Spain
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.
Spain
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
Movistar has the most consistent experience
Movistar wins both the Excellent Consistent and Core Consistent quality awards for the second time in a row in Opensignal mobile network experience reports. This indicates Movistar users saw the greatest proportion of tests that met the minimum thresholds to support both regular and more demanding mobile applications.
Movistar is top for overall mobile speeds in Spain
Movistar users saw the fastest average overall download speeds, clocking in at 35.4 Mbps. In addition, Movistar users also observed the fastest overall upload speeds of 11.2 Mbps, on average. As a result, Movistar remains the outright winner of the Download and Upload Speed Experience awards.
Movistar users enjoy the best overall Video Experience
Movistar leads in Spain for the overall quality of experience while streaming video over mobile networks. Movistar wins the overall Video Experience award with 56.1 points (out of 100), which garnered a Good (55-65) Video Experience rating. In comparison, Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo placed one category lower — in the Fair (40-55) category — with statistically tied scores in the 50-51.9 points range.The typical quality of mobile video streaming experience on 5G networks across Spain ranges from Very Good (65-75) to Excellent (75 or above), two ratings higher than the overall Video Experience for all four operators. Movistar and Orange are joint winners of the 5G Video Experience award with statistically tied scores of 74.9-75.5 points (on a 100 point scale).
Vodafone, Orange and Yoigo lead in terms of Availability
Vodafone, Orange and Yoigo jointly win the Availability award with statistically tied scores of 98.2-98.3%. This means our smartphone users in Spain on these three networks spent the highest proportion of time connected to 3G or better signal mobile broadband services. Meanwhile, Movistar users saw slightly lower Availability of 97.8%.
Spain sees a significant boost in Games Experience with 5G
Our users in Spain enjoyed a Fair (65-75) mobile multiplayer gaming experience over 5G connections — one rating better than the overall Games Experience for all four networks. Movistar, Orange and Vodafone are joint winners of the 5G Games Experience award with 69.3-71.4 points (on a 100 point scale).
Movistar, Orange and Yoigo are closely matched on 5G Availability and 5G Reach
Compared to the last report, our Orange and Yoigo 5G users have seen a significant uplift in the proportion of time spent with an active 5G connection — up around four percentage points, from 8.6-8.7% to 12.6-12.7% — while Movistar and Vodafone users reported no statistical change. As a result, Movistar, Orange and Yoigo are now joint winners of the 5G Availability award. Likewise we saw statistically tied scores for these three operators on 5G Reach — ranging between 3.7-4 points (out of 10). These results mean that at most our 5G users experienced 5G in up to two out of five locations they visited and spent under 13% of their time connected to 5G. Opensignal's 5G Reach measures the average proportion of locations where users have connected to a 5G network out of all the locations those users have visited.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Our latest analysis shows that Movistar is the leading operator in Spain when it comes to the overall mobile network experience. Based on Opensignal's awards table, Movistar is top in five out of five overall experience metrics; it wins three awards outright — Video Experience, Download and Upload Speed Experience, while also jointly winning a further two (Games and Voice App Experience), alongside Vodafone. Movistar is also the outright winner of both the awards for consistent quality.
However, when we compared Spanish operators based on users' 5G experience only, we found a mobile network experience landscape characterized by extreme competition. For example, in the Spain: 5G Experience Report August 2022, out of seven awards for the taking, Vodafone was the only operator to win any 5G awards outright (5G Download Speed and 5G Availability). However, this time, not one 5G award has been won outright by any of the operators.
In this report, we've analyzed our data gathered in the 90 day period beginning on September 1 and ending on November 29, 2022, to see how Spain's four national operators — Movistar, Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo — fared nationally.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Movistar wins Video Experience outright with a score of 56.1 points — a lead of 4.2-6.1 points over other operators. As a result, Movistar was the only operator that placed in the Good (55-65) category, while Vodafone, Orange and Yoigo rated as Fair (40-55).
A Good Video Experience indicates an acceptable but inconsistent experience, even from the same video streaming provider, particularly for higher resolutions, with noticeably slow loading times and stalling not 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
Movistar and Vodafone remain the joint winners of the Games Experience award, this time with statistically tied scores of 62.8-63.2 points (on a 100 point scale). Orange and Yoigo follow with their scores of 58.7-60 points. Lower scores mean users' experience becomes less enjoyable, marred with increased delays and lack of controllability in gameplay.
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
Like Games Experience, Movistar and Vodafone are also joint winners of the Voice App Experience award with statistically tied scores of 77.7-77.8 points. Orange and Yoigo follow closely with 76.2-76.3 points. With these scores, all four operators earned an Acceptable (74-80) rating. This means that some users were satisfied. Perceptible call quality impairments were experienced by some users. Clicking sounds of short duration or distortion were heard, and/or the volume may not have been sufficiently loud. Listeners were generally able to comprehend without repetition.
