Australia
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Australia
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Key Findings
Optus users saw the fastest 5G download speeds, but Telstra wins on overall download speeds
Optus is the sole winner of the 5G Download Speed, with our users seeing average 5G speeds of 268.8 Mbps — 26 Mbps (10.7%) faster than Telstra’s score of 242.9 Mbps. However, our Telstra users saw the fastest overall speeds — measured across all generations of mobile technology, making it the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award with a score of 54.9 Mbps — 6.6 Mbps (13.6%) faster than second placed Optus’ score of 48.3 Mbps. In both categories, Vodafone is in last place and its 5G Download Speed score was less than half that of its rivals.
Telstra wins the 5G Reach and 5G Availability awards
Our Telstra users spent the most time connected to 5G, and found 5G in the most locations (out of all those they visited) and as a result, Telstra is the sole winner of the 5G Availability and 5G Reach awards. Telstra 5G users spent 17.5% of their time with an active 5G connection while those on second placed Vodafone did so for 15.6% of their time.
Users had the best multiplayer mobile gaming and voice app experience with Optus
Optus is the outright winner of both the overall Games Experience and Voice App Experience awards, but Telstra and Vodafone are hot on its heels. Optus wins both awards by less than a point and Telstra and Vodafone are statistically tied for second place in both categories. Vodafone is the sole winner of the 5G Voice App Experience award with a lead of just 0.5 points over Optus, while all three operators are tied on 5G Games Experience.
Optus breaks clear to win 5G Video Experience
No operator stood out for overall Video Experience because there was no statistically significant difference in the scores across the three operators. However, Optus is the outright winner of the 5G Video Experience award with a score of 77.1 points, 0.8 points ahead of second placed Telstra and 5.7 points ahead of Vodafone.
Telstra wins both Excellent and Core Consistent Quality awards outright
Telstra wins the Excellent Consistent Quality award with a 3.4 percentage point margin over second-placed Vodafone. In Core Consistent Quality, Telstra beat Optus and Vodafone by 1.4 percentage points as the latter two operators’ scores were identical. Our measures of consistent quality quantify how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. Excellent Consistent Quality analyzes the percentage of users' tests that met the minimum recommended thresholds for watching HD video, completing group video conference calls and playing games. Core Consistent Quality uses thresholds for less demanding applications.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
For the first time, we have directly compared the mobile network experience and the 5G experience of our Australian users in the same report. Plus, in another first we have also analyzed the consistency of our users’ experience.
Looking at our awards table, Telstra has the lion’s share of awards, claiming seven out of 16 awards outright and is a joint winner in a further two categories: Video Experience and 5G Games Experience. Telstra’s outright victories include the Download Speed Experience award, both the Opensignal awards for consistent quality, and three out of four awards in the coverage section.
The operator with the second largest haul is Optus, which wins four awards outright: Games Experience, Voice App Experience, 5G Video Experience and 5G Download Speed. It is also a joint winner in three categories.
While Vodafone has the fewest victories to its name, it still managed to win the Upload Speed Experience award and the 5G Voice App Experience awards outright. This wide spread of winners highlights the importance of using multiple measures to understand the mobile experience, especially as users may prioritize different aspects depending on their needs.
Back in December, Optus and Telstra were the winning bidders of the ACMA’s 850/900 MHz auction (bands n26 and n8), previously used for fixed-point-to-point, fixed-point-to-multipoint and 3G services. Optus won 12 lots at a cost of AUD1.48 billion (approximately US$1.1 billion), while Telstra won four lots for AUD615.66 million. Frequencies in these bands propagate across long distances with good penetration through obstacles to reach into buildings, making them ideal for both rural and urban areas. These licenses won’t come into effect until July 2024, although the two operators may be able to obtain early access to spectrum under special circumstances.
