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New Zealand

Mobile Network Experience Report
October 2022

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.

Author: Sam Fenwick, Senior Analyst Data Collection Period: Jul 01 - Sep 28, 2022

New Zealand

Mobile Network Experience Report
October 2022

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.

Author: Sam Fenwick, Senior Analyst

Data Collection Period: Jul 01 - Sep 28, 2022

Key Findings

2degrees has the fastest 5G experience in New Zealand

Our 2degrees users observed the fastest average 5G download and upload speeds. 2degrees wins 5G Download Speed with a blisteringly fast 285.2 Mbps and a lead of around 43.5 Mbps over Spark and Vodafone, given their statistically tied scores of 235-248.6 Mbps. 2degrees also comes top for 5G Upload Speed with a score of 31.9 Mbps and a lead of around 12.2 Mbps over its rivals.

Vodafone can’t be beaten on overall experience

Vodafone is a joint winner for all five measures of the overall experience, while 2degrees and Spark picked up four and three joint wins, respectively. These categories recognise operators for the experience observed by our users across all generations of mobile technology.

Spark remains undefeated on 4G Coverage Experience

Spark’s impressive winning streak for 4G Coverage Experience remains unbroken. The operator has won this award ever since we first started reporting on the mobile network experience in New Zealand, back in April 2020. Spark wins this time with a score of 9.4 points on a 10 point scale and a lead of 0.4 points over second placed Vodafone’s nine points. 4G Coverage Experience analyzes the locations where customers of an operator received a 4G signal relative to the locations visited by users of all operators.

The most consistent experience is with 2degrees

2degrees has successfully defended both awards for consistent quality, winning Excellent and Core Consistent Quality outright. It wins the former with a score of 76.8% and a lead of around 1.6 percentage points, given Spark and Vodafone’s statistically tied scores of 75-75.5%. 2degrees scored 89.2% for Core Consistent Quality — comfortably ahead of Spark and Vodafone’s tied scores of 85-85.2%.

Mobile Experience Awards

October 2022, New Zealand Report
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Market Overview

Despite a fiercely fought contest with nine out of 15 awards being shared by two or more operators, 2degrees has the largest haul of awards. It wins 5G Download Speed, 5G Upload Speed, Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality outright, while being a joint winner in a further eight categories. Spark is the sole winner of the Availability and 4G Coverage Experience awards, while also sharing wins with its rivals in six categories. While Vodafone doesn’t win any awards outright this time around, it is a joint winner in nine categories, including all five for the overall experience.

2degrees launched its commercial 5G mobile service in late February 2022, while Spark and Vodafone launched theirs in late July 2020 and December 2019, respectively. As 2degrees has had less time to bring users onto its 5G network, it will be interesting to see in future reports if it can maintain its grip on the 5G speed awards as its network becomes more heavily loaded with 5G traffic.

In August, Vodafone announced that by the end of August 2024 it will have rolled out 4G or 5G to all locations where it just provides a 3G service. It will then start switching off its 3G network, which will enable it to improve the experience of its users by refarming its 3G spectrum. More recently, Vodafone announced that it will rebrand itself to One New Zealand in early 2023 — following on from its purchase in 2019 by infrastructure investor Infratil and Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management.

In this report, we’ve analyzed the national mobile network experience provided by New Zealand’s three operators — Vodafone, Spark and 2degrees — in the 90 days starting on July 1, 2022, and ending on September 28, 2022.

