Philippines
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.
Philippines
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
Smart users saw the fastest download speeds
Smart is the outright winner of both the Download Speed Experience and 5G Download Speed awards, with scores of 19.7 Mbps and 149.9 Mbps, respectively. In both categories Smart wins by large margins. It commanded a lead of 4.9 Mbps (32.8%) over DITO for Download Speed Experience and wins 5G Download Speed with a lead of 38.8 Mbps (35%) over Globe.
Smart comes top for 5G Availability and 5G Reach
Our Smart 5G users spent the most time connected to 5G and found a 5G signal in the most locations, making it the outright winner of the 5G Availability and 5G Reach awards. Smart wins 5G Availability with a score of 14.7%, 5.8 percentage points ahead of Globe’s 8.8%. Smart’s lead is smaller in 5G Reach as it wins with a score of 4.4 points, while Globe comes second with 3.5 points.
Globe wins both Excellent and Core Consistent Quality awards outright
Globe wins the Excellent Consistent Quality award with a 7.8 percentage points margin over second-placed Smart. In Core Consistent Quality, Globe beat DITO by 12.8 percentage points. 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.
DITO wins the Upload Speed Experience award
Our DITO users saw the fastest average upload speeds in the Philippines — 4.8 Mbps — making the operator the outright winner of the Upload Speed Experience award. DITO commanded a lead of 0.3 Mbps (7.6%) over second placed Smart’s score of 4.5 Mbps. Globe is in third place with a score of 3 Mbps. However, Smart is the sole winner of the 5G Upload Speed award with a score of 14.6 Mbps — 3.6 Mbps (32.5%) ahead of second-placed Globe.
Smart dominates on Games and Voice App Experience
Smart is the outright winner of all four awards for our users’ experience when playing multiplayer mobile games and using voice applications over cellular connections. Smart’s margin of victory is impressive for both Games Experience and 5G Games Experience — for the former, its score of 54 points is 12.9 points (31.5%) higher than that of second placed DITO. Smart wins 5G Games Experience with a score of 68.1 points, ahead of Globe’s score of 56.8 points by an impressive 11.3 points.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
For the first time, we have directly compared the mobile network experience and the 5G experience of our Filipino users in the same report and in another first we have also analyzed the consistency of our users’ experience. Smart is once again the operator to beat in the Philippines. This time around it has snapped up 11 out of a possible 16 awards — including all those for download speed and users’ experience when playing multiplayer mobile games or using over-the-top voice apps on cellular connections. DITO comes top for both Upload Speed Experience and Availability, while Globe wins the 5G Video Experience award and both awards for consistent quality.
While DITO has recently launched a 5G home broadband service in some areas of the National Capital Region (NCR), it has yet to commercially launch a 5G mobile service and so our 5G Experience awards continue to be a two-horse-race between Smart and Globe. It has now been over a year since DITO entered the market as the Philippines’ third mobile operator and it announced in March that its customer base had grown to seven million active mobile subscribers and that it was close to hitting its year three commitment to provide 70% population coverage, having deployed more than 4,000 cell towers.
DITO’s more established rivals have not been idle — Globe claimed in February to have over 1.62 million devices registered on its 5G network and to have covered 96% of Metro Manila and 84% of key cities in Visayas and Mindanao with 5G. Back in November 2021 Smart indicated that it had 6,400 5G base transceiver stations (BTS) far ahead of its target of 3,800 for 2021. The operator has also been working with Samsung to deploy 5G standalone access technology, which can be used to make the mobile experience more responsive, and enable network slicing and Voice over New Radio (VoNR).
In this report, we've analyzed the mobile network experience of the Philippines' two established national operators and new entrant DITO in the 90 days starting on January 1, 2022 and ending on March 31, 2022 both at a national level and regionally. We have also analyzed the experience of our Filipino users when they were connected to 5G technology (5G experience) and the overall experience of our 5G users (the – 5G Users categories).
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Our Filipino users had their best experience when streaming video over mobile connections on Smart’s network. The operator is the outright winner of the Video Experience award with a score of 39.5 points on a 100 point scale. Smart wins with a lead of 4 points (11.3%) over second placed Globe’s score of 35.5 points. DITO is in third place with 30.8 points.
However, when we look at the overall video experience of our 5G users, they did not see a statistically significant difference between their experience on Smart and Globe’s networks and reported scores in the 47.3-49.1 point range.
There was much more difference between operators’ Video Experience and 5G Video Experience scores — as is to be expected given that 5G users spent the majority of their time connected to older mobile technologies (see 5G Availability) — Smart and Globe’s 5G Video Experience scores were 28.3-35.7 points higher than those for Video Experience, highlighting the improved experience that 5G users can enjoy and the potential improvement in 5G users’ overall video experience that could be achieved once ongoing 5G rollouts lead to further increases in 5G Availability.
