Brazil
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.
Brazil
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
Claro and TIM jointly claim 5G Download Speed
Claro and TIM win 5G Download Speed Experience with scores in the 51.6-54.3 Mbps. Our users on TIM’s network saw the highest 5G to overall uplift in Brazil, 3.4 times faster, followed by Vivo and Claro which scores improved by 2.5 and 2.4 times, respectively
Claro scores a 5G experiential hat-trick
Claro is the sole winner of the 5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience and 5G Voice App Experience awards. In 5G Video Experience, Claro and TIM placed in the Very Good (65-75) category, while Vivo — in a category below, Good (55-65). All operators saw substantial improvements in their 5G Video Experience scores compared with their overall scores — ranging from 23.5 to 26.3 points.
Claro and TIM share the podium for 5G Upload Speed
Claro and TIM were in a statistical tie for the 5G Upload Speed Experience award and share the victory, with scores in the 20.9-21.6 Mbps range. Our users on TIM and Claro’s networks enjoyed 3.1 and 2.7 times faster speeds when connected to 5G compared with the average across all generations of mobile technology (Upload Speed Experience), respectively.
Claro takes home both awards for 5G extent
Claro claims both Coverage awards outright — 5G Availability and 5G Reach. Our 5G users on its network had an active 5G connection 5% of the time and connected to 5G services in more than one out of 10 locations visited by Claro users.
5G Experience Awards
Market Overview
In our inaugural 5G Experience Report on Brazil, Claro wins in all seven categories, either outright or jointly. The operator collects all three 5G experiential awards (5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience) and triumphs in two metrics measuring the extent of 5G networks — 5G Availability and 5G Reach. Meanwhile, Claro and TIM jointly win both 5G speed awards.
Following up the spectrum auction concluded in November 2021, Brazilian operators have been further deploying 5G services in the newly acquired bands. Claro, TIM and Vivo rolled out their 5G Standalone services in Brasilia beginning of July, using the 3.5 GHz band — and Belo Horizonte is expected to follow suit next, followed by Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo. In April, TIM announced the launch of its 5G Standalone network in Curitiba, using the 2.3 GHz band. TIM rolled out its 5G services in the same band that Algar and Claro also use — as the operators can’t access the 3.5 GHz band across the country, due to potential interference with satellite stations. Anatel has pushed back the deadline for launching the commercial 5G services to the end of August 2022.
With the 3.5 GHz band available to operators, the 5G experience is likely to improve significantly for mobile users in Brazil — as the country is still in the early stages of 5G deployment, as our analysis shows, with 5G users still depending on Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology. In addition, as a result of Oi’s sale, Anatel approved the transfer of Oi’s spectrum assets to TIM and Vivo — and the additional spectrum is likely to enhance the overall mobile network experience on both of these networks. A comparison between this report and our companion Brazil Mobile Network Experience report shows how 5G deployments can massively improve mobile user experience. Our 5G users in Brazil enjoyed faster download and upload speeds and saw significant enhancements in the quality of video streaming, gaming and voice app services on their mobile devices, compared to the overall experience across all generations of mobile technology.
Our results in this report are based on measurements collected across all major mobile operators in Brazil – Claro, TIM and Vivo – over the period of 90 days between March 1, 2022 and May 29, 2022, to see how they fared. We have also published a companion report — Brazil Mobile Network Experience — which analyzes the overall experience of all our mobile users in Brazil.
5G Experience
National Analysis
Claro takes the top spot for 5G Video Experience with a score of 69.8 points — with a winning margin of 3.7 points ahead of second-placed TIM. Claro and TIM placed in the Very Good (65-75) category, while Vivo — in the category below, Good (55-65). All operators saw substantial improvements in their 5G scores compared to their overall scores — ranging from 23.5 to 26.3 points.
A Very Good (65-75) rating for video streaming means generally fast loading times and only occasional stalling but the experience might have been somewhat inconsistent across users and/or video providers/resolutions.
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
The 5G Games Experience award goes to Claro, which wins it with a score of 77.4 points. The winner commanded a lead of 5.5 points over second-placed TIM. Both Claro and TIM saw identical boosts of 15.3 points in their 5G Games Experience scores compared to Games Experience. Vivo comes third, with a score of 66.9 points — but its 5G to overall uplift was even higher than in the case of its competitors — 18.1 points.
Claro was the only operator that rated Good (75-85) in 5G Games Experience. Most users deemed the experience acceptable and did not experience a delay between their actions and the game. Both TIM and Vivo placed in the Fair (65-75) category — users found the experience to be average — the majority of players reported that they noticed a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
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
Just like in the case of overall Voice App Experience, Claro is the sole winner of the 5G Voice App Experience award, scoring 81.1 points. Our 5G users on its network enjoyed Good (80-87) voice experience when connected to 5G — many users were satisfied, but some of them experienced minor quality impairments.
Both TIM and Vivo were in a statistical tie for second place, with scores in the 78.6-79.6 points range — and placed in the category below, Acceptable (74-80). Some users were satisfied, but some others experienced perceptible call quality impairments. Compared to the Voice App Experience scores, TIM and Vivo saw improvements of 7.2 and 9.8 points respectively, while Claro — 6.4 points.
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
After a statistical tie, Claro and TIM jointly win 5G Download Speed Experience with scores in the 51.6-54.3 Mbps range. Vivo followed, with our users on this network experiencing average 5G download speeds clocking in at 39.8 Mbps — just 0.2 Mbps shy of the 40 Mbps mark. Our users on TIM’s network saw the highest 5G to overall uplift in Brazil, 3.4 times faster, followed by Vivo and Claro — their scores improved by 2.5 and 2.4 times, respectively.
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
Claro and TIM were in a statistical tie for the 5G Upload Speed Experience award and share the victory, with scores in the 20.9-21.6 Mbps range. Both operators saw impressive boosts in their average 5G upload speeds. Our users on TIM’s network enjoyed 3.1 times faster speeds on 5G networks compared to Upload Speed Experience, while Claro — 2.7 times. Vivo’s 5G uplift was less substantial — 1.5 times — and the operator’s average 5G upload speed clocked in at 10.1 Mbps, less than half than what we observed on Claro and TIM’s networks.
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
National Analysis
Claro wins the 5G Availability award outright — our Claro users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection for 5% of the time. TIM and Vivo were in a statistical tie, with the scores in the 1.5-1.8% range.
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.
National Analysis
Claro secures the 5G Reach award with a score of 1.2 points on a 10-point scale. This means our users on this network connected to 5G services in more than one out of 10 locations that they visited. TIM and Vivo’s scores were statistically tied for second place, in the 0.5-0.6 range.
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.
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