In February, Telstra and TPG Telecom (the owner of the Vodafone brand in Australia) signed a 10 year regional Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) commercial agreement. TPG expects to be able to implement MOCN for use by its customers by the end of the year subject to ACCC approval. Under the terms of the deal, Vodafone would gain access to around 3,700 of Telstra’s mobile network assets, which Vodafone hopes will boost its 4G coverage. In return, Telstra would gain access to Vodafone’s 4G and 5G spectrum. Both operators would continue to operate their own core network and Telstra would deploy its infrastructure on up to 169 Vodafone sites, improving coverage for customers on either network.
In this report, we've analyzed real-world data gathered in the 90 days starting on January 1, 2022 and ending on March 31, 2022 to see how Australia’s three national operators — Optus, Telstra and Vodafone — stack up.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Optus, Telstra and Vodafone are joint winners of the Video Experience award, with scores in the 58.9-59.5 point range. This is because users did not observe any statistically significant differences in their experience when streaming video over mobile connections between the three operators’ networks.
However, when we look at the overall experience of just 5G users (Video Experience – 5G Users), they had the best video experience on Optus’ and Telstra’s networks, with statistically tied scores of 62.4-63.1 points on a 100 point scale.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
Optus is the outright winner of the Games Experience award, with a score of 73.6 points on a 100 point scale. This means that our Optus users had the best overall experience — across all generations of mobile technology and weighted by the proportion of time they were connected to them — when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections. Optus wins with a lead of around 0.8 points over Telstra and Vodafone, which are statistically tied for second place.
All three operators placed in the Fair (65-75) category, which indicates that our users found the experience to be ‘average’. In most cases the game was responsive to the actions of the player with most users reporting that they felt like they had control over the game. The majority of players reported that they noticed a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Our Optus users had the best experience when using over-the-top voice applications on cellular connections, making Optus the sole winner of the Voice App Experience award with a score of 79 points on a 100 point scale. However, Telstra and Vodafone are hot on its heels, given their statistically tied scores of 78.5-78.7 points.
All three operators placed in the Acceptable (74-80) category. This means that listeners were generally able to comprehend without repetition and that some users experienced perceptible call quality impairments such as clicking sounds of short duration or distortion.
Definitions
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
- 5G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Voice App Experience – 5G Users: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G voice app experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Our Telstra users observed the fastest average download speeds — 54.9 Mbps — making it the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award. Telstra users’ speeds were 6.6 Mbps (13.6%) faster than those on second placed Optus, given the latter’s score of 48.3 Mbps. Vodafone is in last place with a score of 43.4 Mbps.
Looking at the average overall download speeds of just 5G users (Download Speed Experience – 5G users), Telstra users again saw the fastest speeds — 85.6 Mbps, followed by those on Optus with 75.4 Mbps and our Vodafone users with 54.7 Mbps. Our Telstra and Optus 5G users saw average overall download speeds that were 27.2-30.7 Mbps (56-56.2%) faster than the average across all users, while Vodafone 5G users’ average speeds were 11.3 Mbps (26%) faster than Vodafone’s Download Speed Experience score of 43.4 Mbps.
We see much greater increases in speed when we look at 5G Download Speed — the average download speeds seen by our users when they were connected to 5G. Our Optus and Telstra users reported increases of 220.6 Mbps and 188 Mbps compared to their average speeds across all mobile technologies, respectively, while those on Vodafone saw an improvement of 71.1 Mbps.
Currently, our users’ average 5G download speeds have a limited impact on each operator’s Download Speed Experience scores as Australian 5G users spend the majority of their time not connected to 5G. As 5G Availability — the proportion of time spent with an active 5G connection — will increase as operators continue to roll out and deploy their 5G networks, the difference between their Download Speed Experience and 5G Download Speed scores is likely to decline over time. This trend will also be driven by growing 5G adoption — the greater the proportion of users with 5G capable phones, the more influence 5G speeds will have on the Download Speed Experience.
Definitions
Measured in Mbps, Download Speed Experience represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across an operator’s mobile data networks.
In addition to Download Speed Experience, we report on the following metrics related to download speeds:
- 5G Download Speed: The average download speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Download Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average download speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G download speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
National Analysis
Vodafone is the sole winner of the Upload Speed Experience award, due to its score of 9.5 Mbps, which was 0.8 Mbps faster than that of second placed Telstra. Optus is in third place with a score of 8.1 Mbps.
