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Ireland

Mobile Network Experience Report
April 2023

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, Principal Analyst Data Collection Period: Nov 01, 2022 - Jan 29, 2023

Ireland

Mobile Network Experience Report
April 2023

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, Principal Analyst

Data Collection Period: Nov 01, 2022 - Jan 29, 2023

Key Findings

Users on 3’s network see the fastest average 5G download speeds

3 is the outright winner of the 5G Download Speed award for the second report in a row. It wins this time with a score of 222.5Mbps — 48.1Mbps (27.6%) faster than second-placed eir’s 174.4Mbps. Vodafone follows at a distance with a score of 78.9Mbps.

Eir wins 5G Availability and 5G Reach outright

Our Irish 5G users continue to spend the largest proportion of their time with an active 5G connection on eir’s network — 14.5%. This, coupled with 3’s and Vodafone’s statistically tied scores of 7.4-9.6%, means that eir wins the 5G Availability award by around 5.9 percentage points. In addition, our eir users connect to 5G in the most locations out of all they visited — meaning that eir is the sole winner of the 5G Reach award. It comes top with a score of 4.9 points on a 10-point scale, well ahead of 3’s and Vodafone’s identical scores of 3.1 points.

Eir draws level with 3 on Download Speed Experience

Last time around, our users on 3’s network observed the fastest average download speeds in Ireland. Now, due to a 3.8Mbps (13.2%) increase in the speeds seen by eir users, eir is a joint winner of the Download Speed Experience award alongside 3. The two operators have statistically tied scores of 31.9-32.4Mbps, while Vodafone brings up the rear with 20.9Mbps.

Our Irish users’ average 5G download speeds are up to seven times faster than their overall speeds

The uplift in experience our users observe when connected to 5G is impressive. 3’s 5G Download Speed score is seven times higher than that for Download Speed Experience, compared to uplifts of 5.4 and 3.8 times for eir and Vodafone, respectively. The uplift that our users observe for upload speeds is smaller, but still significant — with their average 5G upload speeds being 2-2.2 times faster than their overall upload speeds, depending on their choice of operator.

3 and eir users have the most consistent experience in Ireland

3 and eir are joint winners of both consistency awards — Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality. This is because the statistical tie they were in from the previous report for Core Consistent Quality remains in place. In addition, eir has drawn level for Excellent Consistent Quality with 3; in the previous report 3 was the outright winner. Excellent Consistent Quality measures the percentage of users’ tests that meet the minimum recommended performance thresholds to watch HD video, complete group video conference calls and play games. Core Consistent Quality uses a similar approach but with thresholds for less demanding common applications such as SD video, voice calls and web browsing.

Mobile Experience Awards

April 2023, Ireland Report
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Market Overview

Once again the awards table reveals many tightly fought contests which end in statistical ties between two or more operators. However, eir narrowly has the edge as it collects 13 awards — either as a winner or joint winner, including two outright wins (for 5G Availability and 5G Reach). 3 is just behind with 12 victories to its name, including an outright win for 5G Download Speed. Vodafone keeps the six joint wins it had in the last report — for Video Experience, Games Experience, Voice App Experience, 5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience and Availability.

Since the last report, the Irish telecom regulator, ComReg, has announced the results of its Multi Band Spectrum Award process. Altogether, Ireland’s three national operators, along with fixed wireless access provider Imagine, spent €448.3 million ($477 million) to obtain the rights to use additional spectrum in the 700MHz, 2.1GHz, 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz bands. In addition, the legal logjam surrounding the spectrum auction — which occurred due to 3’s legal action, given its concerns that the auction’s structure would put it at a disadvantage — has ended and the winning bidders received licenses that came into effect on 20 January 2023. According to ComReg, the auction has increased the amount of spectrum allocated to mobile and fixed wireless services by 46%. This will help operators reduce congestion on their networks and should lead to faster speeds for users.

In this report, we've analyzed data gathered in the 90-day period starting on November 1, 2022, and ending on January 29, 2023, to see how Ireland’s three national operators — 3, eir and Vodafone — stack up. The overall metrics include measurements from our 5G users. For the 5G awards, we have also analyzed the experience of our users when using 5G technology. We have also examined the overall experience of our 5G users across all generations of network technology — weighted by the proportion of time that they spent on each of them — these are included in the 5G Users submetrics.

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
3
61.6
eir
62.3
Vodafone
60.8
016.53349.566
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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Video Experience – 5G Users
in 0-100 points
3
63.0
eir
63.4
Vodafone
61.8
017.53552.570
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
All Users
5G Users
Games Experience
in 0-100 points
3
69.0
eir
72.2
Vodafone
70.3
019385776
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
Games Experience – 5G Users
in 0-100 points
3
71.0
eir
73.6
Vodafone
71.2
020406080
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
3
77.9
eir
78.0
Vodafone
77.2
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
3
78.5
eir
79.4
Vodafone
77.5
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
3
31.9
eir
32.4
Vodafone
20.9
09182736
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
Download Speed Experience – 5G Users
in Mbps
3
52.4
eir
46.8
Vodafone
24.6
014284256
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
All Users
5G Users
Upload Speed Experience
in Mbps
3
9.9
eir
10.0
Vodafone
7.9
0481216
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users
in Mbps
3
10.8
eir
9.3
Vodafone
8.3
0481216
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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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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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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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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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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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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5G Video Experience
5G Games Experience
5G Voice App Experience
5G Download Speed
5G Upload Speed
5G Video Experience
in 0-100 points
3
76.5
eir
76.4
Vodafone
71.5
020406080
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
5G Games Experience
in 0-100 points
3
78.7
eir
82.3
Vodafone
80.1
021.54364.586
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
5G Voice App Experience
in 0-100 points
3
80.6
eir
81.6
Vodafone
80.2
021.54364.586
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
5G Download Speed
in Mbps
3
222.5
eir
174.4
Vodafone
78.9
059118177236
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
5G Upload Speed
in Mbps
3
22.1
eir
19.9
Vodafone
17.7
06.51319.526
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image

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.

Learn more

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

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.

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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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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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3

eir

Vodafone

Availability
5G Availability
5G Reach
Availability
% of time
3
98.4
eir
97.4
Vodafone
98.1
0255075100
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Availability
% of time
3
9.6
eir
14.5
Vodafone
7.4
05101520
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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5G Reach
in 0-10 points
3
3.1
eir
4.9
Vodafone
3.1
01.534.56
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
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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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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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Definitions

5G Reach measures how users experience the geographical extent of an operator’s 5G network. It analyzes the average proportion of locations where users were connected to a 5G network out of all the locations those users have visited. In simple terms, 5G Reach measures the 5G mobile experience in all the locations that matter most to everyday users – i.e. all the places where they live, work and travel. 5G Reach for each operator is measured on a scale from 0 to 10.

Map Definition

The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.

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Excellent Consistent Quality
Core Consistent Quality
Excellent Consistent Quality
% of tests
3
74.3
eir
74.2
Vodafone
70.9
019385776
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image
Core Consistent Quality
% of tests
3
88.3
eir
87.8
Vodafone
86.6
022.54567.590
The brackets represent confidence intervals.
Read why confidence intervals are important.
Download Image

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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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 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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