Overall Experience
5G Experience
Coverage
Consistency
Video Experience
Games Experience
Voice App Experience
Download Speed Experience
Upload Speed Experience
All Users
5G Users
Video Experience
in 0-100 points
2degrees
57.9
Spark
55.3
Vodafone
54.6
015304560
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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Video Experience – 5G Users
in 0-100 points
2degrees
63.9
Spark
58.2
Vodafone
60.3
017.53552.570
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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All Users
5G Users
Games Experience
in 0-100 points
2degrees
69.2
Spark
65.6
Vodafone
69.5
019385776
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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Games Experience – 5G Users
in 0-100 points
2degrees
70.7
Spark
66.8
Vodafone
71.8
019385776
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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All Users
5G Users
Voice App Experience
in 0-100 points
2degrees
79.0
Spark
78.3
Vodafone
79.4
020406080
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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Voice App Experience – 5G Users
in 0-100 points
2degrees
80.3
Spark
79.2
Vodafone
80.9
021.54364.586
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
All Users
5G Users
Download Speed Experience
in Mbps
2degrees
32.7
Spark
40.6
Vodafone
41.5
011.52334.546
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
Download Speed Experience – 5G Users
in Mbps
2degrees
55.0
Spark
61.0
Vodafone
71.3
020406080
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
All Users
5G Users
Upload Speed Experience
in Mbps
2degrees
9.7
Spark
8.3
Vodafone
9.5
0481216
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users
in Mbps
2degrees
11.6
Spark
9.5
Vodafone
10.4
0481216
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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National Analysis
Regional Analysis

National Analysis

Our Kiwi users did not observe any statistically significant differences in their overall experience when streaming mobile video over cellular connections. 2degrees, Spark and Vodafone therefore share the Video Experience award with scores in the 54.6-57.9 point range on a 100 point scale.

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.

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National Analysis

The two way statistical tie that existed in the previous report between 2degrees and Vodafone has persisted. As a result, both operators remain joint winners of the Games Experience award with scores of 69.2-69.5 points on a 100 point scale. Spark was around 3.7 points behind the two front-runners with its score of 65.6 points. However, Spark has joined its rivals in the Fair (65-75) category

This means that our Kiwi users found their overall Games 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.

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National Analysis

All three Kiwi operators (2degrees, Spark and Vodafone) are joint winners of the Voice App Experience award with scores in the range of 78.3-79.4 points. This means that our users did not observe any statistically significant differences in their experience when using over-the-top voice apps over mobile networks regardless of their choice of operator. This is a change from the previous report, when our users reported a two-way tie between 2degrees and Vodafone.

All three operators again placed in the Acceptable (74-80) category, which 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.

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National Analysis

Our Spark and Vodafone users observed the fastest overall download speeds in New Zealand. They are joint winners of the Download Speed Experience award with statistically tied scores of 40.6-41.5 Mbps, ahead of 2degrees by around 8.3 Mbps.

Spark’s score is up by 3.9 Mbps (10.7%) compared to that seen in the previous report, while 2degrees and Vodafone’s scores were statistically unchanged.

Things are more clear cut in terms of the overall experience of our 5G users across all generations of mobile technology, as those on Vodafone observed the fastest speeds — 71.3 Mbps. Vodafone therefore places first for Download Speed Experience – 5G Users with an impressive lead, given 2degrees and Spark’s statistically tied scores of 55-61 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).

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National Analysis

2degrees and Vodafone are joint winners of the Upload Speed Experience award. Our users on their networks observed the fastest overall upload speeds with statistically tied scores of 9.5-9.7 Mbps, 1.3 Mbps ahead of Spark on average. In the previous report, 2degrees won outright, but since then its score dropped by 1.6 Mbps, which caused it to draw level with Vodafone.

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).

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Regional Analysis

The closely fought contests seen at the national level are reflected regionally, as all but two of the 25 regional awards for the overall experience of users are shared between two or more users. The exceptions are both in the Bay of Plenty, where Vodafone wins the Download Speed Experience and Upload Speed experience regional awards outright. Vodafone still wins all the regional awards for Download Speed Experience, either jointly or outright. However, it has lost ground given that in the previous report it won outright in three regions (Bay of Plenty, Canterbury and Waikato). There has been more movement in Upload Speed Experience — 2degrees has gone from winning three regional awards outright and being a joint winner in the remaining two regions to being a joint winner in four regions.

