Japan
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.
Japan
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
The fastest download speed experience in Japan is with NTT docomo
NTT docomo is the winner of both the 5G Download Speed and Download Speed Experience awards. Our NTT docomo users had a faster download experience than our users on any other operator. With a 5G Download Speed score of 211.6 Mbps only with NTT docomo did our users see average download speeds in excess of the 200 Mbps mark.
Rakuten retains the 5G Upload Speed and Upload Speed Experience awards
As in the last Japan report, Rakuten wins both upload speed awards. On overall experience, Rakuten's score of 16.9 Mbps was close to double the upload speed of users connecting with its rivals. Rakuten's victory margin was narrower in relative terms for 5G Upload Speed with a winning score of 27.9 Mbps ahead of second placed SoftBank's score of 20.2 Mbps.
SoftBank and NTT docomo split the consistent quality awards
For more demanding applications, NTT docomo now wins the Excellent Consistent Quality award outright moving ahead of former joint winner SoftBank, commanding a lead of 0.4 percentage points. However, SoftBank retains the Core Consistency Award.
SoftBank users enjoyed the best multiplayer mobile gaming experience
By winning both the 5G Games Experience and overall Games Experience award, SoftBank users saw indisputably the best gaming experience in Japan. SoftBank's scores of 84.9 and 79.9, respectively, both rated as Good (75-85).
On Video Experience, NTT docomo catches SoftBank
Both operators now jointly win the Video Experience award. NTT docomo has closed the gap and the operators now have statistically tied scores in the range of 62.3-63.2 points — a change from the last report when SoftBank won the award outright. However, SoftBank retains the 5G Video Experience award with a score of 78.6 ahead of NTT docomo's 75.6.
All four operators feature on the awards table, indicating fierce competition
Au secures two new joint wins — for Voice App Experience and 5G Availability — where in the last report it failed to win any awards. However, NTT docomo and Softbank have the greatest haul of awards with four outright wins each, ahead of Rakuten's two sole wins. SoftBank has the most awards in total, however, because it jointly wins five awards compared with NTT docomo's three and Rakuten's two.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Japan again rates highly in Opensignal's global 5G experience comparisons. In the Opensignal 5G Global Mobile Network Experience Awards 2022, Japanese operators won a 5G Global Leader award for 5G Games Experience and an impressive 10 5G Global Rising star awards for year-on-year improvement.
The Ministry of International Affairs and Communications aims to continue moving the Japanese 5G experience forward. It has set a target of 98% 5G population coverage by the end of March 2024. Even more significantly, given rising data consumption, Japan aims to boost the amount of spectrum available for 5G services. The first planned step will be to assign new 2.3 GHz spectrum in 2022 followed by tripling allocations across other compatible bands in 2025.
International cooperation on 5G is also rising. Japanese organizations have stepped up collaboration with the EU and the U.S. on 5G and also discussed new collaborations with India. Also, with interest in satellite connectivity for smartphones rising because it is one part of the upcoming 5G Release 17 standard, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology and the European Space Agency have tested a different usage of satellite connectivity — to provide a direct Japan-Europe link.
The operators continue to widen the reach of 5G, building towards their 5G coverage goals. KDDI's au targets 95% 5G population coverage by March 2024. NTT docomo continues to build towards an over 90% population-based target by the same date but claims its Lightning Speed 5G network has already reached over 50%. In April, SoftBank said its 5G service reached 90% of the population. Rakuten has continued to build out its own 4G infrastructure as it is a new market entrant — reducing roaming reliance on au — as well as building out 5G services. Rakuten has raised its 4G based goal to more than 60,000 by December 2023 while also confirming Rakuten has deployed 12,000 5G base stations as of August 2022 up from 4,000 in February.
In this latest report on the mobile network experience in Japan we see a number of changes in the position of the operators. NTT docomo gains ground. Au jointly wins two awards when in the last report it had no wins. But Rakuten holds onto both upload speed awards and SoftBank again has the greatest number of awards. Together, these results indicate a competitive Japanese market where it is important to consider multiple different ways to correctly measure the mobile experience.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
In the last report SoftBank won the Video Experience award outright. However, NTT docomo closes the gap with SoftBank in overall Video Experience. Now the two operators are statistically tied and jointly win the award.
The winning scores rated as Good (55-65), as did au and Rakuten's Video Experience results. This means users had 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.
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
SoftBank again wins the Games Experience score outright with a score of 79.9 on a 100 point scale. There are only a few points separating all four operators, with scores ranging by under three points between SoftBank and fourth-placed NTT docomo's 77.1.
All four operators' scores were in the Good (75-85) category. This means most users deemed the experience acceptable. 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.
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
Nothing separates the voice chat communications experience across the four operators because their scores were statistically tied. Voice App Experience includes popular apps such as LINE when used for real time voice chat.
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
With an average download speed of 47.1 Mbps experienced by our NTT docomo users, the operator retains the Download Speed Experience award. In second place is au, with users experiencing 43.4 Mbps, ahead of SoftBank users on 37.9 Mbps and Rakuten with a score of 30 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
Rakuten has widened its winning margin in the Upload Speed Experience category. Now, its score of 16.9 Mbps is almost 8 Mbps faster than the average upload speeds seen by our users with second placed SoftBank. But in the last report the difference was under 6 Mbps (15.8 Mbps versus 10.3 Mbps).
