Sweden
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.
Sweden
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
Our 3 users gained over 100 Mbps in 5G Download Speed, joining Tele2 and Telenor on the winners' podium
Since the previous report Opensignal's users connected to 3's network enjoyed a 118 Mbps (47.5%) increase in 5G Download Speed. This rocketed 3 from last to joint first — statistically tying with Tele2 and Telenor — the three operators have scores of 366.2-407.7 Mbps. 3 also claims a joint win for overall Download Speed Experience, sharing the award with the previous sole winner Telia. When comparing these overall download speeds to the 5G speeds all operators see a large difference — 5G Download Speed scores were 4.1-10.2 times faster than overall download speeds.
3 leads in Core Consistent Quality but ties with Telia in Excellent Consistent Quality
3 moves onto the winners' podium for Core Consistent Quality, with a score of 95.3%, taking the award from Tele2. Telia and Telenor follow closely in joint second place, with identical scores of 93.9%. Excellent Consistent Quality ranking stays the same with 3 and Telia sharing the top spot — the operators have scores of 88.2-88.4%, about 2.6 percentage points over nearest competitor Telenor's 85.6%. These scores represent the percentage of users' tests that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds, with Excellent Consistent Quality testing more demanding use cases, such as HD video and gaming.
Telia comes top in three out of four speed awards
While the speed metrics are hotly contested, Telia is the only operator to enjoy an outright win, for Upload Speed Experience. The average upload speeds seen by our Telia users were 13.8 Mbps — 1.5 Mbps ahead of second-placed 3 (12.3 Mbps). Telenor and Tele2 statistically tie for third place with scores of 11.2-11.4 Mbps. All four operators exceeded 30 Mbps for 5G Upload Speed, with Tele2 and Telia sharing the winners' podium. The pair scored 38.2-43 Mbps — about 7.4 Mbps higher than third-placed 3 and Telenor — which statistically tied with 33-33.5 Mbps. All four operators’ 5G Upload Speed scores were much improved when compared with those for overall Upload Speed Experience, with Tele2 seeing the largest relative uplift of 3.4 times.
3 comes first in all three coverage awards, sharing two with Telia
3 wins the Availability award outright — its score of 99.5% means that our users on 3's network had a 3G or better connection 99.5% of the time. There is only a 0.4-0.8 percentage point difference between 3 and the runners up, Tele2 and Telenor, which were in a statistical tie for second place with scores of 98.7-99.1%. 3 shares first place for both 5G coverage metrics with Telia. 3 and Telia scored 7.2-7.7% for 5G Availability, around four percentage points over Tele2 and Telenor, which were statistically tied for third place with 3.4-3.6%. 3 and Telia also statistically tie for 5G Reach.
All four operators feature on the awards table, indicating fierce competition
Out of the 15 awards given, there are only three where first place is not shared by two or more operators — this is down from five outright wins in the previous report. 3 manages to scoop up two outright wins, on top of its 10 shared victories — Telia claims the third sole win, tying with 3 for total number of first place finishes, at 12. Tele2 and Telenor did not enjoy any outright wins, but secure seven and six joint wins respectively.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Opensignal's latest analysis of Sweden's Mobile Network Experience shows a highly competitive market. As with the previous report, there are many awards with joint winners — only three awards with outright first places. Where the last report added both consistency awards, in this report we add 5G reach, which measures the proportion of locations where our users observed 5G out of all the places they visited.
Like many of the awards themselves, the crown for most awards is shared, with 3 and Telia both taking home 12 awards each. 3 outright wins both Availability and Core Consistent Quality, sharing 10 other first places. Telia retains a sole win in Upload Speed Experience, sharing another 11 wins. Tele2 and Telenor have no outright wins this time, but jointly win seven and six awards respectively.
The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (Post & Telestyrelsen, PTS) will be extending the validity of 2.6 GHz licenses up to 31 December 2025. This will allow the 900 MHz, 2.1GHz, and 2.6 GHz band licenses to be auctioned off at the same time — PTS plans to hold this in the third quarter of 2023. In addition, PTS is looking to expand mobile coverage obligations . The regulator wants to ensure the availability of mobile broadband services on rural roads and rail lines.
While PTS has stated that it expects Sweden to miss its fixed broadband goal — a minimum 100 Mbps connection available to 99.9% of the population by the end of 2025 — thanks to mobile and satellite broadband, Sweden is on track to meet its target of minimum 30 Mbps speeds to 100% of the population.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the four main mobile network operators in Sweden — 3, Tele2, Telenor and Telia — over a period of 90 days starting on August 1, 2022 and ending on October 29, 2022, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Our users on 3 and Telia reported the best available Video Experience in Sweden with no statistical difference in scores — 3 was previously the sole winner of this award. As a result, both the operators share the Video Experience award with top scores in the 63.6-66.3 points 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.
National Analysis
All four operators share the Games Experience award. Our users saw no statistical difference in the experience when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections on the four networks. Sweden's operators scored in the 71.9-74.1 point range on a 100-point scale and all placed at the top end of the Fair (75-85) category for Games Experience.
