it as a measurement, not a country median.

Which operator was fastest

Because each country runs on different networks, operator results track country results closely. In Thailand, AIS was the standout: across 16 tests it posted a median of 142.5 Mbps and our single fastest reading of 478.0 Mbps in Bangkok Chinatown. Its floor was low too, 17.9 Mbps at a remote pier, so AIS showed both the highest ceiling and a wide spread depending on location.

Japan's NTT Docomo returned a median of 79.9 Mbps over 12 tests, and South Korea's LG U+ a steady 69.4 Mbps over 7. In Thailand we also tested TrueMove H on the islands, 3 readings with a median of 71.1 Mbps, useful but too few to rank confidently. Vietnam's Vinaphone is our one 127.8 Mbps reading. The pattern: fast, variable networks in Thailand and Japan, steady mid-range in Korea.

The fastest and slowest places we tested

The place-by-place readings tell you more than any average. Our fastest test was Bangkok Chinatown on AIS at 478.0 Mbps, followed by Chumphon Walking Street at 279.0 Mbps and Thung Song Junction at 264.0 Mbps, all in Thailand on AIS. In Japan, Tokyo Haneda Airport hit 221.0 Mbps and Sapporo Center reached 189.0 Mbps. These are genuinely fast 5G figures, comfortably enough for anything a traveller does.

The slow end is just as instructive. Our lowest reading was Koh Yao Noi Tha Khao Pier at 17.9 Mbps, an island pier, followed by Sapporo Chitose Airport at 18.6 Mbps and Osaka Airport KIX at 19.3 Mbps, both airports where congestion is common. Even these lows are usable for maps, messaging, and calls; they only strain heavy streaming. Notably, not one of our 39 tests hit a dead zone, every location had a working 5G signal, which is itself a useful finding about coverage across these countries. For a traveller, the practical takeaway is that 5G on a travel eSIM held up everywhere we went, from a Bangkok mall to a Koh Yao Noi rice field, and the difference between locations was speed, not whether you had a signal at all.

Frequently asked questions

How fast is 5G in Asia really?

In our 39 field tests across four countries in June 2026, the median download was 82.5 Mbps, ranging from 17.9 to 478.0 Mbps. Thailand on AIS was fastest by median at 142.5 Mbps; South Korea was the most consistent.

Which country had the fastest 5G?

Thailand, by median. Across 19 tests it reached a median of 112.0 Mbps and our single fastest reading of 478.0 Mbps in Bangkok. Japan followed at 79.9 Mbps, and South Korea was steadiest at 69.4 Mbps.

Which operator was fastest in your tests?

AIS in Thailand, with a median of 142.5 Mbps over 16 tests. NTT Docomo in Japan managed 79.9 Mbps and LG U+ in South Korea 69.4 Mbps. Samples for TrueMove H and Vinaphone were too small to rank.

Did you find any dead zones?

No. Across all 39 tests, every location returned a working 5G signal, including island piers and rural stops. The slowest reading was 17.9 Mbps, low but still usable for maps and messaging. Speeds dropped in remote spots but never to nothing.

Are these numbers reliable?

They are real measurements, with sample sizes shown. Thailand (n=19) and Japan (n=12) are well sampled; Vietnam is a single reading and labelled as such. We show the range and n so you can judge each figure rather than trusting one average.