Again, there is little to separate the other three operators. Their Upload Speed Experience scores ranged from 7.9 Mbps to 9 Mbps, approximately half as fast as the experience with Rakuten.
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
Both regional speed awards are dominated by a single operator, NTT docomo for Download Speed Experience and Rakuten for Upload Speed Experience. However, the experiential awards for video streaming, multiplayer gaming and voice app are shared across all the operators.
NTT docomo wins outright on its users' average download speeds in eight regions, sharing the award with au and SoftBank in Chugoku. Similarly, Rakuten wins six regional Upload Speed Experience awards outright and jointly wins in Chugoku and Tohoku with SoftBank.
In Games Experience, alongside its national award. SoftBank wins Chubu and Kinki outright, and jointly wins the regional award in the remaining regions. This is a category where Rakuten also features strongly, joint winning in six regions
There is fierce competition on Video Experience across Japan. While NTT docomo and SoftBank share the national award this time, only SoftBank has an outright regional win — in Kinki. However, NTT docomo jointly wins the regional award in all of the other regions, along with SoftBank.
Regional Analysis Summary: Japan, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022
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- Kanto
- Kinki
- Kyushu
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5G Experience
National Analysis
While SoftBank now has to share the overall Video Experience award with NTT docomo, it comfortably retains the 5G Video Experience award. Its score of 78.6 is over three points clear of any other operator.
NTT docomo and au users have a similar experience, but Rakuten has a significantly lower score of 71.5 on a 100 point scale. However, our users have a considerably better mobile video streaming when connected to 5G technology than the overall experience of all users: 5G Video Experience scores on the four operators are approximately 14 points higher than the scores for overall Video Experience.
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
With a score of 84.9 on a 100 point scale, SoftBank wins the 5G Games Experience award. Rakuten and au are in a statistical tie for second place with scores in the range of 78.3-80.8 points. NTT docomo's score of 70.8 puts it in fourth place.
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
Rakuten and SoftBank edge ahead of their rivals in 5G Voice App Experience to jointly win the award. With statistically tied scores of 83.6-83.3 the operators are slightly ahead of au with a score of 81.9 and NTT docomo of 81.1.
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
NTT docomo moves ahead of Rakuten to win the 5G Download Speed award. Our NTT docomo users experienced average 5G download speeds of 211.6 Mbps, ahead of Rakuten's score of 193.1 Mbps. However, au and Softbank users' average 5G download speeds were significantly slower, clocking in at 115.3 and 130.8 Mbps 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
Rakuten retains the 5G Upload Speed award. This is the third report in a row that Rakuten has won the award. This time, Rakuten users experienced average 5G upload speeds of 27.9 Mbps, ahead of second placed SoftBank's score of 20.2 Mbps. But au (12.2 Mbps) and NTT docomo (8.5 Mbps) users had much slower speeds that were under half as fast as the speeds experienced by our users on the two top operators.
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
au
Rakuten
SoftBank
NTT docomo
National Analysis
NTT docomo wins the Availability award with a near perfect score of 99.7%. The other operators had similarly high scores. This means our users spent almost all of the time with a mobile broadband connection in Japan.
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
The time users spend with an active 5G connection remains relatively low in Japan as the operators continue to seek to deploy more 5G base stations. Au and SoftBank jointly win the 5G Availability award with statistically tied scores of 5.5% and 5.9%, respectively. Rakuten clearly lags its rivals with a lower 5G Availability score of 1.6%.
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
The proportion of locations visited where users saw a 5G signal is higher than the time users spent with an active 5G connection indicating some of the challenges with 5G reception indoors. On a 10-point scale, NTT docomo and SoftBank win the 5G Reach award with statistically tied scores of 3.2. This means our users saw 5G signals in almost one third of the locations that they visited.
Au is close behind with a score of 2.8. But again, as with 5G Availability, Rakuten's score is much lower than the other three operators with a score of 0.8.
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.
Regional Analysis
NTT docomo has the greatest number of regional wins for Availability. The operator wins or joint wins in every region. In Kanto it wins the award outright. In Kinki, Kyushu and Tohoku, NTT docomo shares the award with SoftBank.
SoftBank joint wins Availability in every region except Hokkaido and Kanto. Au has four joint wins, but newer entrant Rakuten only jointly wins in two regions: Hokkaido and Shikoku.
Regional Analysis Summary: Japan, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022
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A-I
- Chubu
- Chugoku
- Hokkaido
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J-R
- Kanto
- Kinki
- Kyushu
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S-Z
- Shikoku
- Tohoku
in Chubu
in Chugoku
in Hokkaido
in Kanto
in Kinki
in Kyushu
in Shikoku
in Tohoku
Consistency
National Analysis
NTT docomo wins the Excellent Consistent Quality award outright for the first time with a score of 85.9%. This indicates the proportion of our users' tests that passed the minimum threshold for more demanding applications was the highest using NTT docomo. Former joint winner, SoftBank, is now in second place with a score of 85.5%.
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
SoftBank retains the Core Consistent Quality award with a score of 93%, just ahead of NTT docomo on 92.8% and au on 92.1%. Rakuten is in fourth place with 87.5%.
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