Croatia
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.
Croatia
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
HT pulls ahead of its competitors for 5G Download Speed
In the previous report, all three Croatian operators were joint winners for 5G Download Speed. However, while A1’s and Telemach’s scores remain statistically unchanged, HT breaks out of the statistical tie due to a stunning boost of 47Mbps (18.9%) and takes home the 5G Download Speed award. Our HT users enjoy average 5G download speeds clocking in at nearly 300Mbps — around 98.8Mbps faster than what our users on statistically tied A1 and Telemach experience.
Telemach seizes both consistency awards outright
Telemach snatches Excellent Consistent Quality away from the previous sole winner A1 and claims it outright, with a score of 85.2%, due to an increase of six percentage points. The operator also breaks out of a statistical tie it was in with A1 for Core Consistent Quality, and wins the award outright with a score of 93.1%, due to a 2.4-percentage point rise in its score.
HT takes the top spot for 5G Upload Speed
On top of 5G Download Speed, HT wins the other 5G speed award outright — 5G Upload Speed, with a score of 41.9Mbps. HT breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with Telemach for the award, thanks to a remarkable increase of 11.2Mbps — more than a third faster than in the previous report — and as a result, commands an impressive lead over second-placed Telemach of nearly 10Mbps.
Telemach claims 5G Availability all to itself
Our 5G users on Telemach’s network spend 30.5% of their time with an active 5G connection. This is the best result in Croatia, ensuring Telemach’s outright win for 5G Availability. Our Telemach users spend nearly twice as much time connected to 5G networks as their HT peers — and more than three times as much time as those on A1’s network.
Our users in Croatia see the fastest overall speeds on HT’s and Telemach’s networks
Once again, HT and Telemach share the winners’ podium for both overall speed awards — Download Speed Experience and Upload Speed Experience. Both operators jointly win Download Speed with scores in the 62.5-65.1Mbps range, while A1 brings up the rear, with a score of 44.7Mbps. Users on both HT and Telemach enjoy 8.8Mbps and 10.4Mbps faster average download speeds, compared to the previous report, while A1’s score remains statistically unchanged. HT and Telemach also jointly win Upload Speed Experience, with scores of 14.8-15.4Mbps — all operators observe increases in their scores, ranging from 2.2Mbps for HT to 2.7Mbps for A1.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
We observe several changes in the awards table in the latest Croatia Mobile Network Experience report. For the first time in Opensignal’s mobile network experience reports, Telemach wins both consistency awards — Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality — outright, while also claiming 5G Availability all to itself. HT pulls ahead of its competitors for both 5G speed awards and is now the sole winner of 5G Download Speed and 5G Upload Speed.
Overall, HT and Telemach win 11 out of 14 available awards each — including their two and three outright wins, respectively. Meanwhile, A1 ends with six awards, down from one outright win and eight joint wins seen in the previous report.
The Croatian Postal & Electronic Communications Agency (HAKOM) has finalized the renewal spectrum auction, raising a total of €339 million ($372 million) — more than twice the reserve price of €155 million ($170 million). A1, HT, and Telemach all won 15-year-long licenses (with an option to extend for a further five years) in the 800MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz, and 2.6GHz bands.
This secures the continuity of mobile networks’ operations, as the existing concessions in these bands are to expire in 2024. The winners must deliver mobile services to 99.4% of Croatia’s population by the end of 2029, with a minimum receiving signal level of -110dBm. HAKOM re-auctioned spectrum in the 3.5GHz band, which went unsold during the 2021 auction, at a regional level to facilitate opportunities for regional operators — with Digicom and Markoja ending as licence winners.
Our results in this report are based on measurements collected across all major mobile operators in Croatia – A1, HT, and Telemach – over the period of 90 days between December 1, 2022 and February 28, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
All Croatian operators remain joint winners for Video Experience with scores in the 68.5-70.6 points range. They all rate as Very Good (68-78), which means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users’ real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
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
HT jumps on the winners’ podium for Games Experience and shares the award with the previous joint winners A1 and Telemach, with scores in the 73.9-75.5 points range. HT’s score has improved by 5.1 points, while A1 and Telemach’s results are statistically unchanged from the previous report.
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 the last report, Telemach was the sole winner of Voice App Experience. This time however, the operator has to share the recognition with both of its competitors — A1 and HT. All three operators jointly win the award with scores of 79.1-80.3 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
HT and Telemach remain joint winners of Download Speed Experience, with scores in the 62.5-65.1Mbps range. Users on both HT and Telemach enjoy 8.8Mbps and 10.4Mbps faster average download speeds, compared to the previous report. Meanwhile, A1’s scores remains statistically unchanged and it brings ups the rear with a score of 44.7Mbps — which means that the gap between A1 and the joint winners increased from 11.1Mbps to 19Mbps, on average.
