'Ping' tests latency in a network more than bandwidth. That's the time it takes for the 'ping' to get from your PC to a remote machine server, and get back again, across all the network kit on the way.
If you run a trace route you might see where the hold up is.
so for instane, go to a dos command shell and type
tracert
www.cisco.com
and see what you get back.. When I do this the longest hop appears to be the one from the UK to the US, which might make sense. You don't want to see the longest hop elsewhere, neccessarily. Just another tool to help you guess what is going on out there.