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
In an incredibly close contest, three of the four operators came joint first for Voice App Experience — Tele2, Telenor and Telia statistically tied with scores of 80-80.8 points. This means that our users on these three networks had a Good (80-87) Voice App Experience, with 3 users having an Acceptable (74-80) experience, scoring 79.2 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
3 has managed to catch up to previous winner Telia, forcing a statistical tie. Both operators are winners of the Download Speed Experience award with scores ranging from 55.6-58.5 Mbps. Tele2 and Telenor tie for third place with scores ranging from 39.8-42.1 Mbps, roughly 16 Mbps lower than first place. All four operators saw improvement from the previous report, with users on 3 seeing the largest increase, 5.9 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
Telia remains the outright winner of the Upload Speed Experience award due to its score of 13.8 Mbps — 1.5 Mbps (12.2%) higher than the score of second-placed 3 (12.3 Mbps). Our Telenor and Tele2 users reported statistically tied average upload speeds of 11.2-11.4 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).
5G Experience
National Analysis
Users on all four operators did not observe any statistically significant differences in their experience when streaming mobile video over 5G connections. 3, Tele2, Telenor and Telia are joint winners of the 5G Video Experience award with tied scores of 81-83.4 points on a 100-point scale. Regardless of their choice in operator, users' video experience rated as Excellent (75 or above) when connected to 5G, with fast loading times and almost non-existent stalling across all users, video streaming providers and resolutions tested.
This is a marked improvement when compared to the score when measured across all generations of technology. All operators saw a large boost in scores between overall and 5G Video Experience scores — at least 24.9%, with Tele2 users seeing a 39.7% increase — from 59.7 points for overall Video Experience to 83.4 points for 5G 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
For 5G Gaming Experience, all operators statistically tied for the award. The operators' scores were in the 76.9-82.4 points range on a 100-point scale, so they all placed in the Good (75-85) category. This means that most users found the experience acceptable, felt they received immediate feedback for actions and did not experience delay.Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
Our Swedish users had a statistically similar experience when using over-the-top voice applications while connected to 5G on 3, Tele2, Telenor and Telia, — they all share the winners' podium for the 5G Voice App Experience award. All four operators placed in the Good (80-87) category for 5G Voice App Experience, having scored in the 81.1-83.1 point range.
Definitions
5G Voice App Experience quantifies the experience of Opensignal users when using over-the-top voice apps — such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — on an operator’s 5G network. It uses a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. 5G Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
National Analysis
3 has joined Tele2 and Telenor to make three joint winners of the 5G Download Speed award — users on these three operators' networks enjoyed average speeds above 360 Mbps, with statistically tied scores of 366.2-407.7 Mbps. Telia has significant room for improvement, scoring 242.4 Mbps.
Telenor users saw the greatest improvement between Download Speed Experience and 5G Download Speed — users' average download speeds were 10.2 times faster on 5G than overall. At the lower end, the uplift in 5G Download Speed from Download Speed Experience was 4.1 times for Telia, showcasing the improvement that 5G brings.
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
Tele2 and Telia share the 5G Upload Speed award, as our users observed as our users observed a statistically similar experience on their network — 38.2-43 Mbps. 3 and Telenor follow in joint third place, as our users on those networks experienced average 5G upload speeds in the 33-33.5 Mbps range.
Comparing 5G Upload Speed against Upload Speed Experience, Tele2 saw the highest uplift in speeds. Our users on this network saw average 5G upload speeds 3.4 times faster than what our overall measurements showed for this operator. Telia users reached 3.1 times uplift, while Telenor and 3 users saw increases of 2.9 and 2.7 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).
Coverage
3
Tele2
Telenor
Telia
National Analysis
Looking at the proportion of time that our users spent connected to a 3G or better signal, our 3 users come top, scoring 99.5% — spending only 0.5% of the time with either no signal or on 2G. Tele2 and Telenor followed closely, just 0.4-0.8 percentage points behind the winner. Our users connected to 3G, 4G or 5G services at least 97% of the time across all four operators in Sweden.
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
The 5G Availability award represents the proportion of time that users spent on average with an active 5G connection. 3 and Telia both receive this award with scores in the 7.2-7.7% range. Tele2 and Telenor statistically tie for third place.
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
Similar to 5G Availability — 3 and Telia are joint winners for 5G Reach. The two operators' scores were statistically tied in the 2-2.8 point range on a 10-point scale — the pair are statistically tied due to overlapping confidence intervals. Although 3 and Tele2 had the same score, as Tele2’s confidence intervals did not overlap with Telia’s — while Tele2’s and Telenor’s scores were statistically tied — Tele2 is in joint third place with Telenor. 5G Reach measures the average proportion of locations where users were connected to a 5G network out of all the locations those users have visited.
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.
Consistency
National Analysis
3 shares the Excellent Consistent Quality award with Telia — with statistically tied scores of 88.2-88.4%. Telenor follows in third place with a score of 85.6% and Tele2 is in last place with 80%.
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
3 wins the Core Consistent Quality award outright with a score of 95.3% — 1.4 percentage points ahead of Telenor and Telia who share second place with a score of 93.9%. Tele2 places fourth with 91.8%
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.
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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