United Kingdom
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.
United Kingdom
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
EE wins all five overall experience awards
EE has replaced Vodafone as the outright winner of the Voice App Experience award and EE continues to win the other overall experience awards either outright (Video Experience, Download Speed Experience and Upload Speed Experience) or jointly (Games Experience, alongside Vodafone). Opensignal’s overall experience awards recognize operators for the average experience of our users across all generations of mobile technology.
Our 3 users see 5G download speeds that are at least 1.9 times faster than those seen by users on other operators
3 continues to leave the competition in the dust when it comes to the average download speeds that our 5G users see when connected to 5G and again its victory margin has increased. This time 3 wins the 5G Download Speed award with a score of 237.7Mbps, 115.4Mbps or 1.9 times faster than second-placed EE’s score of 122.3Mbps. This is up from the lead of 97.9Mbps that 3 commanded in the previous report. Our 3 5G users were the only ones to observe an improvement in their 5G download speeds — a rise of 9.3Mbps — compared to declines of 4.7-17.3Mbps for 3’s rivals.
EE 5G users have the best experience when playing multiplayer games or using over-the-top voice apps over 5G
In contrast to the last report when EE and O2 were joint winners of the 5G Games Experience and 5G Voice App Experience awards, EE now wins both outright. EE comes top for 5G Games Experience with a score of 76.2 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around five points over 3 and Vodafone which statistically tie for second place, while former joint winner O2 is in last place with 67.5 points. EE leads 5G Voice App Experience with a score of 79.7 points and by a margin of 0.8 points over second-placed 3.
Overall download speeds rise across the board
While EE remains the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award, our users saw significantly improved overall download speeds compared to the previous report, regardless of their choice of operator. Speeds rose by 2.5-4.7Mbps (6.6-22.3%). While both our 3 and Vodafone users saw increases of 4.7Mbps, Vodafone users saw the largest increase in percentage terms — 22.3% versus 3’s 15.3%. As EE’s score rose by a smaller 2.9Mbps, its margin of victory for the Download Speed Experience award has fallen from 14Mbps to 12.2Mbps.
Our EE users continue to have the most consistent experience
EE remains the outright winner of the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards. EE comes top for Excellent Consistent Quality with a score of 79.9% and a lead of 9.4 percentage points over second-placed O2. For Core Consistent Quality, EE wins with 90.4% and a lead of 3.1 percentage points over O2. EE is the only U.K. operator to win either award in an Opensignal mobile network experience report, since their addition back in the April 2022 report.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
While in the last report, EE’s haul of awards shrunk, this time the operator is resurgent. Now there are only two awards out of 15 that it does not either win outright or jointly. EE wins four out of five overall experience awards outright and continues to share the Games Experience award with Vodafone. Last time around, Vodafone won the Voice App Experience award but EE has reclaimed it. Our EE users have the best 5G Games Experience and 5G Voice App Experience — a change from the previous report, when EE shared the top spot with O2 in both categories. However, EE now shares the 5G Upload Speed award with 3, having won it outright last time.
3 has the next largest clutch with six awards, including two outright wins — 5G Download Speed and Availability. It is the sole winner of both these two awards since the April 2022 report, when we first added Availability to U.K. mobile network experience reports. However, 3 has gone from being the outright winner of the 5G Reach award to sharing it with all three of its rivals.
Vodafone does not win any awards outright but is a joint winner for Games Experience, 5G Availability and 5G Reach. O2’s sole win this time around is a joint one for 5G Reach as it is part of a four-way statistical tie.
In March 2023, Vodafone announced that Basingstoke and Plymouth are the first locations where it has switched off its 3G network. The operator is working to fully shut down its 3G network over the course of 2023. In May 2022, 3 announced plans to shut its 3G network down by the end of 2024. 3G network shutdowns allow operators to increase the amount of spectrum used by 4G and 5G services, which should improve the mobile experience.
In a move that could lead to much faster 5G download speeds in parts of the U.K., Ofcom has announced that it will make more than 6GHz of mmWave spectrum available across the 26GHz and 40GHz bands for mobile technology. The regulator intends to allocate this spectrum by awarding city/townwide licences by auction and by offering local licences on a first come, first served basis using its Shared Access licensing framework. It has launched a consultation on its proposals for the design of the auction for citywide licences, the licence conditions for citywide and local mmWave licences, and how it will coordinate users of this spectrum. This will run until May 22, 2023.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the four main mobile network operators in the U.K.: 3, EE, O2 and Vodafone, over a period of 90 days starting on December 1, 2022 and ending on February 28, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Our EE users continue to have the best experience in the U.K. when streaming mobile video. EE wins the Video Experience award again, this time with a score of 66.3 points on a 100-point scale, giving a lead of two points over second-placed Vodafone. 3 and O2 are in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 61.5 points and 59.5 points. However, all four operators place in the Good (58-68) category. This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p 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
EE and Vodafone remain locked in a two-way statistical tie, and as a result they continue to share the Games Experience award. The two operators win with scores of 68.1-69.2 points on a 100-point scale, giving them a lead of around 9.4 points over third-placed O2’s 59.2 points. 3 brings up the rear with 57.5 points. As was the case in the previous report, EE and Vodafone’s scores place them in the Fair (65-75) category, while 3 and O2 still rate as Poor (40-65) in terms of the overall experience of our users when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections.