Definitions
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
- 5G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Voice App Experience – 5G Users: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G voice app experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Our Spanish users have once again observed the top average download speeds on Movistar's network. This time, the operator wins Opensignal's Download Speed Experience award with a score of 35.4 Mbps — 2.7 Mbps greater than its closest rival, Orange. However, our Yoigo users saw the most significant improvement of 12.3% since the last report — up from 25.3 Mbps to 28.4 Mbps. Our users on Vodafone also reported an increase of 4.5%. By contrast, Movistar and Orange users saw no statistically significant changes since the last time.
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
Once again, the Upload Speed Experience award goes to Movistar, this time with a score of 11.2 Mbps — 1.3 Mbps ahead of Vodafone. Orange and Yoigo follow behind with 9.1 Mbps and 8.5 Mbps, respectively.
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
Movistar and Orange are the joint winners of the 5G Video Experience award, as both operators are statistically tied with scores bordering the 75 point mark — around 7.1 and 3.6 points ahead of Vodafone and Yoigo, respectively. These scores show that the typical quality of mobile video streaming experience on 5G networks across Spain ranges from Very Good (65-75) to Excellent (75 or above).
An Excellent rating represents a very consistent experience across all users on 5G connections, video streaming providers and resolutions tested, with fast loading times and almost non-existent stalling. As we go down the ratings, loading times get longer and we encounter more stops and stutters in the video stream, making the experience less enjoyable.
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
In the August 2022 5G experience report, Vodafone and Yoigo were joint winners of the 5G Games Experience award. This time, however, three operators were in a statistical tie. Movistar, Orange and Vodafone jointly win the 5G Games Experience award with scores of 69.3-71.4 points on a 100 point scale, while Yoigo is behind with 67.8 points. With these scores, all Spanish operators placed in the Fair (65-75) rating bracket for 5G Games Experience, one rating higher than the overall Games Experience.
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
Users across all four networks did not observe any statistically significant differences in their experience when using over-the-top voice apps over 5G networks, with scores of 79.7-80.9 points. This means Movistar, Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo are joint winners of the 5G Voice App Experience award.
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
In the Spain: 5G Experience Report August 2022, Vodafone won the 5G Download Speed Experience award outright. This time, however, Orange and Yoigo forced a statistical tie with Vodafone, jointly winning with average 5G download speeds of 143.9-155 Mbps. Meanwhile, Movistar is slightly behind with 140.9 Mbps. However, our Movistar users saw the largest improvement of 52.2 Mbps in 5G Download Speed.
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
Movistar and Orange are joint winners of the 5G Upload Speed award, with scores of 23.5-24.8- Mbps. While download speeds typically attract the most attention, upload speeds have become increasingly important to users. For example, sharing photos and videos on social media or large files all benefit from fast upload speeds.
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
National Analysis
There were tiny differences in the time Spanish users spent with a mobile broadband connection on each operator. Vodafone, Orange and Yoigo jointly win the Availability award, with scores of 98.2-98.3%, just slightly ahead of Movistar (97.8%). Meaning our Spanish users spent close to 98% of their time connected to either 3G, 4G, or 5G, regardless of their choice of network.
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.
National Analysis
In the Spain: 5G Experience Report August 2022, Movistar was the outright winner of the 5G Availability award. However, in the current report, this has been replaced by a joint win between Movistar, Orange and Yoigo as all three operators are closely matched with statistically tied scores for first place — ranging between 12.5% to 12.7%. This change was triggered by an impressive 4-4.1 percentage point increase reported by our Orange and Yoigo users since the last report. Meanwhile, our users on Movistar and Vodafone saw insignificant changes. However, Vodafone has much catching up to do, given its 5G Availability score continued to remain below 5%.
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.
National Analysis
Three operators are joint winners of the 5G Reach award — Movistar, Orange and Yoigo — given their statistically tied scores of 3.7-4 points. 5G Reach 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 mobile 5G location experience in all the places that matter most to everyday users —– i.e. where users live, work and travel. 5G Reach for each operator is measured on a scale from 0 to 10.
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.
Consistency
National Analysis
Movistar wins Excellent Consistent Quality outright in Spain for the second time in a row in Opensignal reports. It met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for HD video, group video conference calls and gaming in 83.2% of users' tests. Orange is a runner-up, 9.5 percentage points behind the winner.
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
Movistar retains the Core Consistent Quality award with a score of 93.4%. In second place is Orange with 92% followed by Yoigo and Vodafone with scores below the 90% mark — 89.3% and 86.2%, respectively.
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