Norway
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.
Norway
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
Our Telenor users enjoyed the fastest overall download speeds in Norway
Telenor wins Download Speed Experience with a score of 87.4 Mbps, and a lead of 11.1 Mbps over second placed Telia which scored 76.4 Mbps. Third operator ice follows at a distance with a score of 41.8 Mbps. Our Telenor users also enjoyed the fastest overall average upload speeds in the country together with their peers on Telia as the two operators had statistically tied scores in the 15.8-16.2 Mbps range, ahead of ice at 13.8 Mbps.
Telenor and Telia share both 5G Availability and 5G Reach
Our Norwegian users spent a similar amount of time with an active 5G connection on both Telenor and Telia’s 5G networks as the two operators had statistically tied scores in the 6.8-7.8% range. In addition, Telenor and Telia also share the 5G Reach award with scores in the 2.1-2.4 point range (on a 10 point scale). 5G Availability reflects the proportion of time that 5G users had an active 5G connection, while 5G Reach represents the proportion of locations 5G users visited that had a 5G signal.
5G boosts download speeds in Norway by up to 4.3 times
Our 5G users on Telenor and Telia saw average 5G download speeds in the 326.9-331.6 Mbps range, meaning that the two operators share the 5G Download Speed award. These 5G speeds were 3.8-4.3 times faster than the average overall download speeds experienced by all our users on the two respective networks.
Telia is the sole winner of 5G Video Experience
Telenor and Telia share all 5G awards except for 5G Video Experience which Telia solely wins. In fact, our users on Telia’s network saw a 5G Video Experience score of 82.7 points on a 100 point scale, which was 1.8 points higher than what our Telenor users experienced (80.9). The two operators had statistically tied scores In all other 5G awards.
Norwegian users had a Good multiplayer gaming and voice app experience
All three Norwegian operators share the Games Experience award with scores in the 75.4-76.9 point range. This means that our users had a Good (75-85) multiplayer mobile gaming experience regardless of their choice of operator. The three operators also share the Voice App Experience award with scores in the 81.4-81.6 point range, meaning that they all placed in the Good (80-87) Voice App Experience category.
Telenor wins both Consistent Quality awards outright
Telenor secures the Excellent Consistent Quality award with a 3.1 percentage point margin over second-placed ice. In Core Consistent Quality, Telenor again beats its competitors by at least 1.2 percentage points. Consistent quality quantifies how often users’ network experience 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 Norway 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 each of Norway's three national operators.
Our analysis reveals a varied picture with all three national operators winning — or jointly winning — in multiple of the 15 mobile experience categories in this report. Telenor wins outright in Download Speed Experience and both Consistency awards, while sharing an additional ten awards. Telia triumphs in 5G Video Experience, and features as a joint winner in another 11 awards. Finally, ice does not win any award outright but shares three awards with at least one of its competitors.
Recent months have seen developments in Norway’s telecommunications market. Regional industry group Lyse — which is the parent company of broadband and IPTV player Altibox — has completed the acquisition of Norway’s third mobile operator ice from Ice Group. Altibox previously acquired mobile spectrum at the September 2021 spectrum auction.
Moreover, in February 2022 Norway’s National Communications Authority (Nkom) announced that is was assessing whether additional frequencies should be made available for 5G, stating that it was considering the 700 MHz and 1500 MHz supplemental downlink (SDL) bands, as well as the 2.3 GHz band, 26 GHz band, and the 42 GHz band. More 5G spectrum will help operators to improve the 5G experience.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the four main mobile network operators in Norway — ice, Telenor and Telia — over a period of 90 days starting on February 1, 2022 and ending on May 1, 2022, to see how they fared.
As ice only launched its 5G network in late 2021 — starting in limited areas of Oslo — this time we have only reported on the 5G experience for Telenor and Telia. We will include ice users’ 5G experience in future reports. However, 5G measurements for ice and the other two operators contributed to the scores for the overall experience metrics in this report.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Telenor and Telia are the joint winners of the Video Experience award with scores in the 68.3-70 point range, on a 100 point scale. Their competitor ice places third having scored 62.1 points.
