Spain
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.
Spain
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
Movistar users see the fastest speeds in Spain
Movistar is the outright winner of both the Download and Upload Speed Experience awards, with scores of 41.9Mbps and 12.3Mbps, respectively. Movistar also wins the 5G Download and 5G Upload Speed awards outright, with users on its network observing speeds of 195.4Mbps and 27.1Mbps, respectively. In the download speed categories, Movistar wins by large margins. The average overall download speeds of our Movistar users are 6.8Mbps (19.2%) faster than those seen by Orange users, while Movistar’s 5G Download Speed score is 27.9Mbps (16.7%) higher than second-placed Orange.
Movistar dominates the Video, Games and Voice App Experience categories in Spain, both with 5G and overall
Our Movistar users observe the best quality of experience while streaming videos, playing multiplayer mobile games and using over-the-top (OTT) voice services on mobile voice apps with 5G in Spain. Movistar is also the outright winner of the overall Video, Voice App and Games Experience awards.
Movistar users enjoy the most consistent experience in Spain
Movistar stands out as the champion when it comes to consistent quality. Movistar wins our Consistent Quality award with an impressive score of 80.1%. Orange is in second place with 76.4%, while Yoigo brings up the rear with a score of 66.8%.
Orange edges ahead to win the Availability award outright
In our previous report, Orange, Yoigo and Vodafone were statistically tied for the Availability award. However, this time Orange breaks through the deadlock and wins the Availability award outright with a noteworthy score of 99.1%. Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator's network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
Movistar and Orange share the podium for the 5G Availability award
Our 5G users on Movistar and Orange spend the greatest proportion of time with active 5G connections. As a result, both operators are joint winners of the 5G Availability award, with scores bordering around the 18% mark. Yoigo is slightly behind with 16.8%, while Vodafone is last placed with 10.6%.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
A quick look at Opensignal's results and it's clear that Movistar is the operator to beat when it comes to the mobile network experience in Spain. It's noteworthy that Movistar has turned around its standing in experiential metric categories within a short six-month period — since our last report. This time, Movistar has achieved an incredible feat by placing top in 12 out of 13 award categories, racking up 11 outright wins and one joint win. Our results show that Movistar users observe the fastest mobile download and upload speeds, as well as enjoy the top Video, Games and Voice App Experience in Spain, both in terms of 5G and overall experience. Furthermore, our users in Spain also have the most consistent mobile experience with Movistar.
Orange is the only other winner of Opensignal awards — the operator wins the Availability award outright and jointly wins the 5G Availability award alongside Movistar.
Since our last report, Spain has made significant progress on the 5G front as operators continue to deploy and expand their 5G networks. In February 2023, Yoigo announced that it covers around 74% of the population, serving 1,660 towns and cities across the country. It has done so by using its own infrastructure as well as a partnership with Orange. In the same month, Orange launched a 5G standalone access (SA) network in major cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville, with plans to expand to other areas. In March 2023, Vodafone announced that it has set its sights on covering 65% of the population and reaching 2,000 municipalities in 2023 with 5G. It plans to achieve this by using the 700MHz band to provide coverage in rural areas and increasing the areas that are served by the 3.7GHz band.
Meanwhile, in April 2023, Movistar announced that it has made significant strides in deploying 5G base transceiver stations (BTS) in the 3.5GHz band in the first three months of this year. As of March 2023, Movistar reported 1,982 5G 3.5GHz BTS in service.
These developments demonstrate that Spanish operators are committed to expanding 5G coverage and delivering enhanced services across the country. While 5G is a key area of focus in Spain, 4G networks continue to play a vital role because that's the network generation consumers spend most of their time connected to.
In the first analysis to use Opensignal’s new Coverage Experience methodology, Movistar comes top for overall Coverage Experience with a score of 8.1 points on a 10-point scale, followed by Orange (7.8), Vodafone (6.6), and Yoigo (3.7). Likewise, Movistar also places first for 5G Coverage Experience. Opensignal’s new Coverage Experience metric represents the real-world experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
In this report, Opensignal has analyzed the overall mobile network and 5G experience of users on the four mobile network operators in Spain — Movistar, Orange, Yoigo and Vodafone — over a period of 90 days starting on March 1, 2023, and ending on May 29, 2023, to understand how they compare nationally.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Once again, our users have the best mobile video experience on Movistar's network. Movistar remains the sole winner of the Video Experience award, scoring 67 points on a 100-point scale. The operator commands a lead of 2.5 points over second-placed Orange and Vodafone and 3.5 points over last-placed Yoigo. With these scores, the overall quality of experience while streaming mobile videos rates Good (58-68) across all four operators.
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
Movistar is the winner of the Games Experience award with a score of 71.2 points (on a 100-point scale) — 1.4 points ahead of Vodafone. This means Movistar users enjoy the best available overall experience when playing multiplayer mobile games such as battle royale games like COD mobile or Garena FreeFire and MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) titles like Arena of Valor.