Turning to the average overall upload speeds of our 5G users (Upload Speed Experience – 5G users), our Telstra and Vodafone users saw the fastest speeds — 9.1-9.2 Mbps — due to a statistical tie, while Optus is in third place with a score of 8.6 Mbps. Our Telstra and Optus 5G users’ speeds were 0.5 Mbps (5.4-5.9%) faster than the average across all users.
More impressively, Optus and Telstra’s 5G Upload Speed scores were 8 Mbps and 9 Mbps faster, respectively, than their Upload Speed Experience scores, while Vodafone’s was 3.3 Mbps higher. 5G Upload Speed represents the average upload speeds seen when users were connected to 5G. It therefore gives an indication of how users’ upload speeds will change once they spend the majority of their time connected to 5G networks.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
Regional Analysis
At the regional level, outright wins were few and far behind for our three experiential metrics (Video Experience, Games Experience and Voice App Experience). Looking at Video Experience, Telstra is the sole winner in both New South Wales and South Australia, while Optus wins the regional award in Western Australia.
In the remaining four regions, three saw three-way statistical ties behind the operators’ score, while in the Northern Territory, Optus and Vodafone are joint winners. Turning to Games Experience, Optus and Telstra win outright in New South Wales and Victoria, respectively. In three out of the five remaining regions, our users did not observe any statistically significant differences in their Games Experience between the three operators, while in South Australia Telstra and Vodafone share the award; similarly Optus and Telstra are joint winners in Tasmania. For Voice App Experience, all the regional awards are shared between two or more operators.
As might be expected given its national victory, Telstra has the lion’s share of regional Download Speed Experience awards, securing outright wins in all but the Northern Territory and Western Australia — both of which are claimed by Optus. The fastest average download speeds seen at the regional level were observed by our Telstra users in South Australia who clocked up an impressive 71.7 Mbps.
Similarly, Vodafone dominates in terms of regional average upload speeds alongside its national win for Upload Speed Experience. The operator wins outright in four regions — Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia — and shares regional awards in New South Wales and the Northern Territory with Telstra and Optus, respectively. However, Telstra wins outright in Tasmania. Vodafone had the highest regional Upload Speed Experience score of 10.5 Mbps in South Australia.
Regional Analysis Summary: Australia, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2022
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5G Experience
National Analysis
Our Optus users had the best experience when streaming video over mobile 5G connections. The operator therefore wins the 5G Video Experience award outright and its score of 77.1 points on a 100 point scale gives it a lead of 0.8 points over second-placed Telstra, which scored 76.3 points. Vodafone is in last place with a score of 71.5 points.
These scores are much higher than those for Video Experience, which measures the overall experience of all our users across all generations of mobile technology. Optus’ 5G Video Experience score is 17.9 points (30.2%) higher than its Video Experience score, while Telstra and Vodafone’s 5G Video Experience scores were 16.8 points (28.3%) and 12.6 points (21.3%) better, respectively.
Definitions
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
Our Australian 5G users did not observe any statistically significant difference in their experience when playing multiplayer games over 5G mobile connections between the country’s three national operators, making Optus, Telstra and Vodafone joint winners of the 5G Games Experience award.
All three operators also placed in the Good (75-85) category. This means that most users deemed the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience was generally controllable and the user received immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users did not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
There was little improvement between users’ overall Games Experience and their 5G Games Experience, with operators’ scores increasing by 1.9-3.5 points. This is likely to change once use of 5G standalone access technology, along with network slicing and edge computing becomes commonplace.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
Vodafone is the sole winner of the 5G Voice App Experience award due to its score of 79.5 points on a 100 point scale — 0.5 points ahead of second-placed Optus’ score of 79 points. This means that our Vodafone users had the best experience on 5G connections when using over-the-top voice apps.