A Fair rating indicates that the users consider their experience to be ‘average’. In most cases the game is responsive to the actions of the player with most users reporting that they feel like they have control over the game. The majority of players notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game
.Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
A 3.6 point drop in Vodafone’s score since the last report, together with a 0.7 point rise in EE’s, means that EE has replaced Vodafone as the outright winner of the Voice App Experience award. EE wins with a score of 78 points and by a margin of around 2.2 points over 3 and O2 which statistically tie for second place with scores of 75.6-75.8 points.
All four operators continue to place in the Acceptable (74-80) category for Voice App Experience. This means that some users are satisfied. Perceptible call quality impairments are experienced by some users. Clicking sounds of short duration or distortion are heard, and/or the volume may not be sufficiently loud. However, listeners are 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
In every U.K. mobile network experience report, EE has placed top for the average overall download speeds seen by our users and this report is no exception. EE wins with a score of 47.7Mbps — 12.2Mbps ahead of second-placed 3’s 35.4Mbps. However, EE’s margin of victory is down from the 14Mbps it enjoyed in the last report. This is because 3’s score has risen by 4.7Mbps (15.3%), while EE’s increased by 2.9Mbps (6.6%). Our Vodafone and O2 users also saw significant improvements in their average overall download speeds — with increases of 4.7Mbps (22.3%) and 2.5Mbps (14.8%), respectively.
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
EE continues its unbroken winning streak for Upload Speed Experience. This time it wins with a score of 9.8Mbps, 1.6Mbps ahead of Vodafone’s 8.2 Mbps — down from the lead of 2Mbps seen in the previous report. 3 and O2 are in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 6.2Mbps and 5.1Mbps. As is the case with Download Speed Experience, our users on all four operators have seen their average upload speeds improved compared to those in the last report. Our Vodafone users saw the largest increase in absolute terms — 1.1Mbps, followed by EE (0.8Mbps), 3 (0.6Mbps) and O2 (0.2Mbps).
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).
Regional Analysis
Not surprisingly, given EE’s dominance of the national awards table, it wins the vast majority of regional overall experience awards either outright or jointly. Out of 60 awards for the taking, EE wins 32 outright and shares the victory for a further 26. The only awards that completely elude EE’s grip are for Games Experience in the South West and Wales, which are won outright by Vodafone. EE wins every regional award outright for Download Speed Experience and comes close to doing so for Upload Speed Experience, as it only shares the victor’s laurels with Vodafone in the South West and Wales.
Our EE users in London see the fastest regional overall average download speeds in the U.K. — an impressive 57.4Mbps.
Vodafone jointly wins 11 out of 12 regional awards for Video Experience — the exception being the Eastern region, where EE wins outright. Vodafone has a similarly strong showing for Games Experience, as it wins outright in the South West and Wales and it is a joint winner in eight regions. Vodafone also picks up three joint wins of Voice App Experience in Northern Ireland, the South West and Wales.
3 performs most strongly regionally on Video Experience, being a joint winner in seven regions, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. It is also part of a four-way tie for Games Experience in the North East and a joint winner in three regions for Voice App Experience — the North East, Northern Ireland and the South West.
O2 picks up only five joint wins — in the East Midlands for Video Experience and Voice App Experience, in the North East for Games Experience and Voice App Experience and in Wales for Voice App Experience.
Regional Analysis Summary: United Kingdom, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2023
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A-I
- East Midlands
- Eastern
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J-R
- London
- North East
- North West
- Northern Ireland
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- Scotland
- South East
- South West
- Wales
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire and Humber
in East Midlands
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in North East
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in North East
in North West
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in North West
in Northern Ireland
in Northern Ireland
in Northern Ireland
in Northern Ireland
in Northern Ireland
in Scotland
in Scotland
in Scotland
in Scotland
in Scotland
in South East
in South East
in South East
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in South West
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in Wales
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in West Midlands
in West Midlands
in West Midlands
in West Midlands
in West Midlands
in Yorkshire and Humber
in Yorkshire and Humber
in Yorkshire and Humber
in Yorkshire and Humber
in Yorkshire and Humber
5G Experience
National Analysis
EE and 3 remain locked in a two-way statistical tie for the 5G Video Experience award, this time with scores of 73.2-73.8 points on a 100-point scale. Vodafone and O2 are in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 71.9 points and 70.5 points.
However, all four operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category for the experience of our users when streaming mobile video over 5G connections. This means that they are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. 3, EE, O2 and Vodafone all place one category higher for 5G Video Experience than they do for Video Experience — Good (58-68).
