In this latest analysis, Opensignal examines the mobile network experience of our smartphone users across Indonesia to gauge what proportion struggle with an inferior experience compared to the norm, both nationally and regionally, focusing on three key metrics: Video Experience, Download Speed Experience, and time with no signal.
While some Indonesian users enjoy fast average download speeds or Video Experience that rates as Very Good or Excellent — a substantial proportion of others suffer from subpar mobile network experience. The disparity in the quality of mobile network experiences significantly fluctuates across different regions of Indonesia.
Over 20% of our smartphone users in Indonesia grapple with average download speeds below 10Mbps, 17.2% typically have a Poor Video Experience, and 6.3% of users spend 5% or more of their time with no mobile signal. 20% or more of the users in Jawa Tengah, Sulawesi and Maluku observe average download speeds below 10Mbps and have a Poor experience while streaming videos over mobile connections. Maluku has the highest proportion of users that spend 5% or more of their time without a cellular connection (12.3%) — almost twice the national average of 6.3% — while Jakarta Raya has the lowest percentage of users in this segment.
In Indonesia, the average download speed of our smartphone users stands at 21.1Mbps. But a substantial chunk faces significantly slower speeds. 52.4% of users see average download speeds below 20Mbps, and over 20% of users see average speeds below 10Mbps. There are also notable disparities in user experiences when streaming on-demand video. 17.2% of users encounter a Poor (below 48) Video Experience, characterized by high loading times, frequent stalling, or sub-720p video quality — which hampers their ability to effectively use video services for work, education, or entertainment. Only 6.3% enjoy an Excellent (78 or above) experience, allowing for smooth 1080p or higher video streaming.
We also looked at time with no signal to determine the proportion of Indonesian smartphone users who struggle to connect to mobile services. While nearly 85% of users experience spend less than 1% of their time with no signal, 6.3% of users spend 5% or more of their time disconnected. The latter figure includes the 3.8% of users that face even more significant issues, enduring 10% or more Time with no signal.
There are large differences in the proportion of users with poor download speeds across Indonesia. Out of the 12 regions we’ve analyzed, there are five regions where the proportion of our users that experience average mobile speeds below 10Mbps is higher than the national average of 20.4% of users — Banten, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Maluku and Sumatra. On the flip side, only 14.4% of users in the Lesser Sunda Islands have these very slow speeds, followed by Jawa Timur (16.6%).
When comparing operators, Smartfren has the highest proportion of users with a Download Speed Experience below 10Mbps — 41% — followed by IOH’s Indosat (30.4%) and 3 (29%). On the brighter side, Telkomsel boasts the lowest percentage of users below 10Mbps (10.8%) and the highest percentage of users with speeds soaring above 40Mbps (19.9%).
Turning to the proportion of our smartphone users with a Poor (below 48) Video Experience, seven regions underperform compared to the national average of 17.2%. Maluku has the highest percentage of users in this category, 26.6%, followed by Sulawesi, Jawa Tengah, and the Lesser Sunda Islands — more than a fifth of the users in these regions have a Poor Video Experience. In contrast, Jakarta Raya records the lowest proportion of users with a Poor (below 48) Video Experience (11.8%) — followed by Jawa Timur (13.8%) and Banten (14.5%).
Looking at the operator split, Telkomsel has the lowest proportion of users with a Poor Video Experience (11.8%) and the highest proportion of users with an Excellent one (8.4%) when using video streaming services over cellular connections. The reverse is true for Smartfren, with 37% of our Smartfren users observing a Poor (below 48) Video Experience, while only 1.1% of users observe an Excellent (78 or above) Video Experience.
Our regional analysis of time with no signal shows that Jakarta Raya has the lowest proportion of users that spend 5% or more of their time with no signal — 4.5% of users — while Maluku has the highest at nearly double the national average (6.3%), followed by Kalimantan and Western New Guinea.
Looking at Indonesia’s operators, 6.2-6.5% of users on 3, Indosat, Telkomsel and XL spend 5% or more of their time with no signal — compared to 5.3% of Smartfren’s users. Around 85% of 3, Indosat and XL users spend less than 1% of their time with no signal — which increases to 87.9% on Smartfren.
Opensignal has previously analyzed user segments by the quality of mobile network experience in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and New Zealand. This approach sheds light on the considerable number of smartphone users who grapple with subpar network experiences nationally, regionally, or locally. These users face a choice: they may switch to another operator or miss out on the richer services offered by mobile providers, leading to potential revenue losses for the industry.
A large number of users struggling with below-average mobile network services underscores the pressing need for improvements in Indonesia's mobile networks. As Indonesia’s digital landscape evolves, addressing these disparities will be vital to ensuring equitable access to mobile services and supporting users’ diverse needs.
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