Australia
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumer mobile experience. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding the true experience consumers receive on wireless networks.
Australia
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumer mobile experience. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding the true experience consumers receive on wireless networks.
Key Findings
Telstra users saw 60 Mbps overall average download speeds
Telstra wins Download Speed Experience. It is the first Australian operator where our users saw average speeds in excess of 60 Mbps. Telstra’s score of 60.7 Mbps, is up 5.8 Mbps (10.6%) from 54.9 Mbps in the last report and the operator wins with a lead of 8.6 Mbps.
Only Optus users had a Good Games Experience, as the operator wins the award
Optus is once again the outright winner of the Games Experience award. Its score of 75 points on a 100 point scale means that it is the only Australian operator to place in the Good (75-85) category. Vodafone and Telstra both placed one category lower — Fair (65-75).
Optus wins the 5G Download Speed award for the third time in a row
Optus has continued its impressive winning streak for the average 5G download speeds observed by our users. It wins this time with a score of 240.5 Mbps and a lead of 8.1 Mbps over second placed Telstra’s 232.3 Mbps. Vodafone is in last place with 122.1 Mbps. Optus first won the award outright in the October 2021 report, when it broke out of a statistical tie with Telstra, and has held onto it since then.
Optus users continue to have the best 5G Video Experience
Optus is the outright winner of the 5G Video Experience award for the second report in a row. It comes top this time with a score of 78.4 points on a 100 point scale, giving it a lead of 0.8 points over second placed Telstra. Both operators placed in the Excellent (75 or above) category, while Vodafone placed one category lower with a Very Good (65-75) rating instead.
Telstra users have the most consistent experience in Australia
Telstra has successfully defended its hold on both the Excellent and Core Consistent Quality awards. It wins Excellent Consistent Quality with a score of 82.1% and a lead of 4.1 percentage points, given Optus and Vodafone’s identical scores of 78%. The contest for Core Consistent Quality was more closely fought, with 0.7 percentage points separating Telstra from second placed Optus.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Telstra still rules the roost in mobile network experience, with six overall wins and a further two joint wins to its name. However, its clutch of awards is one smaller than in the last report. Vodafone has retained the Upload Speed Experience and 5G Voice App Experience awards, along with its two joint wins for 5G Games Experience and Availability. However, Vodafone is no longer part of the statistical tie for first place for Video Experience. Meanwhile Optus wins four awards outright — Games Experience, Voice App Experience, 5G Video Experience and 5G Download Speed — and is a joint winner in three categories (Video Experience, 5G Games Experience and Availability).
Vodafone and Telstra are seeking to share spectrum and infrastructure in semi-rural and urban fringe areas to boost network coverage and reduce costs through a 10 year regional Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) commercial agreement. This is currently under review by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC), which published a statement of preliminary views in late September and is expecting to make a decision in early December.
Should the agreement be approved, Vodafone would allow Telstra to use its spectrum in regional and urban fringe areas (the Regional Coverage Zone) where around 17% of Australians live, while Telstra will provide Vodafone with active mobile network infrastructure services in the zone. Vodafone would rely on these services to provide its users with 4G and 5G coverage in these areas and would transfer up to 169 of its mobile sites in the zone to Telstra while decommissioning the others.
In August 2022, Optus launched its 5G standalone access (SA) network after nearly a year of customer trials and testing. SA technology enables 5G handsets to connect to 5G without also having to be connected to 4G and enables more advanced 5G services such as network slicing and ultra low latency. These technologies provide operators with more flexibility to offer different classes of experience to different groups of users.
In this report, we've analyzed real-world data gathered in the 90 days starting on July 1, 2022 and ending on September 28, 2022 to see how Australia’s three national operators — Optus, Telstra and Vodafone — stack up.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Optus and Telstra are joint winners of the Video Experience award, with statistically tied overall scores of 60.6-60.9 points on a 100 point scale. Vodafone is in last place with 59.8 points. This is a change from the last report, which had all three operators on the winners’ podium as all three operators’ scores were statistically tied.
Optus, Telstra and Vodafone have again placed in the Good (55-65) category for Video Experience. This indicates an acceptable but inconsistent experience, even from the same video streaming provider and particularly for higher resolutions, with noticeably slow loading times and stalling not being uncommon.
When we look at the overall video experience of our 5G users across all generations of mobile technology, users on Optus had the best available experience. Optus comes top for Video Experience – 5G Users with a score of 65.2 points, while Telstra and Vodafone take second and third place, respectively, with 63.2 and 61.2 points.
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
Optus again comes top for the overall experience our users observed when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections. It wins Games Experience with a score of 75 points on a 100 point scale, giving it a lead of 0.9 points over Vodafone’s 74.1 points. Telstra is in third place with 73.5 points.