However, all three operators placed in the Acceptable (74-80) category for 5G Voice App Experience. This means that listeners were generally able to comprehend without repetition and that some users experienced perceptible call quality impairments such as clicking sounds of short duration or distortion. Optus, Telstra and Vodafone also placed in the Acceptable category for Voice App Experience — the overall voice app experience of our users across all generations of mobile technology. However, the difference between scores in these two categories may increase once 5G standalone access and Voice over New Radio (VoNR) technology become widely used.
Definitions
5G Voice App Experience quantifies the experience of Opensignal users when using over-the-top voice apps — such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — on an operator’s 5G network. It uses a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. 5G Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
National Analysis
Our Optus users saw the fastest average 5G download speeds in Australia — an impressive 268.8 Mbps, 26 Mbps (10.7%) faster than the 242.9 Mbps observed by users on second-placed Telstra. Vodafone placed last with a score of 114.5 Mbps.
Across all three operators, our users saw dramatically faster average download speeds on 5G than their overall speeds across all mobile technologies. Optus’ 5G Download Speed score was 5.6 times higher than its Download Speed Experience score, while Telstra and Vodafone’s were 4.4 and 2.6 higher, respectively. These gains in speed give an indication of what users can expect once 5G networks have matured to the point that a typical user spends the vast majority of their time connected to 5G.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
Telstra is the outright winner of the 5G Upload Speed award, due to its score of 17.7 Mbps, which is 1.7 Mbps (10.5%) faster than second placed Optus’ score of 16 Mbps. Vodafone is in last place with a score of 12.9 Mbps.
The average 5G upload speeds seen by our Optus and Telstra users were twice as fast as the average overall upload speeds seen by our users on the two operators’ networks across all generations of mobile technology (Upload Speed Experience). The 5G uplift seen by our Vodafone users was lower as its 5G Upload Speed score was 1.3 times its Upload Speed Experience score.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Regional Analysis
Optus has managed the impressive feat of winning awards for 5G Video Experience in all of the five regions in which we’ve analyzed the 5G experience — either solely or jointly with Telstra (in Queensland and Victoria). In contrast, Telstra has a slight edge at the regional level in terms of 5G Games Experience, as it is the only operator to win a regional award outright — in Victoria — and shares the award with other operators in all the other regions.
Turning to 5G Voice App Experience, it is Vodafone’s turn to shine. It wins outright in New South Wales and Victoria, while sharing awards with Optus in the remaining three regions.
Optus wins 5G Download Speed awards outright in three regions: New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; while Telstra wins in Queensland and South Australia. Conversely, Telstra has the advantage in terms of regional 5G Upload Speed — the operator wins outright in three regions (Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), while sharing awards with Optus in New South Wales and Victoria.
Regional Analysis Summary: Australia, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2022
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Coverage
Optus
Telstra
Vodafone
National Analysis
Our Optus and Vodafone users spent the largest proportion of their time connected to either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection, given the two operators’ identical scores of 99.4%, making Optus and Vodafone joint winners of the Availability award. Telstra is not far behind the two winners — with a score of 99.2%.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
National Analysis
Telstra is the outright winner of the 5G Availability award as its score of 17.5% gives it a lead of two percentage points over second-placed Vodafone’s score of 15.6%. This means that our Telstra 5G users spent 17.5% of their time connected to an active 5G signal. Optus is in last place, given its score of 8.7%. 5G Availability is an important measure, given that users can only enjoy the significant improvements in their mobile experience that 5G can provide when they are connected to 5G networks.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
National Analysis
Our Telstra users found a 5G signal in the largest proportion of the locations they visited, making Telstra the sole winner of the 5G Reach award. The operator wins with a score of 4.7 points on a 10 point scale, giving it a lead of one point over second placed Vodafone’s score of 3.7 points. Optus is in last place with a score of 3.1 points.
Definitions
5G Reach measures how users experience the geographical extent of an operator’s 5G network. It analyzes the average proportion of locations where users were connected to a 5G network out of all the locations those users have visited. In simple terms, 5G Reach measures the 5G mobile experience in all the locations that matter most to everyday users – i.e. all the places where they live, work and travel. 5G Reach for each operator is measured on a scale from 0 to 10.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
National Analysis
Telstra is the outright winner of the 4G Coverage Experience award, as our Telstra users were able to connect to 4G in the most locations out of all those visited by our users across all three of Australia’s major operators’ networks. Telstra wins with a nearly perfect score of 9.8 points on a 10 point scale, giving it a lead of 0.4 points over second-placed Optus’ score of 9.4 points. Vodafone is some distance behind the two front-runners with a score of 8.3 points.
