United Arab Emirates
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumer mobile experience. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding the true experience consumers receive on wireless networks.
United Arab Emirates
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumer mobile experience. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding the true experience consumers receive on wireless networks.
Key Findings
The fastest experience is with Etisalat
Etisalat takes home all four speed awards — meaning that our Etisalat users enjoy the fastest average download and upload speeds. Etisalat retains its wins for Download Speed Experience, Upload Speed Experience and 5G Upload Speed — adding the outright win for 5G Download Speed to its haul which it previously shared with du. Etisalat scores 34.9%, 17.8%, 22.1 and 27.8% higher than second place for Download Speed Experience, 5G Download Speed Experience, Upload Speed Experience and 5G Upload Speed, respectively.
Etisalat stays top for consistency
Etisalat again takes home both consistency awards (Core Consistent Quality and Excellent Consistent Quality) — it has been the sole winner of both these awards since their introduction to Emirati Opensignal mobile network experience reports in May 2022. Consistent quality quantifies the percentage of users' tests that meet the minimum recommended performance thresholds — Excellent Consistent Quality for more demanding apps than Core Consistent Quality. Etisalat wins Excellent Consistent Quality with a score of 70.1%, 8.7 percentage points above du. Likewise, Etisalat is 9.1 percentage points above du for Core Consistent Quality, winning the award with a score of 81.5%.
Etisalat users enjoy the best video experience in the United Arab Emirates
Etisalat keeps a firm grip on both its awards for video experience — overall Video Experience and 5G Video Experience. The operator has a score of 63.2 points on a 100-point scale for Video Experience which is 8.2 points (14.9%) above du's score of 55. For 5G Video Experience the winning margin is smaller. Etisalat wins with a score of 71 points — 5.4 points (8.2%) ahead of du.
Etisalat overtakes du for overall Games Experience, but du wins 5G Games Experience outright
Etisalat has wrestled the overall Games Experience award away from previous winner du. Etisalat steps onto the winners' podium with a score of 65.7 points on a 100-point scale — du lags behind in second place with a score of 63.3 points. Looking instead at 5G Games Experience, du wins the award outright with a score of 75 points — 1.3 points ahead of Etisalat.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Etisalat remains top for award hauls in this latest analysis of the Emirati mobile network experience. The operator takes home the greatest number of award wins, with nine outright victories and one shared win — a change from the last report when it was the sole victor in seven categories and shared first place with du in a further four. Du manages a respectable six first place finishes — five outright wins and its shared win with Etisalat for 5G Voice App Experience.
Etisalat's sizable award haul includes sole victories in all four speed awards, as it has broken out of the statistical tie it was in with du for 5G Download Speed Experience. Alongside this impressive accomplishment, it manages to defend its consistency awards, both of which it has claimed since their introduction to Opensignal mobile network experience reports. To top it off, Etisalat keeps hold of both of its awards for video experience, and manages to take overall Games Experience from du.
Du wins fewer total awards than in the previous report but wins more awards outright. The operator retains both awards for 5G Availability and 5G Reach and manages to break out of the statistical tie it was in for overall Availability. It also keeps Voice App Experience to itself and wins 5G Games Experience outright.
There has been a lot of focus on 5G in the United Arab Emirates, with both operators announcing partnerships with equipment vendors in February 2023. Du has partnered with Huawei to develop 5.5G (or 5G-Advanced) technology. They are expecting it to offer greatly improved data speeds, lower latency and increased energy efficiency. Not to be outdone, Etisalat has chosen Nokia to upgrade its existing 5G network, with the vendor providing services for replacing existing equipment and implementing automated transport slicing. Along with this, in late February 2023 Etisalat launched its commercial 5G standalone access (SA) network. The operator expects that the SA network will offer enhanced performance for business and residential customers
Both Emirati national operators have turned their attention to satellite connectivity, with du demonstrating what it claims to be the first satellite-enabled 5G backhaul in the Middle East, using SES's satellites in January 2023. Since then, Etisalat announced that it has launched a 5G satellite solution, partnered with Eutelsat. Using satellite technology would bring access to remote areas with low terrestrial connectivity, and it will be interesting to see how these technologies develop.
In this report, we've analyzed real-world data on the two main mobile network operators in the United Arab Emirates — du and Etisalat — over a period of 90 days starting on January 1, 2023 and ending on March 31, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Etisalat is once again the outright winner of the overall Video Experience award with a score of 63.2 points on a 100-point scale — 8.2 points (14.9%) above du's score of 55 points. This means that Etisalat places in the Good (58-68) category for overall Video Experience, while du places one category lower, in Fair (48-58).
That means that our Etisalat users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. While our du users are able to stream 720p or better with substantial stalling.
Looking at Video Experience – 5G users, Etisalat also places first. Both operators are in the Good (58-68) category, with Etisalat falling just short of Very Good (68-78).
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
Etisalat wrestles the overall Games Experience award away from previous winner, du. Etisalat steps onto the winners' podium with a score of 65.7 points on a 100-point scale — du lags behind in second place with a score of 63.3 points.
