Ireland
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.
Ireland
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
3 is top for download speeds
Opensignal’s Irish users observed the fastest average download speeds on 3’s network — both for 5G Download Speed and for overall Download Speed Experience. For 5G Download Speed, 3 scored an impressive 237.2 Mbps, 80.6 Mbps (51.5%) faster than second placed eir’s 156.6 Mbps. On Download Speed Experience, 3 wins with a score of 32.3 Mbps — 3.7 Mbps (13%) faster than eir’s 28.6 Mbps.
Our 5G users on eir spent the most time connected to 5G
eir is the outright winner of the 5G Availability award. Its winning score of 16.6% gave it a lead of 5.6 percentage points over second placed 3’s 11%. The higher an operator’s score, the more time our 5G users on its network spent with an active 5G connection. Vodafone is in third place with 5.7%.
3 catches up with eir on upload speeds
3 and eir are joint winners of the 5G Upload Speed and Upload Speed Experience awards, as the two operators’ scores were statistically tied. This is a change from the previous report, when eir was the outright winner for both awards. The two operators win 5G Upload Speed with scores of 20.9-23.7 Mbps, ahead of Vodafone’s 18.9 Mbps. 3 and eir come top for Upload Speed Experience with scores of 9.2-9.5 Mbps, around 2 Mbps faster than Vodafone’s 7.4 Mbps.
3 keeps hold of the Excellent Consistent Quality award
3 is the outright winner of the Excellent Consistent Quality award for the second time in a row. It wins this time with a score of 73.8% — 1.4 percentage points ahead of second placed eir’s 72.4%. Vodafone is some way behind its rivals, given its score of 67%. Meanwhile, 3 and eir continue to be locked in a statistical tie for the Core Consistent Quality award so both operators remain joint winners for this award.
Our 3 and eir users had an Excellent 5G Video Experience
3 and eir’s statistically tied scores of 75-76.6 points on a 100 point scale place both operators in the Excellent (75 or above) category. This indicates a very consistent experience across all users, video streaming providers and resolutions tested on 5G connections, with fast loading times and almost non-existent stalling. Vodafone placed one category lower, given its score of 68.7 points — receiving a Very Good (65-75) rating, instead. 3 and eir remain joint winners of the 5G Video Experience award.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Our latest analysis of Ireland’s Mobile Network Experience reveals a very competitive field, with 10 out of 14 awards being held by two or more operators due to statistical ties. Despite this, 3 has the largest haul of awards — it wins three awards outright: Download Speed Experience, 5G Download Speed and Excellent Consistent Quality; while being a joint winner in nine categories. 3 is also the only operator to win more than one award outright this time around. Eir has the next largest collection of awards, being the sole winner of the 5G Availability award and a joint winner across nine categories. Vodafone does not win any awards outright, but is a joint winner in six categories, including all three overall experiential metrics (Video Experience, Games Experience and Voice App Experience).
Recent developments in the Irish mobile market include the news that later in 2022 Vodafone will be phasing out its 3G network. Meanwhile, there have been several legal twists and turns over ComReg’s plans to auction spectrum in the 700MHz, 2100MHz, 2300MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum bands, with ComReg appealing the Irish High Court’s order in July to delay the auction. A hearing on the appeal is now set for mid-October. The High Court’s order was prompted by a request from 3 who are awaiting a judgment on the auction format, which 3 claims would put it at a competitive disadvantage.
In this report, we've analyzed data gathered in the 90 day period starting on May 1, 2022, and ending on July 29, 2022, to see how Ireland’s three national operators — 3, eir and Vodafone — stack up. The overall metrics include measurements from our 5G users. For the 5G awards,we have also analyzed the experience of our users when using 5G technology. Plus, we have examined the overall experience of our 5G users across all generations of network technology — weighted by the proportion of time that they spent on each of them — these are included in the 5G Users submetrics.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Our users did not observe any statistically significant difference in their experience when streaming mobile video when measured across all generations of mobile technology between all three of Ireland’s national operators. 3, eir and Vodafone are therefore joint winners of the Video Experience award with scores of 47.2-50.7 points on a 100 point scale.
All three also place in the Fair (40-55) category, which means that our users did not have a good experience either for higher resolution videos (very slow loading times and prolonged stalling) or for some video streaming providers. The experience on lower resolution videos from some providers might have been sufficient though.
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
eir and Vodafone are joint winners of the Games Experience award with statistically tied scores of 69.3-70.2 points. This means that our eir and Vodafone users had the best available overall experience when playing mobile multiplayer games over cellular connections. They win with a lead of around 3.4 points over 3’s score of 66.4 points.
All three operators placed in the Fair (65-75) category. This means that our users found the experience to be ‘average’. In most cases the game was responsive to the actions of the player with most users reporting that they felt like they had control over the game. The majority of players reported that they noticed a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
There was no statistically significant difference in our users’ experience when using over-the-top voice applications between Ireland’s three national operators. Therefore, 3, eir and Vodafone are joint winners of the Voice App Experience award, with scores of 77-77.8 points on a 100 point scale.
All three operators placed in the Acceptable (74-80) category. This means that some users were satisfied. Perceptible call quality impairments were experienced by some users. Clicking sounds of short duration or distortion were heard, and/or the volume may not have been sufficiently loud. Listeners were generally able to comprehend without repetition.