Regional Analysis Summary: New Zealand, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022

Region
Video Experience
Games Experience
Voice App Experience
Download Speed Experience
Upload Speed Experience
Auckland
2
S
2
S
V
2
S
V
2
S
V
2
S
Bay of Plenty
2
S
V
2
S
V
2
S
V
V
V
Canterbury
2
S
V
2
S
V
2
S
V
S
V
2
S
V
Waikato
2
S
V
2
V
2
S
V
S
V
2
S
V
Wellington
2
S
V
2
V
2
V
2
S
V
2
V
Mobile Network Experience Report | October 2022 | © Opensignal Limited
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Selected region
  • A-I
    • Auckland
    • Bay of Plenty
    • Canterbury
  • S-Z
    • Waikato
    • Wellington
Video Experience
in Auckland
in 0-100 points
2degrees
61.1
Spark
59.3
Vodafone
54.9
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Games Experience
in Auckland
in 0-100 points
2degrees
70.8
Spark
71.1
Vodafone
70.6
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Voice App Experience
in Auckland
in 0-100 points
2degrees
78.9
Spark
79.0
Vodafone
79.4
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Download Speed Experience
in Auckland
in Mbps
2degrees
38.3
Spark
37.9
Vodafone
42.0
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Upload Speed Experience
in Auckland
in Mbps
2degrees
11.5
Spark
10.5
Vodafone
10.2
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Video Experience
in Bay of Plenty
in 0-100 points
2degrees
46.9
Spark
51.3
Vodafone
58.6
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Games Experience
in Bay of Plenty
in 0-100 points
2degrees
66.5
Spark
63.3
Vodafone
67.3
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Voice App Experience
in Bay of Plenty
in 0-100 points
2degrees
77.8
Spark
78.1
Vodafone
76.9
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Download Speed Experience
in Bay of Plenty
in Mbps
2degrees
24.6
Spark
35.0
Vodafone
57.9
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Upload Speed Experience
in Bay of Plenty
in Mbps
2degrees
7.4
Spark
7.4
Vodafone
10.7
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Video Experience
in Canterbury
in 0-100 points
2degrees
60.7
Spark
55.1
Vodafone
56.5
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Games Experience
in Canterbury
in 0-100 points
2degrees
66.5
Spark
65.7
Vodafone
68.9
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Voice App Experience
in Canterbury
in 0-100 points
2degrees
78.3
Spark
79.2
Vodafone
79.7
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Download Speed Experience
in Canterbury
in Mbps
2degrees
34.8
Spark
41.5
Vodafone
40.5
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Upload Speed Experience
in Canterbury
in Mbps
2degrees
9.6
Spark
8.7
Vodafone
9.5
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Video Experience
in Waikato
in 0-100 points
2degrees
53.2
Spark
53.3
Vodafone
51.1
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Games Experience
in Waikato
in 0-100 points
2degrees
66.7
Spark
61.4
Vodafone
69.1
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Voice App Experience
in Waikato
in 0-100 points
2degrees
77.5
Spark
76.7
Vodafone
77.6
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Download Speed Experience
in Waikato
in Mbps
2degrees
25.5
Spark
38.5
Vodafone
42.8
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Upload Speed Experience
in Waikato
in Mbps
2degrees
8.4
Spark
6.8
Vodafone
7.1
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Video Experience
in Wellington
in 0-100 points
2degrees
59.8
Spark
57.7
Vodafone
56.8
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Games Experience
in Wellington
in 0-100 points
2degrees
75.4
Spark
63.8
Vodafone
71.5
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Voice App Experience
in Wellington
in 0-100 points
2degrees
81.4
Spark
77.2
Vodafone
80.8
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Download Speed Experience
in Wellington
in Mbps
2degrees
42.9
Spark
40.5
Vodafone
40.4
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Upload Speed Experience
in Wellington
in Mbps
2degrees
12.8
Spark
8.8
Vodafone
11.6
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5G Video Experience
5G Games Experience
5G Voice App Experience
5G Download Speed
5G Upload Speed
5G Video Experience
in 0-100 points
2degrees
80.8
Spark
73.7
Vodafone
75.8
021.54364.586
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Games Experience
in 0-100 points
2degrees
82.9
Spark
78.0
Vodafone
79.1
022.54567.590
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Voice App Experience
in 0-100 points
2degrees
83.3
Spark
83.1
Vodafone
83.8
021.54364.586
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Download Speed
in Mbps
2degrees
285.2
Spark
235.0
Vodafone
248.6
076.5153229.5306
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Upload Speed
in Mbps
2degrees
31.9
Spark
21.0
Vodafone
18.4
09182736
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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National Analysis

