United Arab Emirates
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.
United Arab Emirates
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
Etisalat users see the fastest overall download speeds but du wins the 5G award
Etisalat wins the Download Speed Experience award with a score of 40.1 Mbps, having secured a lead of 12.6 Mbps (45.8%) over du which scored 27.5 Mbps. However, when we look at the average 5G download speeds of our 5G users, it is du that comes on top, and wins the 5G Download Speed with a score of 313.2 Mbps — ahead of Etisalat’s 288.1 Mbps.
Etisalat wins both Video Experience awards outright
Our users on Etisalat’s network had the best video streaming experience seen in the United Arab Emirates. In fact, Etisalat wins the overall Video Experience award and also comes on top for the 5G Video Experience award. Etisalat wins in the two categories with scores of 56.7 and 76.8 on a 100 point scale, and leads of 9.9 and 4.5 points, respectively, over its rival du.
du comes ahead in Games Experience but shares the 5G award with Etisalat
Our users had the best overall Games Experience on du’s network with a score of 61.5 points, compared to Etisalat’s 57 points, which means du is the outright winner in this category. However, our users experienced no difference in the 5G Games Experience of the two operators, as they had statistically tied scores in the 74.8-76.8 point range, meaning that the two operators share that 5G award.
du leads in 5G Availability and 5G Reach
In the Coverage section, du is the sole winner of both 5G Availability and 5G Reach awards. In 5G Availability du scored 20% compared to Etisalat’s 10.5%, while du’s 5G Reach score was 5.1 points — 1.5 points higher than Etisalat’s 3.6 points. 5G Availability represents the proportion of time that 5G users had an active 5G connection, while 5G Reach measures the proportion of locations where our users observed 5G out of all the places they visited.
Etisalat wins both Excellent and Core Consistent Quality awards outright
Etisalat wins the Excellent Consistent Quality award with a 10.9 percentage points margin over second-placed du. In Core Consistent Quality, Etisalat once again beats du, but this time by a lesser margin of 9.8 percentage points. Consistent quality quantifies 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
In Opensignal's latest United Arab Emirates Mobile Network Experience report we analyze both the 5G experience and the overall experience together for the first time in one report. Also, we add two new awards that quantify the consistency of the experience on the country’s two national operators.
Etisalat leads across most mobile experience categories in the United Arab Emirates based on Opensignal’s awards table as it wins 10 awards outright — four awards in the Overall Experience section, three awards in the 5G Experience section, Availability as well as both Consistent Quality awards. On the other hand, du is the outright winner in Games Experience, 5G Download Speed as well as in both measures of a 5G network’s extent — 5G Availability and 5G Reach. The two operators share the remaining 5G Games Experience award.
United Arab Emirates’ mobile operators continue to explore innovative 5G solutions and use cases for businesses and consumers. In March, Etisalat announced the successful deployment and testing of a live end-to-end multi-vendor Voice over New Radio (VoNR) ecosystem, while du in November showcased a live use case of a 5G controlled robot over a private 5G standalone access network leveraging AWS and Athonet technologies.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the two main mobile network operators in the United Arab Emirates — du and Etisalat — over a period of 90 days starting on January 1, 2022 and ending on March 31, 2022, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Etisalat is the outright winner of the Video Experience award with a score of 56.7 points on a 100 point scale. It wins by a convincing margin — 9.9 points (21.1%) ahead of second placed du which scored 46.8 points.
Looking at 5G Video Experience — which measures the experience of our 5G users when connected to a 5G network — we observed impressive gains compared to the overall experience measured across all mobile technologies. In fact, in 5G Video Experience Etisalat and du scored 20.1 and 25.5 points higher than their overall Video Experience scores.
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
Our users had their best experience when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections on du’s network. The operator scored 61.5 points on a 100 point scale, with a 4.5 point lead over second-placed Etisalat’s score of 57 points.
We observed some large gains looking at 5G Games Experience as du and Etisalat’s scores were 13.3 and 19.8 points higher, respectively, compared to the overall experience measured across all mobile technologies.