Looking at 5G Video Experience — which measures the experience of our 5G users when connected to a 5G network — we observe Telia winning the award outright, as it benefitted from the largest gain compared to the overall 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
All three Norwegian operators share the Games Experience awards as our users saw no statistical difference in the experience when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections on the three networks. Norway’s operators scored in the 75.4-76.9 point range on a 100 point scale and all placed in the Good category (75-85) for Games Experience.
Turning to 5G Games Experience — which measures the experience of our 5G users when connected to a 5G network — we observed 4-7.5 points gains 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
Norway’s ice, Telenor and Telia are all joint winners of the Voice App Experience award, with scores in the 81.4-81.6 point range on a 100 point scale. This means that all operators placed in the Good category (80-87) for Voice App Experience.
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 Telenor’s network — 87.4 Mbps, which was 11.1 Mbps (14.5%) faster than second-placed Telia’s score of 76.4 Mbps. As a result, Telenor is the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award. Third operator ice follows at a distance with a score of 41.8 Mbps.
Turning to the overall average download speeds observed by our 5G users (Download Speed Experience – 5G Users), Telenor scored 122.8 Mbps, followed by Telia at 102.3 Mbps — 35.4 Mbps and 25.9 Mbps respectively faster than their overall scores when considering all our users.
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
Our Norwegian users had a similar Upload Speed Experience on Telenor and Telia with statistically tied scores in the 15.8-16.2 Mbps range, meaning that the two operators are joint winners for this award. Their competitor ice places third with a score of 13.8 Mbps.
Looking at the overall average upload speeds observed by our 5G users (Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users), we see Telenor sharing the top spot with Telia as they had statistically tied scores in the 18.8-20.5 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
Telia is the outright winner of the 5G Video Experience award, with a score of 82.7 points, on a 100 point scale. Telenor places second with a score of 80.9 points. The operators’ scores for 5G Video Experience are much higher than their overall scores — across all generations of mobile technology — with the improvement ranging from 10.9 points for Telenor to 14.4 points for Telia.
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
Telenor and Telia share the award for best multiplayer mobile gaming experience when connected to 5G networks with scores in the 79.8-82.9 point range. Both operators placed in the Good category (75-85) for 5G Games Experience.
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
Our Norwegian users had a statistically similar experience when using over-the-top voice applications while connected to 5G on Telenor and Telia, meaning they both share the 5G Voice App Experience award. The two operators placed in the Good (80-87) category for 5G Voice App Experience, having scored in the 82.1-82.4 point range.
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 Telenor and Telia users saw statistically similar average 5G download speeds in excess of 300 Mbps, meaning that the two operators are the joint winners of the 5G Download Speed award.
Operators’ 5G Download Speed scores were 3.8-4.3 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
Telenor and Telia share the 5G Upload Speed award, as our users observed a statistically similar experience on their network — 42.5-46 Mbps. These 5G upload speeds were 2.6-2.9 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
ice
Telenor
Telia
National Analysis
Our users on ice and Telia spent the largest proportion of time connected to either 3G, 4G, or 5G, which means that the two operators are joint winners for the Availability award, with scores in the 97.8-99% range. Telenor comes behind with a score of 96.8%.
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
Telenor and Telia share the 5G Availability award, which represents the proportion of time that 5G users spent on average with an active 5G connection. In fact the two operators had statistically tied scores in the 6.8-7.8% range. The higher 5G Availability is, the greater the amount of time that users were able to benefit from the improved mobile experience that 5G can provide.
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
Telenor and Telia are joint winners for 5G Reach — which measures the proportion of locations where our users observed 5G out of all the places they visited. The two operators’ scores were statistically tied in the 2.1-2.4 point range on a 10 point scale.
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
Telenor is the sole winner of the Excellent Consistent Quality award as its score of 90% is 3.1 percentage points higher than that of second-placed ice’s 86.9%. Telia is in third place, with a score of 79.7%.
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
As is the case with Excellent Consistent Quality, Telenor is the outright winner of the Core Consistent Quality award. The operator wins with a score of 94.1%, at least 1.2 percentage points ahead of ice and Telia which are tied in second place with scores in the 92.5-93% range.
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