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
Movistar wins the Voice App Experience award outright this time with a score of 80.3 points (on a 100-point scale) — around 0.6 points ahead of Vodafone, which shared the award with Movistar last time. Orange and Yoigo trail behind with statistically tied scores of 78.7-79 points. With these scores, Movistar garners a Good (80-87) rating, while Orange, Vodafone and Yoigo rate as Acceptable (74-80).
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
Movistar users experience the fastest overall download speeds in Spain, 41.9 Mbps on average — 6.8Mbps (19.2%) faster than Orange's score of 35.1Mbps and 11.8Mbps (39.2%) faster than third-placed Yoigo with 30.1Mbps. Vodafone places last with 24.5Mbps. These scores show that Movistar is the winner of the Download Speed Experience award.
Our users on three out of four networks experienced an improvement in their overall average download speeds since the last report. Our Movistar users saw the biggest increase of 6.6Mbps, followed by those on Orange (2.5Mbps) and Yoigo (1.7Mbps). Comparatively, Vodafone users did not see a statistically significant change.
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
Movistar is the winner of the Upload Speed Experience award. Our users on Movistar's network see the top overall upload speeds in Spain, which average 12.3Mbps. Meanwhile, Vodafone and Orange are in second and third place, respectively, with scores of 11.2Mbps and 10.3Mbps. Yoigo is the only operator with a score below 10 Mbps, with users observing average upload speeds of 9.3Mbps.
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
Our analysis shows that Movistar users have the best experience streaming video over 5G networks, making the operator the outright winner of the 5G Video Experience award. Movistar wins with a score of 74.8 points on a 100-point scale, ahead of Orange. Yoigo and Vodafone follow with statistically tied scores of 70.8-71 points.
All four mobile operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category for 5G Video Experience, which means our users, on average, are able to stream video at 1080p or better over 5G connections with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. Compared to overall Video Experience, this means one category higher for all four operators — up from Good (58-68).
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
Movistar comes first in 5G Games Experience with a score of 79.1 points on a 100-point scale — three points higher than second-placed Orange and Vodafone and 3.9 points higher than Yoigo. With these scores, all four operators earn a Good (75-85) rating for 5G Games Experience — one rating higher than that for overall Games Experience.
A Good 5G Games Experience means most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable, and the users receive immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. In addition, 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
We see a close run race for the 5G Voice App Experience award, with just 1.1 points separating all four operators' scores. Movistar wins this category outright this time with a score of 82.6 points (on a 100-point scale), while Orange’s, Vodafone’s and Yoigo’s scores are statistically tied for second place in the 81.5-81.9 points range. With these scores, all four operators place in the Good (80-87) category for 5G Voice App Experience — the quality of experience with 5G while using over-the-top (OTT) voice services over mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger.
A Good 5G Voice App Experience means many users are satisfied. But some users experience minor quality impairments. Sometimes the background is not quite clear; it can be either hazy or not loud enough. Clicking sounds or distortion are very rarely present.
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
Since the last report, Movistar users have seen the biggest boost in their average 5G download speeds — an increase of 54.5Mbps — followed by Orange and Yoigo users with improvements of 12.5Mbps and 12.1Mbps, respectively. Vodafone users, on the other hand, experienced a decline of 26.2Mbps. As a result, Movistar wins 5G Download Speed outright, scoring 195.4Mbps — 27.9Mbps (16.7%) faster than second-placed Orange, 39.5Mbps (25.3%) faster than Yoigo, and 73.9Mbps (60.8%) faster than 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
Our users on Movistar enjoy the fastest 5G upload speeds in Spain, 27.1Mbps on average and 4.3Mbps (18.9%) faster than those seen by Orange users.
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
Movistar
Orange
Vodafone
Yoigo
National Analysis
Our Orange users spend the highest proportion of their time connected to a 3G or better cellular signal — a spectacular 99.1%, but less than one percentage point greater than its competitors Movistar, Vodafone and Yoigo. Orange is therefore the outright winner of the Availability award — a change from the last report, when it shared the top spot with Vodafone and Yoigo.
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
Opensignal's 5G Availability compares the amount of time our 5G users spend with an active 5G connection — the higher the percentage, the more time users on a network spend connected to 5G. Movistar and Orange win the 5G Availability award, with statistically tied scores bordering around the 18% mark. Yoigo scores 16.8%, while Vodafone is significantly behind its peers with 10.6%.
5G Availability in Spain has improved across all four networks compared to the previous report. Vodafone users have seen the biggest increase of 5.7 percentage points, slightly higher than that of Orange, Movistar and Yoigo users — 5.6, 5.4, and 4.2 percentage points, respectively.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
Consistency
National Analysis
Movistar is the first winner of the Consistent Quality award in Spain, with a score of 80.1%. Orange comes second, 3.7 percentage points behind the winner, and Vodafone takes the third spot, with a score of 70.6%. Meanwhile, Yoigo brings up the rear with a score of 66.8%.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices.
We combine different experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet discard, and time to first byte to calculate Consistent Quality. These components are evaluated against thresholds recommended by various more demanding common applications used for a range of common tasks.
To calculate the metric value, the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality is multiplied by the test success ratio, which is the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted. Tests that pass indicate that activities such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.
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