Etisalat's score narrowly places it in the Fair (65-75) category. This means that users find the 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 report that they 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
Du wins the Voice App Experience award for the second consecutive time. Du scores 76.2 points on a 100-point scale — just 0.9 points (1.2%) ahead of rival Etisalat. The gap between Etisalat and du has narrowed due to an increase in Etisalat's score of 1.7 points, while du's score stayed statistically the same.
Both operators place in the Acceptable (74-80) category. 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. 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
Etisalat keeps hold of the Download Speed Experience award, scoring 46.4Mbps — 12Mbps above du's 34.4Mbps. However, du is moving closer to Etisalat — although both operators see a decrease in score from the previous report, Etisalat's decrease of 4.7Mbps is 3.7 times as large as du's decrease of 1.3Mbps.
Looking instead at Download Speed Experience – 5G users, Etisalat is still in first place. Both operators have much higher scores when looking at the average overall download speeds of our 5G users — 2.1-2.6 times as fast as those seen across all of our users on their networks.
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
Etisalat remains the winner of the Upload Speed Experience award with a score of 11Mbps — 2Mbps ahead of du. However, the gap between the pair has reduced, from 2.3Mbps to 2Mbps, due to Etisalat's score dropping by 0.4Mbps while du's did not change significantly.
Etisalat is also in first place for Upload Speed Experience – 5G users, with its score of 14.3Mbps to du's 12.1Mbps.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
5G Experience
National Analysis
Etisalat claims its third consecutive outright win for 5G Video Experience with a score of 71 points on a 100-point scale — du is 5.4 points behind the winner, with a score of 65.6 points. This places Etisalat in the Very Good (68-78) category, while du places one category lower in Good (58-68).
A Very Good rating means 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. Du's Good rating means that our users are able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
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
Du is the outright winner of the 5G Games Experience award, an award it previously shared with Etisalat. The operator scores 75 points on 100-point scale — 1.3 points ahead of second-placed Etisalat.
Du narrowly places in the Good (75-85) category, meaning that most users deem the experience acceptable, and do not experience a delay between their actions and the game. Etisalat places one category lower, in Fair (65-75), meaning users find the experience to be 'average' and the majority of players report that they notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in 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
This is the second report in a row where du and Etisalat are statistically tied for 5G Voice App Experience. The pair score 79.2-79.7 points on a 100-point scale, placing them both in the Acceptable (74-80) category.
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
Etisalat breaks out of a statistical tie with du, to win 5G Download Speed with a lightning-fast score of 332.1Mbps — 50.1Mbps ahead of du's still respectable score of 282Mbps. This is due to du's score dropping by 34.6Mbps while the change in Etisalat's score is not statistically significant. Compared to Download Speed Experience, Etisalat and du users see a massive 5G to overall uplift in average download speeds — with du's relative increase being a whopping 8.2 times while Etisalat users see a slightly smaller increase of 7.2 times.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
Etisalat retains 5G Upload Speed with a score of 31.2Mbps — 6.8Mbps ahead of du. Compared to Upload Speed Experience, Etisalat and du users see 5G to overall uplifts in average download speeds of 2.8 times and 2.7 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
du
Etisalat
National Analysis
Du breaks free of the statistical tie with Etisalat that it was in for Availability. The operator wins the award outright with a score of 99%, although Etisalat is close behind with its score of 98.8%. While both operators' scores increased since the last report, du's larger increase of 0.6 percentage points, compared to Etisalat's 0.4 percentage points, allowed it to pull ahead.
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.
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
Du keeps hold of its award for 5G Availability, however its lead over Etisalat has shrunk considerably due to an increase in Etisalat's score of two percentage points, and a decrease in du's score of 3.1 percentage points. Du scores 16.5% for 5G Availability — 2.9 percentage points ahead of Etisalat — in the previous report du led Etisalat by 7.9 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.
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
Du hangs on to its award for 5G Reach. It scores 5.1 points on a 10-point scale, 0.4 points above second-placed Etisalat. Neither operator’s score has changed significantly since the last report. 5G Reach measures the proportion of locations where our users observed 5G out of all the places they visited.
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.
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
Consistency
National Analysis
Etisalat wins Excellent Consistent Quality for the third consecutive time in Opensignal mobile network experience reports — this time with a score of 70.1% and a lead of 8.7 percentage points over du. This means Etisalat met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for HD video, group video conference calls and gaming in 70.1% of users' tests. Du observed an increase in its score of 0.7 percentage points, while Etisalat's score remains statistically unchanged.
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
Etisalat wins Core Consistent Quality for the third time in a row in Opensignal mobile network experience reports, just as with Excellent Consistent Quality. The operator defends the award with a winning score of 81.5% — a margin of 9.1 percentage points over du. Both operator's scores increased since the previous report, with Etisalat's score rising by 2.4 percentage points and du's score increasing slightly less, by 1.7 percentage points.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures how often users’ experience on a network was sufficient to support common applications’ requirements. It measures download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, time to first byte and the percentage of tests attempted which did not succeed due to a connectivity issue on either the download or server response component.
Full details on how the Consistent Quality metrics — Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality — are calculated can be found here.
Core Consistent Quality is the percentage of users’ tests that met the minimum recommended performance thresholds for lower performance applications including SD video, voice calls and web browsing.
Related Analysis
Our Methodology
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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