Germany
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.
Germany
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
Telekom keeps all four speed awards in a firm grip
Once again, our Telekom users enjoy the fastest mobile speeds in Germany, as the operator wins both overall and 5G awards outright — the same as in the previous report. Telekom also manages to increase its winning margin over the runner-up in all speed categories save for 5G Upload Speed. Vodafone is now in second place for 5G Download Speed, replacing O2.
Our users in Germany enjoy a Very Good 5G Video Experience on all networks
Telekom remains the sole winner of both video awards — Video Experience and 5G Video Experience. For Video Experience, it scores 66.5 points and beats statistically tied O2 and Vodafone by around 1.3 points. Telekom commands a slightly higher winning margin over Vodafone for 5G Video Experience, of 1.9 points, and a score of 77.4 on a 100-point scale. All German operators rate as Good (58-68) for Video Experience, but for 5G Video Experience, they all place in a category higher — Very Good (68-78).
Vodafone wins 5G Voice App Experience outright
Telekom and Vodafone shared the 5G Voice App Experience award in the previous report. However, this time Vodafone breaks out of the statistical tie and wins the award outright with a score of 82.5 points on a 100-point scale — and is the sole winner of both voice app awards. For 5G Voice App Experience, Vodafone commands a lead of 0.9 points ahead of O2 and Telekom — they statistically tie for second place with scores of 81.5-81.8 points.
The consistency awards remain in Telekom’s hands
Telekom leads on consistency for the third consecutive Opensignal report. It wins Excellent Consistent Quality (HD video, group video conference calls, and gaming) with a score of 87.1% and Core Consistent Quality (lower performance applications including SD video, voice calls, and web browsing) with a score of 92.5%. These scores reflect the percentage of users’ tests in which the operator met the minimum recommended performance thresholds.
Vodafone wins Games Experience outright and ties for 5G Games Experience with Telekom
Vodafone retains the Games Experience award, with a score of 74.7 points on a 100-point scale, while Telekom takes second place, two points behind the winner. Telekom was the sole winner of 5G Games Experience in the previous report, but this time around, both Vodafone and Telekom are joint winners of this award, with scores of 84.9-85.1 points.
Telekom wins 5G Availability and 5G Reach once again
Telekom confirms its leadership for 5G extent in Germany, as the operator continues to win the 5G Availability and 5G Reach awards. Our Telekom 5G users spend 17.8% of the time with an active 5G connection — around 7.4 percentage points higher than those on second-placed O2 and Vodafone. As for 5G Reach, Telekom wins the award with a score of 5.7 points on a 10-point scale, beating the runner-up Vodafone by 1.3 points. However, it is no longer the sole winner of Availability, as O2 forces a statistical tie against Telekom and both operators are now joint winners.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Telekom is again the most awarded operator, with 10 outright and two joint wins — remaining strong in speed, video, consistency and 5G extent categories. However, Vodafone not only manages to claim 5G Voice App Experience award all to itself, after breaking a statistical tie it was in with Telekom — but also it jumps on the winners’ podium for 5G Games Experience joining Telekom, which won the award outright last time. On top of that, Vodafone keeps a firm grip on both the overall Games Experience and Voice App Experience awards. O2 is back on the winners’ list, as it jointly wins Availability with Telekom.
German operators are busy expanding their 5G footprint. Telekom stated that it covers 95% of Germans with its 5G network. In April O2 announced that at present it can deliver 5G services to 82% of the German population, due to its accelerated rollout using different spectrum bands, with plans to cover 90% of the population by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Vodafone’s 5G coverage reached 80% of Germans at the beginning of this year, but the operator intended to accelerate its 5G roll-out throughout the first half of 2023.
The new market entrant 1&1 struggles with expanding its 5G network. It has deployed only five 5G sites by the end of 2022, through Vodafone-owned Vantage Group, and expects more delays, which is likely to put at risk the planned launch of mobile services in Q3 2023. The service provider has accused Vodafone of obstructing the roll-out and Vantage Group of giving preferential treatment to Vodafone’s deployment activities — and has filed a complaint with the Federal Cartel Office. 1&1 deployed 5G FWA services, in Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, based on its OpenRAN network in the last days of 2022.