Definitions
4G Coverage Experience measures how mobile subscribers experience 4G coverage on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-10, it analyzes the locations where customers of a network operator received a 4G signal relative to the locations visited by users of all network operators.
In simple terms, 4G Coverage Experience measures the mobile coverage experience in all the locations that matter most to everyday users — i.e. all the places where they live, work and travel. It considers all the areas that Opensignal users visit, the portion of locations that 4G is available to them, and locations that more users visit have higher importance to them.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
Regional Analysis
At the regional level, there was a hard fought contest in terms of Availability — the proportion of time that our users spent connected to 3G, 4G or 5G services. Telstra is the only operator to win outright, doing so in Tasmania, and the operator shares awards with Optus and Vodafone in three regions due to three-way statistical ties. Meanwhile Optus and Vodafone are joint winners in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
Our users saw a very different picture in terms of our two measures of 5G networks’ extent — 5G Availability and 5G Reach. Telstra dominates in both — in 5G Reach, it achieves four outright wins and ties with Vodafone only in Western Australia.
Looking at 5G Availability, Telstra triumphs outright in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria — and jointly wins with Vodafone in the remaining regions. Our Telstra users in South Australia spent the largest proportion of time at the regional level with an active 5G connection — 21.5%. 5G is being rolled out at different rates in different regions — for example, Optus deployed 5G for the first time in Tasmania back in March.
Regional Analysis Summary: Australia, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2022
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J-R
- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
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S-Z
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
in New South Wales
in New South Wales
in New South Wales
in Northern Territory
in Queensland
in Queensland
in Queensland
in South Australia
in South Australia
in South Australia
in Tasmania
in Victoria
in Victoria
in Victoria
in Western Australia
in Western Australia
in Western Australia
Consistency
National Analysis
Telstra is the outright winner of the Excellent Consistent Quality award, as the highest proportion of users’ tests met the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch HD video, complete group video conference calls and play games on its network. Telstra wins with a score of 82.2%, giving a lead of 3.4 percentage points over second-placed Vodafone — which had a score of 78.8%. Optus is in last place with a score of 77.7%.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. It measures download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, time to first byte and the percentage of tests attempted which did not succeed due to a connectivity issue on either the download or server response component.
Full details on how the Consistent Quality metrics — Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality — are calculated can be found here.
Excellent Consistent Quality is the percentage of users’ tests that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch HD video, complete group video conference calls and play games.
National Analysis
Telstra is the sole winner of the Core Consistent Quality award, due to its score of 91%, which beats Optus and Vodafone’s identical scores of 89.6% by 1.4 percentage points.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. It measures download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, time to first byte and the percentage of tests attempted which did not succeed due to a connectivity issue on either the download or server response component.
Full details on how the Consistent Quality metrics — Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality — are calculated can be found here.
Core Consistent Quality is the percentage of users’ tests that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for lower performance applications including SD video, voice calls and web browsing.
Related Analysis
Our Methodology
Collecting billions of individual measurements daily from over 100 million devices globally, Opensignal independently analyzes mobile and broadband user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
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Opensignal is the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier. Our proprietary insights into mobile and broadband networks give operators the solutions they need to profitably compete and win, from executive level scorecards and public validation to pin-point level engineering analytics and consumer decision dynamics.
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Confidence Intervals
For every metric we calculate statistical confidence intervals indicated on our graphs. When confidence intervals overlap, our measured results are too close to declare a winner. In those cases, we show a statistical draw. For this reason, some metrics have multiple operator winners.
In our bar graphs we represent confidence intervals as boundaries on either sides of graph bars.
In our supporting-metric charts we show confidence intervals as +/- numerical values.
Why confidence intervals are vital in analyzing mobile network experience