Our 2degrees and Vodafone users observed the best available experience when streaming mobile video over 5G networks, given their statistically tied scores of 75.8-80.8 points on a 100 point scale. The two operators are therefore joint winners of the 5G Video Experience award. While Spark’s confidence intervals overlap with Vodafone’s, it is not a joint winner as its upper confidence interval does not overlap with 2degrees’ lower confidence interval.

The two joint winners placed in the Excellent (75 or above) category, which indicates a very consistent experience across all users, video streaming providers and resolutions tested, with fast loading times and almost non-existent stalling. Spark on the other hand, placed one category lower — Very Good (65-75), which means generally fast loading times and only occasional stalling but the experience might have been somewhat inconsistent across users and/or video providers/resolutions.

Our users saw an impressive uplift in their video experience when we compare that seen when connected to 5G against that across all generations of mobile technology. Operators’ 5G Video Experience scores were 18.4-22.8 points higher than those for 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.

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National Analysis

Our Kiwi users did not observe any statistically significant differences in their experience when playing multiplayer mobile games over 5G connections. 2degrees, Spark and Vodafone are therefore joint winners of the 5G Games Experience award with scores of 78-82.9 points on a 100 point scale.

All three operators placed in the Good (75-85) category — one level higher than the Fair (65-75) rating they received for the overall Games Experience of our users. Our 2degrees users saw the greatest uplift — a rise of 13.8 points, followed by Spark users with 12.5 points and Vodafone users with 9.7 points.

A Good rating for 5G Games Experience means that 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

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.

Learn more

National Analysis

Due to a three-way statistical tie, 2degrees, Spark and Vodafone are joint winners of the 5G Voice App Experience award. They share it with scores of 83.1-83.8 points on a 100 point scale.

All three operators placed in the Good (80-87) category — one level higher than the Acceptable (74-80) rating they received for the overall Voice App Experience of our users.

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.

Learn more

National Analysis

2degrees is the new outright winner of the 5G Download Speed award. It wins with an impressively fast 285.2 Mbps and a lead of around 43.5 Mbps over Spark and Vodafone, given their statistically tied scores of 235-248.6 Mbps.

Our 2degrees users saw the largest uplift when we compare our users’ 5G download speeds against their overall download speeds — the operator’s 5G Download Speed score was 8.7 times faster than that for Download Speed Experience, while Vodafone and Spark users reported uplifts of 6 and 5.8 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).

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National Analysis

Our 2degrees users saw the fastest average 5G upload speeds in New Zealand, clocking up an impressive 31.9 Mbps. 2degrees therefore wins the 5G Upload Speed award and does so with a lead of around 12.2 Mbps over Spark and Vodafone, given their statistically tied scores of 18.4-21 Mbps.

In terms of the difference between users’ 5G upload speeds and their upload speeds measured across all generations of mobile technology, our 2degrees users saw the largest improvement, as the operator’s 5G Upload Speed score was 3.3 times higher than that for Upload Speed Experience. Spark and Vodafone users saw improvements of 2.5 and 1.9 times, 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).