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
3 is the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award. It wins with a score of 32.3 Mbps — the average speeds our users saw on its network across all generations of mobile technology — and a lead of 3.7 Mbps over second placed eir’s score of 28.6 Mbps. Vodafone is in third place with 20.5 Mbps.
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
Due to a statistical tie, 3 and eir are joint winners of the Upload Speed Experience award. They win with scores of 9.2-9.5 Mbps, giving them a lead of around 2 Mbps over Vodafone’s 7.4 Mbps. Upload Speed Experience is a measure of our users’ average upload speeds across all generations of mobile technology.
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
3 and eir are joint winners of the 5G Video Experience award, with statistically tied scores of 75-76.6 points on a 100 point scale. As Vodafone scored 68.7 points, it trailed the two front-runners by around 7.1 points.
The two joint winners placed in the Excellent (75 or above) category. This indicates a very consistent experience across all users, video streaming providers and resolutions tested on 5G connections, with fast loading times and almost non-existent stalling. Vodafone placed one category lower, with a score of 68.7 points instead receiving a Very Good (65-75) rating. However, all operators have placed higher for 5G than for overall Video Experience as all three had Fair (40-55) ratings for overall Video Experience.
Ireland’s three operators’ scores for 5G Video Experience were 21.6-27.5 points higher than those for Video Experience, with 3 seeing the largest improvement.
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
There was no statistically significant difference in our users’ experience when playing multiplayer mobile games on 5G networks between Ireland’s three national operators. Therefore, 3, eir and Vodafone are joint winners of the 5G Games Experience award, with scores of 79.3-80.5 points on a 100 point scale.
Our users had a Good (75-85) 5G Games Experience, regardless of their choice of operator. This means that most users deemed the experience acceptable when they were connected to 5G. The gameplay experience was generally controllable and the user received immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users did not experience a delay between their actions and the game. In comparison, our users had a Fair (65-75) Games Experience across all three operators.
3 saw the largest uplift in its score when we compared 5G Games Experience against Games Experience — a rise of 12.9 points (19.4%), while eir and Vodafone’s scores improved by 11.3 points (16.3%) and 9.7 points (13.8%), respectively.
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 users did not observe any statistically significant difference in their experience when using over-the-top voice apps over 5G connections between all three of Ireland’s national operators. 3, eir and Vodafone are therefore joint winners of the 5G Voice App Experience award with scores of 80.7-80.8 points on a 100 point scale.
Our users had a Good (80-87) 5G Voice App Experience on all three operators’ networks. This indicates that many users were satisfied. Minor quality impairments were experienced by some users. Sometimes the background was not quite clear, it could have been either hazy or not loud enough. Clicking sounds or distortion were very rarely present.
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
3 is the outright winner of the 5G Download Speed award — it wins with a score of 237.2 Mbps, 80.6 Mbps (51.5%) faster than second placed eir’s 156.6 Mbps. Vodafone is in third place with 95.9 Mbps, less than half of 3’s winning score.
When we compare operators’ 5G Download Speed scores against those for Download Speed Experience, our 3 users observed 7.3 times faster speeds when connected to 5G. Vodafone and eir users saw smaller — but still impressive — increases of 4.7 times and 5.5 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
Our users saw their fastest average 5G upload speeds on 3 and eir’s networks. As a result, 3 and eir are joint winners of the 5G Upload Speed award. They win with scores of 20.9-23.7 Mbps, ahead of Vodafone’s 18.9 Mbps. This is a change from the previous report, when eir was the outright winner.
Our users saw their largest uplift from their average overall upload speeds with 3 as its 5G Upload Speed score was 14.5 Mbps higher than its Upload Speed Experience score. Meanwhile, Vodafone and eir saw improvements of 11.5 Mbps and 11.4 Mbps, respectively.
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
3
eir
Vodafone
National Analysis
3 and Vodafone are joint winners of the Availability award, with statistically tied scores of 97.5-97.9%. Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection. Behind the two front-runners is eir, with a score of 95.8%
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
Our eir 5G users spent the largest proportion of their time with active 5G connections, making eir the sole winner of the 5G Availability award. It wins with a score of 16.6% and a lead of 5.6 percentage points over second placed 3’s 11%. Vodafone is in third place with 5.7%. 5G Availability is an important measure of the 5G experience as users can only benefit from the improved performance that 5G can provide when they have a 5G connection.
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.
Consistency
National Analysis
3 is still the sole winner of the Excellent Consistent Quality award, following its victory in the previous report. 3 wins this time around with a score of 73.8% and a lead of 1.4 percentage points over second placed eir’s 72.4%. Vodafone is in third place with 67%.
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
The statistical tie that our users observed between 3 and eir for the Core Consistent Quality award in the last report has persisted and as result, the two operators remain joint winners in this category. They win this time with scores of 86-86.4%, while Vodafone is in third place with 85.4%.
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.
Check how your internet connection impacts your favorite apps with the Meteor App
Journalists, please retain the Opensignal logo and copyright
(© Opensignal Limited) information when using this image.
This image may not be used for any commercial purpose, including use in advertisements or other promotional content, without prior written consent.
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