Optus’ score of 75 points means that it narrowly placed in the Good (75-85) category. This means that most of our Optus users deemed their experience acceptable and did not experience a delay between their actions and the game. Vodafone and Telstra both placed one category lower — Fair (65-75).
Users on all three operators’ networks have seen their Games Experience improve slightly since the last report, with scores increasing by 0.8-1.4 points, depending on their choice of operator.
Turning to the overall games experience of our 5G users (Games Experience – 5G Users), our users on Optus’ network had the best experience. Optus comes top with a score of 74.7 points, around 2.4 points ahead of Telstra and Vodafone given their statistically tied scores of 72.1-72.4 points.
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
Optus holds onto the Voice App Experience award — it wins this time with a score of 79.9 points on a 100 point scale and a lead of 0.4 points over second placed Vodafone’s 79.5 points. Telstra is in last place with 78.8 points, but the three operators’ scores differed by just 1.1 points. Optus and Vodafone’s scores rose by 0.9-1 points since the last report, while Telstra’s was statistically unchanged.
Optus, Telstra and Vodafone have again 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.
When we analyzed the overall voice app experience of our 5G users (Voice App Experience – 5G Users), we found that our Optus 5G users had the best available experience, given its score of 79.7 points. It had a lead of 0.8 points over second placed Vodafone’s score of 78.9 points.
Definitions
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
- 5G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Voice App Experience – 5G Users: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G voice app experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Our Telstra users have again recorded the fastest overall download speeds in Australia — 60.7 Mbps. This makes Telstra the first operator in the country to hit the 60 Mbps mark. It wins this time around with a lead of 8.6 Mbps, up from the 6.6 Mbps seen in the previous report. Optus is in second placed with 52.1 Mbps, while Vodafone is last with 47.4 Mbps.
Our Telstra users saw the largest improvement in their overall download speeds compared to last time — a rise of 5.8 Mbps (10.6%), while their peers on Optus and Vodafone saw increases of 3.8 Mbps (7.9%) and 3.9 Mbps (9.1%), respectively
Telstra also comes top in terms of our 5G users’ overall download speeds measured across all generations of mobile technology (Download Speed Experience – 5G Users), with a score of 86.7 Mbps, giving it a lead of 7.6 Mbps over second placed Optus’ 79.2 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
Our Vodafone users continued to observe the faster overall upload speeds in Australia — 9.9 Mbps — so Vodafone again wins the Upload Speed Experience award. It wins with a lead of 0.8 Mbps over second placed Telstra. Optus is in third place with 8 Mbps. Telstra and Vodafone users both saw their speeds improve by 0.3 Mbps compared to those seen in the last report, while Optus users’ fell by 0.1 Mbps.
Telstra and Vodafone are statistically tied for the overall upload speeds observed by our 5G users across all generations of mobile technology (Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users) with scores of 9.5-9.7 Mbps. Optus is in third place with 8.6 Mbps.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
Regional Analysis
Telstra and Optus both have one outright regional win for Video Experience, in New South Wales and Western Australia, respectively. Telstra previously also was the sole winner in South Australia but is now a joint winner there alongside Optus. Of the three three-way ties seen in the previous report in this category, there are two where one operator has left the winners’ podium — Optus and Vodafone are joint winners in Queensland, while Optus and Telstra share the award in Victoria.
National Games Experience winner Optus also leads across the regions, winning outright in New South Wales and Tasmania, while jointly winning in Northern Territory, Victoria and Western Australia. Vodafone has gone from being part of a three-way tie in Queensland to winning the regional award there outright. However, while Telstra and Vodafone were previously statistically tied for the regional Games Experience in South Australia, Telstra now wins it outright.
Optus has converted three of its joint wins for Voice App Experience in the previous report to outright ones — in New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. Similarly, Vodafone has gone from sharing the regional award in Queensland to winning it outright. While Telstra was a joint winner in five regions last time around, it has been left with only one joint win — as part of a three-way tie in South Australia.
The winners of the regional Download Speed Experience awards are unchanged from the last report with Telstra, defending its outright wins in five territories, while Optus continues to be the sole winner in the Northern Territory and Western Australia. The fastest average download speeds were seen by our Telstra users in South Australia who clocked up an impressive 77.2 Mbps.
Looking at Upload Speed Experience, Vodafone continues to win outright in four regions: Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, while Telstra remains the sole winner in Tasmania. However, while in the last report, Vodafone was a joint winner in New South Wales and Northern Territory alongside Telstra and Optus, respectively, Vodafone’s rivals now win the awards outright.
Regional Analysis Summary: Australia, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022
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5G Experience
National Analysis
Our Optus users again had the best available 5G Video Experience on Optus’ network. The operator wins this time with a score of 78.4 points on a 100 point scale and a lead of 0.8 points over second placed Telstra’s 77.6 points. Vodafone is in last place with 74.2 points.