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2degrees

Spark

Vodafone

Availability
5G Availability
4G Coverage Experience
Availability
% of time
2degrees
98.7
Spark
99.2
Vodafone
98.2
0255075100
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Availability
% of time
2degrees
6.2
Spark
5.3
Vodafone
5.8
02.557.510
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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4G Coverage Experience
in 0-10 points
2degrees
8.6
Spark
9.4
Vodafone
9.0
02.557.510
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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National Analysis
Regional Analysis

National Analysis

Spark is the new outright winner of the Availability award, after sharing the award with 2degrees in the last report. It wins with a nearly perfect score of 99.2% and a lead of around 0.8 percentage points over 2degrees and Vodafone’s statistically tied scores of 98.2-98.7%. Spark’s victory was driven by a 0.6 percentage point increase in the proportion of time that our users on its network spent with a 3G or better connection since the last report.

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.

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National Analysis

Our Kiwi 5G users did not observe any statistically significant differences in the proportion of time they spent with an active 5G connection. 2degrees, Spark and Vodafone are therefore joint winners of the 5G Availability award with scores of 5.3-6.2%.

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.

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.

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National Analysis

Spark is once again the outright winner of the 4G Coverage Experience award. This is because our Spark users continued to receive a 4G signal in the most locations out of all those visited by users of all operators. Spark wins with a score of 9.4 points on a 10 point scale and a lead of 0.4 points over second placed Vodafone’s nine points.

Spark’s latest victory brings its winning streak in this category to an impressive six consecutive times — in fact no other Kiwi has won the award either solely or jointly since we first started reporting on the mobile network experience in New Zealand, back in April 2020.

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.

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.

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Regional Analysis

Looking at Availability — the average proportion of time that our users spent with either a 3G, 4G, or 5G connection — at the regional level there is no clear winner in five out of five regions. Users reported three-way statistical ties in the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury while 2degrees and Spark share regional awards in Auckland, Waikato and Wellington.

Regional Analysis Summary: New Zealand, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2022

Region
Availability
Auckland
2
S
Bay of Plenty
2
S
V
Canterbury
2
S
V
Waikato
2
S
Wellington
2
S
Mobile Network Experience Report | October 2022 | © Opensignal Limited
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Selected region
  • A-I
    • Auckland
    • Bay of Plenty
    • Canterbury
  • S-Z
    • Waikato
    • Wellington
Availability
in Auckland
% of time
2degrees
98.8
Spark
99.0
Vodafone
98.1
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Availability
in Bay of Plenty
% of time
2degrees
99.1
Spark
99.1
Vodafone
98.6
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Availability
in Canterbury
% of time
2degrees
98.8
Spark
99.2
Vodafone
98.4
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Availability
in Waikato
% of time
2degrees
98.2
Spark
99.0
Vodafone
96.7
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Availability
in Wellington
% of time
2degrees
99.0
Spark
99.3
Vodafone
98.2
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Excellent Consistent Quality
Core Consistent Quality
Excellent Consistent Quality
% of tests
2degrees
76.8
Spark
75.5
Vodafone
75.0
020406080
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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Core Consistent Quality
% of tests
2degrees
89.2
Spark
85.0
Vodafone
85.2
022.54567.590
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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National Analysis

2degrees has successfully defended its hold on the Excellent Consistent Quality award. It wins this time with a score of 76.8% and a lead of around 1.6 percentage points, given Spark and Vodafone’s statistically tied scores of 75-75.5%. Opensignal’s measures of consistent quality quantify how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. Excellent Consistent Quality analyzes the percentage of users' tests that met the minimum recommended thresholds for watching HD video, completing group video conference calls and playing games.

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.

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National Analysis

Our 2degrees users continued to report the greatest percentage of tests that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for lower performance applications including SD video, voice calls and web browsing. 2degrees retains the Core Consistent Quality award with a score of 89.2% and a lead of around 4.1 points given Spark and Vodafone’s statistically tied scores of 85-85.2%.

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.

Learn more

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 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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