Providing mobile data speeds of at least 100Mbps to 98% of households in each federal state and closing white spots by the end of 2022 were among the coverage obligations required by the regulator FNA as part of the 2019 spectrum auction. Telekom stated that it meets this obligation as it said that its 4G network covered 99% households in each federal state and that 99.6% of Germans were able to access 4G with speeds of at least 100Mbps — while Telekom has also closed 1,500 white spots. Meanwhile, O2 claims to have covered 98% of households in each of the federal states and 99.3% of German population in total with the required speed, while Vodafone achieved 98% and 99%, respectively. Opensignal has previously analysed in which districts of Germany our users struggle to connect to mobile signal the most.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in Germany — O2, Telekom, and Vodafone — over the 90 day period starting on January 1, 2023 and ending on March 31, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Telekom defends the Video Experience award with a score of 66.5 points. O2 and Vodafone are statistically tied for second place, around 1.3 points behind the winner. All German operators place in the Good (58-68) category for Video Experience. This means that our users are on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Looking at Video Experience — 5G Users, our 5G Users see a marginally better overall Video Experience than that measured across all users, with the increases in scores ranging from 2.1 points for Vodafone to 2.7 points for Telekom. Telekom is the highest scorer, with 69.2 points, and the only operator to rate as Very Good (68-78), meaning that our 5G 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
Vodafone remains the sole winner of Games Experience, with a score of 74.7 points on a 100-point scale — two points ahead of second-placed Telekom. O2 brings up the rear with a score of 70.5 points. All operators stay in the Fair (65-75) category for Games Experience. Users find the experience average and the majority of them report that they notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
While Vodafone wins the award for the overall Games Experience with all users considered, our 5G users actually have the best overall experience while playing multiplayer mobile games on Telekom’s network — which scores 75.5 points.
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
Vodafone keeps a hold of Voice App Experience with a score of 77.9 points. O2 and Telekom tie for second place with scores 76.6-76.9 points — around 1.1 points behind the leader. All three remain in the Acceptable (74-80) category. This means some users are satisfied but others experience perceptible call quality impairments, including clicking sounds of short duration or distortion.
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
Telekom strengthens its lead for Download Speed Experience. The operator wins the award outright, with a score of 57.7Mbps, and increases its winning margin over second-placed Vodafone from 4.6Mbps to 7.3Mbps, due to a 7Mbps boost in Telekom’s score.
However, Vodafone’s score increases by 4.3Mbps and as a result, the operator crosses the 50Mbps mark for our users’ average overall download speeds. Meanwhile, O2 lags behind, as our users on this network see average overall download speeds of 36.9Mbps on this network — 20.9Mbps and 13.6Mbps slower than on Telekom and Vodafone, respectively.
Turning to Download Speed Experience — 5G Users, our 5G Users on O2 observe the highest increase in relative terms in their average download speeds, compared to overall Download Speed Experience results, of 33.3% — followed by Telekom (30.7%) and Vodafone (20.6%). Telekom scores the highest for this metric, with a score of 75.5Mbps.
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
Telekom comes first for Upload Speed Experience, with a score of 13.4Mbps. It widens its lead over second-placed O2 from two to 2.5Mbps, due to an increase of 1.1Mbps. Our users on both O2 and Vodafone’s networks experience smaller rises in their average overall upload speeds of 0.7Mbps each.
Our Telekom 5G users observed the most substantial uplift in average overall upload speeds compared to all users. Telekom’s Upload Speed Experience — 5G Users score is 1.5Mbps higher than its overall Upload Speed Experience score — followed by more modest uplifts seen by Vodafone (0.5Mbps) and O2 (0.3Mbps), which share second place with identical scores of 11.2Mbps.
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
Telekom calls the shots in the overall experience city awards table, as it wins 46 city awards outright — mainly in Download Speed Experience and Upload Speed Experience — and 61 jointly, which totals 107 recognitions out of a possible 120. Vodafone collects nine outright city wins, across Games Experience and Voice App Experience — and shares a further 65 awards with its competitors. There are no outright victories in any of the German cities for O2 in the overall section, but it shares the winners’ podium with others 38 times.
Telekom improves its award haul in speed categories, as claims Download Speed Experience in 22 and Upload Speed Experience in 23 German cities — up from 17 and 18 cities in the previous report, respectively. It only shares both awards with Vodafone in Freiburg and additionally Download Speed Experience in Leipzig, again with Vodafone.
However, we observe a much more diverse and competitive picture for experiential awards. Outside of speed awards, Telekom claims only one additional award outright — for Video Experience in Berlin. Telekom and Vodafone jointly win Video Experience in Aachen, Dresden, and Essen — and in the remaining 20 cities, we observe three-way statistical ties between all German operators.
Vodafone wins three city awards outright for Games Experience — in Dresden, Frankfurt am Main and Saarbrucken. It is in a statistical tie with Telekom in the remaining 21 cities — and in six of them, O2 climbs the winners’ podium as the third joint winner. For Voice App Experience, Vodafone is the sole winner in six cities — Augsburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, München, and Nuremberg — and shares the podium in the remaining 18 cities. Telekom and O2 jointly win in 14 and 12 cities respectively — with eight cities seeing three-way statistical ties.