Our 5G users in Croatia see the fastest average overall download speeds on HT and Telemach’s networks, as the operators statistically tie with scores of 101-108Mbps — way ahead of A1’s score of 63.4Mbps. Compared to the overall experience of all our users, Telemach 5G users see the highest uplift in the market, of 72.9% — ahead of their HT (55.2%) and A1 peers (41.6%).
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
HT and Telemach retain the shared award for Upload Speed Experience. with scores of 14.8-15.4Mbps, while A1 comes third, with a score of 12Mbps. All operators in Croatia observe substantial increases in their Upload Speed Experience scores, ranging from 2.2Mbps (17.9%) for HT through 2.6Mbps for Telemach (20.4%) to 2.7Mbps (28,8%) for A1.
Turning to Upload Speed Experience — 5G Users, our 5G users in Croatia have the fastest average overall download speeds on HT and Telemach’s networks, with statistically tied scores in the 18-20Mbps range, Our 5G users on these networks observe uplifts of 22.1% and 29.6%, respectively, compared to the overall experience of all our users — meanwhile, there is no statistically significant difference for A1.
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
We observe a three-way statistical tie for 5G Video Experience, as HT climbs on the winners’ podium along with the previous joint winners A1 and Telemach. With scores in the 74.1-76.3 points range. All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category, which means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. Compared to operators’ overall Video Experience results, their 5G Video Experience scores are higher— ranging from 5.5 and 5.6 points for Telemach and A1, respectively, to 6.8 points for HT.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users’ real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
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
A1 and HT remain locked in a statistical tie for 5G Games Experience, with scores of 84.9-86.7 points, while Telemach takes third place, with a score of 79.6 points. Compared to the previous report, all operators’ scores increased significantly — from 7.3 points for A1, through 7.8 points for HT and 8.3 points for Telemach.
A1 sees the highest improvement in its 5G Games Experience score, against its overall Games Experience score — 11.2 points, followed by HT’s 10.9 points. Compared to them, Telemach observes a more modest increase of 4.6 points.
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
A three-way statistical tie for 5G Voice App Experience persists, as all three operators are joint winners with scores in the 82.2-83 points range. A1, HT, and Telemach place in the Good (80-87) category, which means many users are satisfied. but some experience minor quality impairments were experienced by some users. Sometimes the background is not quite clear, it could have been either hazy or not loud enough.
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 previous report, we observed a three-way statistical tie for the 5G Download Speed award. This time around, HT breaks out of the statistical tie due to a stunning boost of 47Mbps (18.9%) and takes home 5G Download Speed. Meanwhile, A1’s and Telemach’s scores remain statistically unchanged. Our HT users enjoy average 5G download speeds clocking in at nearly 300Mbps — around 98.8Mbps faster than what our users on statistically tied A1 and Telemach experience.
HT achieves the highest 5G Download Speed to Download Speed Experience uplift, of 4.5 times — followed by A1’s 4.1 times and Telemach’s 3.4 times.
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
HT triumphs in 5G Upload Speed, with a score of 41.9Mbps, after breaking out of a statistical tie it was in with Telemach in the previous report. HT users enjoy an impressive increase of 11.2Mbps in their average 5G upload speeds — more than a third faster than in the previous report. HT wins the award with a substantial winning margin over runner-up Telemach of nearly 10Mbps, while A1 comes last with a score of 26Mbps. A1 and Telemach see no statistically significant changes in their scores compared to the previous report.
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
A1
HT
Telemach
National Analysis
A1 slips off the winners’ podium for Availability, leaving HT and Telemach as joint winners with statistically tied scores of 97.4-98.4%. These scores reflect the percentage of time our Croatian users connect to 3G or better services.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
National Analysis
Our 5G users on Telemach’s network spend 30.5% of their time with an active 5G connection — which gives Telemach an outright win for 5G Availability. Our Telemach users spend nearly twice as much time connected to 5G networks as their HT peers (15.4%) — and more than three times as much time as those on A1’s network (10%).
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.
Consistency
National Analysis
Telemach pulls ahead of the previous sole winner A1 for Excellent Consistent Quality, and seizes the award with a score of 85.2%. Telemach achieves this feat thanks to an increase of six percentage points in its score, while A1 and HT scores improve to a lower degree — by 0.9 and 1.7 percentage points, 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.
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
In the previous report, A1 and Telemach were joint winners for Core Consistent Quality. However, this time around Telemach breaks out of the statistical tie and celebrates the outright win with a score of 93.1%. Telemach sees a rise of 2.4 percentage points in its score, while A1’s result dips by 0.6 percentage points. HT comes third with a score of 88.9%, but it improves its score by 1.2 percentage points.
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