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
Smart is the outright winner of the Games Experience award with a score of 54 points on a 100 point scale. This means that our Smart users had the best experience when playing multiplayer games over mobile connections. Smart wins with an impressive lead of 12.9 points (31.5%) over second placed DITO, which scored 41.1 points. Globe was slightly further behind with 37.7 points.
Smart also has the edge in terms of the overall games experience of our 5G users — Games Experience – 5G Users. Our Smart 5G users had the best experience, racking up a score of 56.4 points versus Globe’s 46.1 points.
There was a much larger improvement in scores when comparing those for Games Experience against those for 5G Games Experience. Smart and Globe’s 5G Games Experience scores were 14.1 and 19.1 points higher than those for Games Experience, highlighting the superior gaming experience users can enjoy when connected to 5G.
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 Filipino users had their best experience when using over-the-top voice applications on Smart’s network. The operator wins with a score of 73.7 points, comfortably ahead of DITO’s 69.9 points and Globe’s score of 67.5 points.
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 Smart users saw the fastest average download speeds in the Philippines — 19.7 Mbps — making Smart the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award. It commanded a lead of 4.9 Mbps (32.8%) over second placed DITO, given the latter’s score of 14.8 Mbps. Globe is in third place with 11.9 Mbps — 7.8 Mbps behind Smart and 2.9 Mbps behind DITO. However, much could change in future reports, given Smart and Globe’s head-start on 5G deployment and the challenges DITO will face as the load on its network increases and it continues its rollout in less densely populated areas.
Our 5G users also saw their fastest overall download speeds — Download Speed Experience – 5G Users — on Smart’s network, clocking up average speeds of 49.4 Mbps, well ahead of Globe’s 29.5 Mbps.
While both these scores are 2.5 times faster than the overall average speeds seen across all our Smart and Globe users (Download Speed Experience), we saw far greater improvements when looking at the download speeds seen by our users when they were connected to 5G (5G Download Speed) — these were 7.6-9.3 times faster than the two operators’ Download Speed Experience scores.
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
DITO is the outright winner of the Upload Speed Experience award due to its score of 4.8 Mbps, which is 0.3 Mbps (7.6%) faster than second placed Smart’s score of 4.5 Mbps. Globe is in third place with a score of 3 Mbps. Upload speeds are becoming increasingly important as social media encourages users to create and upload content, rather than simply consuming it.
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
As is the case with the national award table, Smart is the leading operator across different regions — winning almost all the regional Games Experience, Voice App Experience and Download Speed Experience awards outright. The exceptions were in Davao, where DITO is a joint winner for Games Experience and Voice App Experience alongside Smart; and Cagayan Valley, where DITO and Smart share the Voice App Experience and Download Speed Experience awards.
Even though it is too early to be able to report DITO's experience in six of the Philippines’ 17 regions, the country’s newest operator managed the impressive feat of winning six out of 17 available regional Upload Speed Experience awards outright, and shares a further two awards in this category with Smart — in Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas. As DITO expands its network, we will see DITO feature in more regions in future mobile network experience reports.
The only overall experience category in which Globe picked up any regional awards is Video Experience — the operator is a joint winner alongside Smart in Bangsamoro, Davao and in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Also, Globe is a joint winner in both Bicol and Northern Mindanao as all three operators’ scores for Video Experience in those regions are statistically tied. Despite these joint wins for Globe and DITO, Smart dominates the regional Video Experience awards as Smart is the outright winner in 10 regions and is a joint winner in the remaining seven.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2022
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A-I
- Bangsamoro
- Bicol
- Cagayan Valley
- Calabarzon
- Caraga
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
- Cordillera
- Davao
- Eastern Visayas
- Ilocos
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J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
- Mimaropa
- Northern Mindanao
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S-Z
- Soccskargen
- Western Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
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in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
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in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Soccskargen
in Soccskargen
in Soccskargen
in Soccskargen
in Soccskargen
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
5G Experience
National Analysis
Our Globe users had the best experience when streaming video over 5G networks, making the operator the winner of the 5G Video Experience award. Globe wins with a score of 71.2 points on a 100 point scale — 3.3 points (4.9%) higher than Smart’s score of 67.9 points. This result is contrast to that seen for Video Experience — which Smart wins with a lead of four points.
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
When it comes to playing multiplayer mobile games over 5G connections, our Smart users had the best experience, making Smart the sole winner of the 5G Games Experience award. The operator wins with a score of 68.1 points on a 100 point scale, beating Globe’s score of 56.8 points by an impressive 11.3 points. Smart placed in the Fair (65-75) category, while the 5G Games Experience of our Globe users was one category lower — Poor (40-65).