Regional Analysis Summary: Germany, Mobile Network Experience Report, May 2023
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A-G
- Aachen
- Augsburg
- Berlin
- Bochum
- Bonn
- Bremen
- Cologne
- Dortmund
- Dresden
- Duisburg
- Dusseldorf
- Essen
- Frankfurt am Main
- Freiburg
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H-N
- Hamburg
- Hannover
- Karlsruhe
- Leipzig
- Mannheim
- Munchen
- Munster
- Nuremberg
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O-U
- Saarbrucken
- Stuttgart
in Aachen
in Aachen
in Aachen
in Aachen
in Aachen
in Augsburg
in Augsburg
in Augsburg
in Augsburg
in Augsburg
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Bochum
in Bochum
in Bochum
in Bochum
in Bochum
in Bonn
in Bonn
in Bonn
in Bonn
in Bonn
in Bremen
in Bremen
in Bremen
in Bremen
in Bremen
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dresden
in Dresden
in Dresden
in Dresden
in Dresden
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Essen
in Essen
in Essen
in Essen
in Essen
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Freiburg
in Freiburg
in Freiburg
in Freiburg
in Freiburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Karlsruhe
in Karlsruhe
in Karlsruhe
in Karlsruhe
in Karlsruhe
in Leipzig
in Leipzig
in Leipzig
in Leipzig
in Leipzig
in Mannheim
in Mannheim
in Mannheim
in Mannheim
in Mannheim
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munster
in Munster
in Munster
in Munster
in Munster
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Saarbrucken
in Saarbrucken
in Saarbrucken
in Saarbrucken
in Saarbrucken
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
5G Experience
National Analysis
Telekom holds 5G Video Experience in a firm grip, with a score of 77.4 points on a 100-point scale. The operator commands a lead of 1.9 points over Vodafone and 2.6 points over O2. All German operators rate as Very Good (68-78), meaning that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling when connected to 5G.
Compared to their overall Video Experience scores, all German operators’ s5G Video Experience scores are higher by around 10 points — ranging from 9.8 points for O2 to 10.9 points for Telekom.
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
Telekom was the outright winner of 5G Games Experience in the previous report, but this time around, both Vodafone and Telekom are joint winners of this award, with scores of 84.9-85.1 points. O2 comes last with a score of 78.3 points.
Telekom sees the highest improvement in its 5G Games Experience score compared to the overall Games Experience, of 12.2 points — followed by Vodafone (10.5 points) and O2 (7.8 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
In the previous report, Telekom and Vodafone were joint winners of 5G Voice App Experience. However, this time Vodafone breaks out of the statistical tie and wins the award outright with a score of 82.5 points on a 100-point scale. Vodafone wins with around 0.9 points ahead of O2 and Telekom, who statistically tie for second place with scores 81.5-81.8 points.
Telekom’s 5G Voice App Experience score is 5.1 points higher than its Voice App Experience score, followed by O2 and Vodafone, which both see scores better by 4.6 points. As a result, all operators place in a category higher than in Voice App Experience — Good (80-87). This means many users are satisfied but some experience minor quality impairments.
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
Telekom wins 5G Download Speed outright for the third time in a row, with a score of 172.4Mbps. Our users on this network enjoy 15.7Mbps faster average 5G download speeds than in the previous report — and 35.9Mbps (26.3%) faster than on the runner-up’s network. Vodafone pulls ahead of O2 and takes second place, due to a boost in its score of 18.9Mbps, while O2’s 5G Download Speed score remains statistically unchanged. Compared to Download Speed Experience, our users saw significantly higher 5G Download Speeds on their networks — 3.3 times faster for O2, three times for Telekom, and 2.7 times for Vodafone.
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
Telekom triumphs in 5G Upload Speed for the fifth consecutive time, remaining unbeaten since Opensignal first introduced the award in August 2021. Telekom wins with a score of 33Mbps — 7.3Mbps (28.3%) ahead of second-placed Vodafone, down from the lead of 7.4Mbps seen in the previous report. O2 takes the third spot, with a score of 19.7Mbps. Our 5G users on all German networks see faster average 5G upload speeds compared to the previous report — ranging from 1.2Mbps for O2 to 1.7Mbps for Vodafone.
Our Telekom users saw the highest 5G to overall uplift in terms of average upload speeds, of 2.5 times — followed by 2.4 times seen by their Vodafone peers and 1.8 times on O2’s network.
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).
Regional Analysis
With 11 cities reportable for 5G awards in Germany and 55 awards up for grabs, Telekom takes home 19 outright and 34 shared wins. Vodafone and O2 see no sole wins this time, but they jointly win 35 and 15 awards, respectively.
Similar to the overall section, the bulk of Telekom’s outright wins in the 5G section comes from speed categories. The operator almost achieves an almost clean sweep for 5G Download Speed across German cities, as it wins in 10 of them, only tying with O2 in Nuremberg. For 5G Upload Speed, Telekom wins in six cities but Vodafone is tough to beat in five cities — Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart — where both operators share the recognitions.