Optus and Telstra both placed in the Excellent (75 or above) category, while Vodafone had to settle for a Very Good (65-75) rating instead. This means our Optus and Telstra users had a very consistent experience across all video streaming providers and resolutions tested on 5G connections, with fast loading times and almost non-existent stalling. Meanwhile, Vodafone users observed generally fast loading times and only occasional stalling but the experience might have been somewhat inconsistent across users and/or video providers/resolutions.
All three operators’ scores were much higher than those for Video Experience, which measures the overall experience of all our users across all generations of mobile technology. Optus’ 5G Video Experience score is 17.5 points (28.7%) higher than its Video Experience score, while Telstra and Vodafone’s 5G Video Experience scores are 17.1 points (28.1%) and 14.4 points (24%) better, respectively.
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
All three Australian national operators remain locked in a statistical tie for the 5G Games Experience award, with scores of 77.8-78.6 points on a 100 point scale. They placed in the Good category (75-85), which means that most users deemed their experience on 5G connections acceptable and did not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
Vodafone users saw the largest improvement in their 5G Games Experience since the last report — a rise of 3.2 points. Optus and Telstra’s scores rose by 2.3 and 2 points, respectively.
There was little improvement between users’ overall Games Experience and their 5G Games Experience, with operators’ scores increasing by 2.8-4.8 points. This is likely to change once use of 5G standalone access technology, along with network slicing and edge computing becomes commonplace.
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
Vodafone users continued to have the best available experience when using over-the-top voice apps on 5G networks. The operator wins the 5G Voice App Experience award this time with a score of 81.1 points on a 100 point scale. It commanded a lead of 0.8 points over second placed Optus’ 80.3 points. Telstra is in last place with 77.8 points.
All three operators’ scores have risen slightly since the previous report, with Vodafone, Optus and Telstra users seeing improvements of 1.6, 1.3 and 0.5 points, respectively.
In the last report, all three operators placed in the Acceptable (74-80), however these modest increases in operators’ scores have pushed Optus and Vodafone up into the Good (80-87) category. This means that many users were satisfied with their experience when using over-the-top voice apps over 5G networks. 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
Optus is once again the outright winner of 5G Download Speed award. It wins this time with a score of 240.5 Mbps and a lead of 8.1 Mbps over second placed Telstra’s 232.3 Mbps. However, in the previous report, Optus won with a lead of 26 Mbps, so its margin of victory has shrunk by 17.8 Mbps. This is due to Optus’ score falling by more than Telstra’s — our users on the two operator’s networks observed declines of 28.4 Mbps (10.6%) and 10.6 Mbps (4.4%), respectively, in their average 5G download speeds. Our Vodafone users saw theirs rise by 7.6 Mbps to 122.1 Mbps, but it remains more than 100 Mbps behind its rivals.
Across all three operators, our users saw dramatically faster average download speeds on 5G than their overall speeds across all mobile technologies. Optus’ 5G Download Speed score was 4.6 times higher than its Download Speed Experience score, while Telstra and Vodafone’s were 3.8 and 2.6 times higher, respectively. These gains in speed give an indication of what users can expect once 5G networks have matured to the point that a typical user spends the vast 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
Our Telstra users continued to observe the fastest average 5G upload speeds in Australia, this time clocking in at 18.8 Mbps. Telstra therefore commanded a lead of 1.9 Mbps over second placed Optus’ 16.9 Mbps. Vodafone is in last place with 14.3 points.
Vodafone’s score has increased the most compared to the previous report — a rise of 1.5 Mbps (11.3%), followed by Telstra’s 1.1 Mbps (6%) and Optus’ 0.9 Mbps (5.6%).
The average 5G upload speeds seen by our Optus and Telstra users were 2.1 times faster than the average overall upload speeds seen by our users on the two operators’ networks across all generations of mobile technology (Upload Speed Experience). The 5G uplift seen by our Vodafone users was lower as its 5G Upload Speed score was 1.5 times its Upload Speed Experience score.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Regional Analysis
Optus has lost a small amount of ground regionally for 5G Video Experience, having gone from three outright wins in the last report to two (Victoria and Western Australia). It shares the remaining three regional awards with Telstra.
5G Games Experience is fiercely contested at the regional level, with three-way statistical ties in four regions and a two-way tie in South Australia. The only change from the last report in terms of regional awards is that Telstra has gone from being the sole winner in Victoria to sharing it with Optus and Vodafone.
Vodafone continues to have the edge in terms of the regional 5G Voice App Experience, having successfully defended its two outright wins in New South Wales and Victoria, while also continuing to be a joint winner alongside Optus in the other three regions.
