Short answer:

• Ping can be less than 50 ms (milliseconds) on the average. Anything <100 ms is required for VoIP.
  
  
• Download speeds on a burstable speed test can be up to 15 Mbps.*
  
  
• Upload speed on a burstable speed test can be up to 4 Mbps.*
  
  

*Results can be higher or lower depending on many factors (e.g., the network you are on, how far away you are from the transmitter, traffic, etc.). Keep in mind that no other devices can be using the Internet while you do a speed test.

Ping measures the time it takes for a 'packet of data' to go from your device (e.g., your computer) to your router, through your Internet antenna, to our transmitter, through our network, out over the Internet to the test site (e.g., Sacramento or San Francisco typically as stated on the speed test screen), and all the way back - in seconds; or milliseconds.

A download test measures how fast it takes a 'packet of data' to be downloaded from a test site server to your device. The most common unit of measure is Mbps (megabits per second). Most of your Internet use is downloading. When you view a web page, you are actually downloading it to your computer/device. Same with streaming.

An upload test measures how fast it takes a 'packet of data' to be uploaded from your device back to the test site server. The most common unit of measure is Mbps (megabits per second). Uploading is usually used for sending emails, uploading data to a cloud storage (e.g., iTunes, OneBox, etc.), VoIP calls (sending your voice) or video (cameras).

Shouldn't my download and upload be the same?

No. Most of what a person does on the Internet is downloading (see above). Therefore, our network is configured for 75% of data allocated for downloads and about 25% of data allocated for uploads. That's pretty standard in the industry.

Wireless Internet is "half-duplex" which means the transmission of data (download and upload) happens, but just not simultaneously. That is, you can download or you can upload, but not both at the same time (unlike a cabled connection).