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
Smart is the outright winner of the 5G Voice App Experience award. Its score of 78.4 points gave it a slender lead of 1.8 points over Globe’s score of 76.6 points. This means that our Smart users had their best experience when using over-the-top voice apps on a 5G network. Both Smart and Globe users’ 5G Voice App Experience placed in the Acceptable (74-80) category.
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 Smart users observed the fastest average 5G download speeds — 149.9 Mbps, making Smart the winner of the 5G Download Speed award and giving it a lead of 38.8 Mbps (35%) over Globe, given the latter’s score of 111 Mbps.
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
When it comes to average 5G upload speeds, Smart has the edge — the operator wins the 5G Upload Speed award with a score of 14.6 Mbps, beating Globe’s score of 11 Mbps by 3.6 Mbps.
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
Looking at the 5G Experience in four regions, the results are very much in line with the national award table. Smart wins every regional award for 5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience, 5G Download Speed and 5G Upload Speed. For 5G Video Experience, our users reported a statistical tie between Globe and Smart in two out of four regions, but Globe is the outright winner in both Calabarzon and Metropolitan Manila.
Looking more deeply at Metropolitan Manila, Smart wins the other awards — and by impressive margins (with the exception of 5G Voice App Experience). The average 5G download speeds seen by our Smart users in Metropolitan Manila (165.8 Mbps) were 41.8 Mbps (33.7%) faster than the 124 Mbps seen by our Globe users. Similarly, Smart users in the same region saw 6 Mbps (51.5%) faster average 5G upload speeds than those on Globe. As 5G rollouts continue, we will be able to include more regions in future reports when looking at the 5G experience.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2022
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A-I
- Calabarzon
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
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J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
Coverage
DITO
Globe
Smart
National Analysis
DITO is the outright winner of the Availability award, as our DITO users spent the greatest proportion of their time connected to either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection — 98.4%. Smart is in second place with 95.5%, while Globe was further behind with a score of 92%. DITO is a 4G-only operator, but Smart and Globe operate 5G networks while also supporting 4G and older technologies.
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
Our Smart 5G users spent the largest proportion of their time with an active 5G connection — 14.7% — making Smart the winner of the 5G Availability award. As Globe 5G users spent 8.8% of their time connected to 5G, Smart wins by a margin of 5.8 percentage points.
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
Smart is the winner of the 5G Reach award with a score of 4.4 points on a 10 point scale, while Globe is in second place with a score of 3.5 points. Smart wins comfortably with a lead of 0.9 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
Our Smart users were able to find a 4G signal in the most locations out of all the locations visited by our Filipino users and as a result, Smart is the outright winner of the 4G Coverage Experience award. Smart wins with a score of 7.8 points on a 10 point scale, Globe is in second place with a score of 7.5 points, while DITO is further behind — is as to be expected given it only recently entered the market — with a score of four 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
Out of the 11 regions where we have included DITO, the operator wins regional Availability awards outright in nine of them, while sharing the glory with Globe and Smart in Bicol and Ilocos, respectively. In the other regions, Globe and Smart’s tally of victories was identical — both are tied for first place in Bangsamoro, Cordillera, Mimaropa and the Zamboanga Peninsula and both operators are sole winners in one region each — Smart in Caraga and Globe in Eastern Visayas.
Turning to 5G Availability, Smart has the largest haul, winning outright in three out of four regions — Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Metropolitan Manila — and tying with Globe for first place in Central Visayas. A very similar story plays out for 5G Reach, with the only difference being that Globe and Smart tie for first place in Metropolitan Manila. In all four regions, Smart 5G users were connected to 5G for more than 10% of the time, ranging from 12.9% in Calabarzon to 19.7% in Metropolitan Manila. Globe 5G users on the other hand, saw 5G Availability scores ranging from 4.2% in Central Luzon to 13.3% in Central Visayas.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2022
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A-I
- Bangsamoro
- Bicol
- Cagayan Valley
- Calabarzon
- Caraga
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
- Cordillera
- Davao
- Eastern Visayas
- Ilocos
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J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
- Mimaropa
- Northern Mindanao
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S-Z
- Soccskargen
- Western Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
in Bangsamoro
in Bicol
in Cagayan Valley
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Caraga
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Cordillera
in Davao
in Eastern Visayas
in Ilocos
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Mimaropa
in Northern Mindanao
in Soccskargen
in Western Visayas
in Zamboanga Peninsula
Consistency
National Analysis
Globe 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. Globe wins with a score of 51.6%, giving a lead of 7.8 percentage points over second-placed Smart — which had a score of 43.8%. DITO is in last place with a score of 41.9%.
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
Globe wins the Core Consistent Quality award with a score of 74.6%, an impressive 12.8 percentage points ahead of second placed DITO’s 61.8%. Smart is in third place with a score of 57.8%.
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.
About Opensignal
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