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
Etisalat is the outright winner of the Voice App Experience award, with a score of 74.3 points on a 100 point scale. However, its margin of victory is relatively narrow, given second-placed du’s score of 72.9 points. While Etisalat placed in the Acceptable category (74-80), du’s score was just over one point shy of joining the same category and earned a Poor rating (66-74).
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 users observed the fastest average overall download speeds on Etisalat’s network — 40.1 Mbps, which was 12.6 Mbps (45.8%) faster than second-placed du’s score of 27.5 Mbps. As a result, Etisalat is the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award.
Turning to the overall average download speeds observed by our 5G users (Download Speed Experience – 5G Users), we observed a different picture with du leading at 106.8 Mbps, which was 9.4 Mbps faster (9.6%) than what our 5G users experienced on Etisalat’s network at 97.4 Mbps. These scores show the degree of 5G’s impact on users’ mobile 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
Etisalat users observed the fastest average overall upload speeds — 10.3 Mbps, which means that Etisalat is the sole winner of the Upload Speed Experience award. It wins by a margin of 2.7 Mbps (35%) over du given the latter’s score of 7.6 Mbps.
Looking at the overall average upload speeds observed by our 5G users (Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users), du and Etisalat had statistically tied scores in the 14.6-15.9 Mbps range.
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).
5G Experience
National Analysis
Our Etisalat users had the best video streaming experience when connected to 5G networks. In fact, Etisalat’s score of 76.8 points was 4.5 points (6.2%) higher than du’s 72.3 points. Both operators’ scores for 5G Video Experience were much higher than their overall scores — across all generations of mobile technology — with the improvement ranging from 20.1 points for Etisalat to 25.5 points for du.
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 users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience when connected to 5G networks was statistically similar on the two national networks. In fact, du and Etisalat scores were statistically tied in the 74.8-76.8 point range. These 5G Games Experience scores were much higher than their overall scores — across all generations of mobile technology — with the improvement ranging from 13.3 points for du to 19.9 points for Etisalat.
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
Etisalat is the outright winner of the 5G Voice App Experience award with a score of 80.5 points on a 100 point scale, while du comes in second place with a score of 78.6 points. While Etisalat earned a Good rating (80-87), du 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 du users saw the fastest average 5G download speeds — 313.2 Mbps, making du the sole winner of the 5G Download Speed award. However, Etisalat wasn’t far behind as it scored 288.1 Mbps — 25.1 Mbps slower than its rival.
Operators’ 5G Download Speed scores were 7.2-11.4 times faster than their overall Download Speed Experience scores, highlighting the extent to which average overall download speeds could improve once users spend the 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
Etisalat is the outright winner of the 5G Upload Speed award, as our users on its network observed the fastest 5G upload speeds of 33.8 Mbps, compared with 25.3 Mbps experienced by du users. Both operators’ 5G Upload Speed scores were 3.3 times faster than their overall Upload Speed Experience scores.
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).
Coverage
du
Etisalat
National Analysis
Etisalat is the outright winner of the Availability award, with a score of 98.3%. This means that our Etisalat users spent the largest proportion of time connected to either 3G, 4G, or 5G. Etisalat’s rival du comes second with a score of 97.9% — less than 0.5 percentage points behind the winner’s score.
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 5G users spent the greatest percentage of time connected to 5G on du’s network, meaning that du is the winner in this category. While du scored 20% in 5G Availability, Etisalat’s score was just over half that of its rival — 10.5%.
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
According to our measurements, du is the outright winner in 5G Reach with a score of 5.1 points on a 10 point scale, while Etisalat comes second with a score of 3.6 points. 5G Reach measures the proportion of locations where our users observed 5G out of all the places they visited.
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.
Consistency
National Analysis
Etisalat is the sole winner of the Excellent Consistent Quality award with a score of 70.1%, which was 10.9 percentage points higher than that of second-placed du’s 59.3%. Excellent Consistent Quality measures the proportion of users' tests on a network that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for HD video, group video conference calls and gaming.
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
As is the case with Excellent Consistent Quality, Etisalat is the outright winner of the Core Consistent Quality award — as based on our measurements it met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for lower performance applications including SD video, voice calls and web browsing for the highest proportion of users' tests (78.8%). Etisalat’s rival du places second with a score of 68.9%.
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.
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