The regional 5G Download Speed awards table is unchanged from the last report. Optus wins outright in three regions: New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia; while Telstra wins in Queensland and South Australia.
Telstra continues to have the advantage in terms of regional 5G Upload Speed — the operator wins outright in three regions (Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia), while being a joint winner alongside Optus in New South Wales. However, Optus has gone from being a joint winner alongside Telstra in Victoria to winning the regional award outright.
Regional Analysis Summary: Australia, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022
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Coverage
Optus
Telstra
Vodafone
National Analysis
Our Optus and Vodafone users have continued to spend the largest amount of time connected to a 3G or better signal. The two operators are therefore still joint winners of the Availability award, this time with identical scores of 99.3%. However, Telstra was only just behind its rivals with 99.2%.
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.
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
Vodafone has replaced Telstra as the sole winner of the 5G Availability award. Our Vodafone 5G users spent 22.3% of their time with an active 5G connection, giving Vodafone a small lead of 3.1 percentage points over Telstra’s score of 19.3%. Optus is in last place with 11.1%. Vodafone users saw the largest increase in their score compared to that seen in the last report— a rise of 6.8 percentage points compared to Telstra’s 1.8 and Optus’ 2.4 percentage points.
5G Availability is an important measure of the mobile experience as users cannot enjoy the superior performance that 5G can deliver without being connected to 5G. As 5G rollouts continue, 5G Availability will rise and this combined with greater 5G adoption will cause the difference between Overall Experience and 5G Experience categories to fall.
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.
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
Telstra remains the outright winner of the 5G Reach award. It wins this time with a score of 5.2 points on a 10 point scale and a lead of 0.9 points over second placed Vodafone’s 4.4 points. Optus is still in third place with 3.7 points. Our users on three operators’ networks have found it easier to find a 5G signal compared to the previous report — Vodafone, Optus and Telstra’s scores rose by 0.7, 0.6 and 0.5 points, respectively.
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.
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
Telstra users continued to find a 4G signal in the most locations out of all those visited by our users across operators. Telstra therefore remains the winner of the 4G Coverage Experience award. It wins this time with a score of 9.8 points on a 10 point score. Optus and Vodafone are in second and third place, respectively, with scores of 9.4 and 8.4 points.
Definitions
4G Coverage Experience measures how mobile subscribers experience 4G coverage on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-10, it analyzes the locations where customers of a network operator received a 4G signal relative to the locations visited by users of all network operators.
In simple terms, 4G Coverage Experience measures the mobile coverage experience in all the locations that matter most to everyday users — i.e. all the places where they live, work and travel. It considers all the areas that Opensignal users visit, the portion of locations that 4G is available to them, and locations that more users visit have higher importance to them.
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
Regional Analysis
Telstra remains the only operator to win a regional Availability award outright — defending its win in Tasmania. Optus continues to be a joint winner for Availability in six out of seven regions, while Vodafone is one in five regions. The only change since the last report is that the three-way statistical tie that our users observed in Victoria has narrowed to a two-way tie between Telstra and Optus.
As with the national results, Vodafone now dominates 5G Availability regionally as well. It now wins outright in three regions (New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia) and wins alongside Telstra in Queensland and South Australia. This is an impressive turnaround, given that last time around, Vodafone was only a joint winner in two regions.
The regional 5G Reach awards table is unchanged from the last report. Telstra wins outright in four regions — New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria — while sharing the award with Vodafone in Western Australia.
Regional Analysis Summary: Australia, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022
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- New South Wales
- Northern Territory
- Queensland
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- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- Western Australia
in New South Wales
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in Northern Territory
in Queensland
in Queensland
in Queensland
in South Australia
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in South Australia
in Tasmania
in Victoria
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Consistency
National Analysis
Telstra has successfully defended the Excellent Consistent Quality award. Excellent Consistent Quality measures the percentage of users’ tests that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch HD video, complete group video conference calls and play games. Telstra wins this time with a score of 82.1% and a lead of 4.1 percentage points over Optus and Vodafone, given their identical scores of 78%.
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
Telstra remains the sole winner of the Core Consistent Quality award. Its score of 90.9% gave it a lead of 0.7 percentage points over Optus’ 90.2%. This is a drop from the lead of 1.4 percentage points Telstra commanded in the previous report as Optus’ score rose by 0.6 percentage points, while Telstra’s was unchanged. While Optus and Vodafone had identical scores last time around and therefore shared second place, a drop of 0.6 percentage points in Vodafone’s score means that this time it is in third place.
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 user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
About Opensignal
Opensignal is the mobile analytics company committed to improving mobile connectivity across the globe. We are the independent authority for understanding the true experience consumers receive on wireless networks.
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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