Telekom completes its 5G city outright award haul with additional three wins in Berlin, Cologne, and Hannover, where our users on this network enjoy an Excellent (78 or above) 5G video experience. In the remaining eight cities, Telekom shares the podium with Vodafone, and in three of them — München, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart — O2 joins for three-way joint victories. Telekom and Vodafone jointly win in all 11 cities for 5G Games Experience, with O2 joining them in Duisburg, Dusseldorf, and Nuremberg.
Vodafone also jointly wins in all 11 cities for 5G Voice App Experience — ahead of Telekom’s nine joint wins and O2’s eight joint wins. 5G Voice App Experience is the category where O2 collects the most of its joint wins in the 5G section and the only category where Telekom does not come first either outright or jointly in some cities — in München and Nuremberg
Regional Analysis Summary: Germany, Mobile Network Experience Report, May 2023
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A-I
- Berlin
- Cologne
- Dortmund
- Duisburg
- Dusseldorf
- Frankfurt am Main
- Hamburg
- Hannover
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J-R
- Munchen
- Nuremberg
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S-Z
- Stuttgart
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
Coverage
O2
Telekom
Vodafone
National Analysis
In the previous report, Telekom won Availability outright, after snatching it away from O2. This time, O2 is back on the winners’ podium, as it jointly wins the award with Telekom. Our users on these networks connect to 3G or better services 94.7-94.8% of the time.
Vodafone comes last with a score of 93.9%. Both O2 and Vodafone observe improvements in their scores of 0.9 percentage points each, while Telekom — a slightly lower increase of 0.5 percentage points.
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
Telekom wins 5G Availability for the fifth time in a row, remaining the sole winner since Opensignal introduced the award in August 2021. Our 5G users spend 17.8% of the time with an active 5G connection on Telekom’s network — 2.1 percentage points more than in the previous report and around 7.4 percentage points higher than those on second-placed O2 and Vodafone. O2’s 5G Availability score has increased the most, rising by 2.5 percentage points, while Vodafone’s score improved by 1.1 percentage points.
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
Telekom takes home 5G Reach for the fifth consecutive time, remaining the only holder of this award since Opensignal introduced it in August 2021. Telekom wins the award with a score of 5.7 points on a 10-point scale, beating the runner-up Vodafone by 1.3 points. The scores reflect the proportions of locations where our users observe a 5G signal out of all the places they visit. Telekom’s score rises by 0.7 points — slightly less than O2’s improvement of 0.8 points, but more than Vodafone’s boost of 0.4 points. As a result, Telekom increases its winning margin over second-placed Vodafone from one to 1.3 points.
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
O2 wins its only outright city award for Availability in Berlin, with a score of 97% — and it jointly wins in the remaining 23 cities. There were three-way statistical ties in 21 cities — only in Karlsruhe does Telekom not make it to the winners’ podium, while Vodafone fails to do so in Hamburg.
Telekom wins 5G Availability outright in seven cities and jointly with O2 in Dortmund, Hannover, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart. For 5G Reach, it is the sole winner in Berlin, Duisburg, Hamburg, and München and jointly wins in the seven remaining cities. Meanwhile, O2 and Vodafone win five and three joint awards, respectively.
Regional Analysis Summary: Germany, Mobile Network Experience Report, May 2023
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A-G
- Aachen
- Augsburg
- Berlin
- Bochum
- Bonn
- Bremen
- Cologne
- Dortmund
- Dresden
- Duisburg
- Dusseldorf
- Essen
- Frankfurt am Main
- Freiburg
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H-N
- Hamburg
- Hannover
- Karlsruhe
- Leipzig
- Mannheim
- Munchen
- Munster
- Nuremberg
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O-U
- Saarbrucken
- Stuttgart
in Aachen
in Augsburg
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Berlin
in Bochum
in Bonn
in Bremen
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Cologne
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dortmund
in Dresden
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Duisburg
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Dusseldorf
in Essen
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Frankfurt am Main
in Freiburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hamburg
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Hannover
in Karlsruhe
in Leipzig
in Mannheim
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munchen
in Munster
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Nuremberg
in Saarbrucken
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
in Stuttgart
Consistency
National Analysis
Telekom wins Excellent Consistent Quality outright for the third time in a row in Opensignal reports. It met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for HD video, group video conference calls, and gaming in 87.1% of our users’ tests — 7.2 percentage points more than the runner-up Vodafone and 7.6 percentage points ahead of third-place O2.
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
Telekom takes the top spot for Core Consistent Quality for the third consecutive time in Opensignal reports, with a score of 92.5%. O2 comes second, 2.7 percentage points behind the winner. Vodafone brings up the rear, but with a score of 89.7% — only 0.1 percentage point behind second-placed O2.
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