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
EE is the outright winner of the 5G Games Experience after sharing it with O2 in the previous report. EE wins with a score of 76.2 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around five points, given 3 and Vodafone’s statistically tied scores of 70.8-71.6 points. O2 brings up the rear with 67.5 points.
Our EE users have a Good (75-85) 5G Games Experience, while those with other operators have a Fair (65-75) one instead. EE’s Good rating means that most of our users on its 5G network deem their experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and users receive immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
Our EE users have the best experience when using over-the-top voice apps over 5G networks. EE has gone from sharing the 5G Voice App Experience award with O2 in the last report, to winning it outright. It wins with a score of 79.7 points on a 100-point scale, giving it a lead of 0.8 points over second-placed 3’s 78.9 points. O2 has dropped to third place with 78 points, while Vodafone is in last place with 74.3 points.
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 now won the 5G Download Speed for three reports in a row. This time our 3 users observe average 5G download speeds of 237.7Mbps, 115.4Mbps or 1.9 times faster than second-placed EE’s score of 122.3Mbps. This is up from the lead that 3 commanded last time — an already impressive 97.9Mbps. Our 3 5G users were the only ones to observe an improvement in their 5G download speeds — a rise of 9.3Mbps — compared to declines of 4.7-17.3Mbps for 3’s rivals.
In addition to seeing the fastest average 5G download speeds, our 3 users also observe the largest uplift in download speeds when we compare their overall experience against that when connected to 5G — 3’s 5G Download Speed score is an impressive 6.7 times higher than that for Download Speed Experience. Our O2 and Vodafone users see uplifts of 3.9 times while our EE users’ average 5G download speeds are 2.6 times higher than their overall speeds.
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
EE and 3 are joint winners of the 5G Upload Speed award — a change from the previous report, when EE won the award outright. The two operators have statistically tied scores of 16.9-17.3Mbps, while Vodafone and O2 are in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 14.9Mbps and 9.8Mbps, respectively.
3 has caught up with EE due to a 2.2Mbps (14.4%) rise in its score, which outweighs the 1Mbps (6%) improvement in our EE users’ average 5G upload speeds. Vodafone’s score has risen by 1Mbps (7.1%) from the last report, while O2’s score is statistically unchanged.
As is the case with download speeds, our 3 users see the largest uplift in upload speeds when we compare their overall experience against that when connected to 5G — 3’s 5G Upload Speed score is 2.8 times higher than that for Upload Speed Experience. Our O2, Vodafone and EE users see uplifts of 1.9, 1.8 and 1.7 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
EE
O2
Vodafone
National Analysis
3 remains unbeaten on Availability — the percentage of time that our users spend connected to a 3G signal or better. The operator has won every Availability award since we added it to U.K. mobile network experience in the April 2022 report. 3 comes top this time with a score of 99% and a lead of 0.7 percentage points over EE’s 98.3%. O2 and Vodafone follow behind with statistically tied scores of 97-97.3%.
Our users on all four operators have seen improvements in Availability since the last report, ranging from 0.5 to 0.8 percentage points — with our O2 users seeing the largest increase in absolute terms.
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
Three operators now share the winners’ podium for 5G Availability — 3, EE and Vodafone — with statistically tied scores of 9.7-10.6%. O2 is in last place with 8%. This is a change from the last report when 3 and Vodafone were the only winners.
5G Availability is the proportion of time that our 5G users spend with an active 5G connection. This makes it an important measure of the mobile experience as users can only benefit from the enhanced speeds and performance that 5G provides when they are connected to it.
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.
National Analysis
In contrast to the last report when 3 won the 5G Reach award outright, all four national operators now share it with statistically tied scores of 4-4.4 points on a 10-point scale.
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.
Regional Analysis
3, the winner of the national Availability award, either wins outright or jointly across all 12 regions. However, there are only four regions where it wins outright — London, Scotland, the South West, and Yorkshire and Humber.
EE has the second largest presence in the regional Availability awards table, being a joint winner in eight regions, while Vodafone and O2 pick up one and two awards, respectively.
Regional Analysis Summary: United Kingdom, Mobile Network Experience Report, April 2023
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A-I
- East Midlands
- Eastern
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J-R
- London
- North East
- North West
- Northern Ireland
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S-Z
- Scotland
- South East
- South West
- Wales
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire and Humber
in East Midlands
in Eastern
in London
in North East
in North West
in Northern Ireland
in Scotland
in South East
in South West
in Wales
in West Midlands
in Yorkshire and Humber
Consistency
National Analysis
EE is still the only U.K. operator to win the Excellent Consistent Quality award in Opensignal mobile network experience reports. It wins this time with a score of 79.9% and a lead of 9.4 percentage points over second-placed O2. 3 and Vodafone are in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 68.6% and 57.4%.
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
As with Excellent Consistent Quality, EE is still the only U.K. operator to win the Core Consistent Quality award in Opensignal mobile network experience reports. EE comes top this time around with a score of 90.4% and a lead of 3.1 percentage points over second-placed O2. 3 and Vodafone are in third and fourth place, respectively, with scores of 85.4% and 69.9%.
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