Kuwait
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.
Kuwait
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
Ooredoo claims Download Speed Experience all to itself
In the previous report, Ooredoo and Zain jointly won the Download Speed Experience award. This time, Ooredoo breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with Zain, due to a boost in its score of 3.9Mbps, while Zain’s result remains statistically unchanged. Ooredoo also defends the Upload Speed Experience award, with a score of 14.9Mbps — 1.3Mbps ahead of second-placed Zain.
Zain snatches 5G Download Speed away from Ooredoo
Zain replaces Ooredoo as the sole winner of 5G Download Speed, with a score of 328.9Mbps — beating the previous winner by 34.7Mbps (11.8%). Zain wins due to Ooredoo’s score dropping by 61.9Mbps. Stc brings up the rear with a score of 198.7Mbps but our users on this network’s average 5G download speeds have increased by 26.2Mbps (15.2%). However, Ooredoo retains its 5G Upload Speed award, with a score of 30Mbps.
Zain takes home the 5G Video Experience award
In the previous report, Ooredoo and Zain shared the winners’ podium for 5G Video Experience. This time Ooredoo’s score declines by 1.7 points — meanwhile, Zain’s result remains statistically unchanged since the previous report. As a result, Zain wins 5G Video Experience outright with a score of 76.9 points on a 100 point scale. Ooredoo takes second place with a score of 75.6 points, while stc comes third with a score of 74.7 points. All three operators rate as Very Good (68-78) for 5G Video Experience — meaning our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. For the overall Video Experience, Ooredoo, stc and Zain remain locked in a three-way statistical tie as joint winners.
Stc is the first winner of Consistent Quality in Kuwait
Stc outright wins Consistent Quality, with a score of 63.5% — six percentage points ahead of Ooredoo and 8.7 percentage points ahead of Zain. Consistent Quality quantifies how often users’ experience on a network is sufficient to support various more demanding common applications used for a range of common demanding tasks. It measures download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, time to first byte. 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.
Zain pries Availability out of Ooredoo’s hands
In the previous report, Ooredoo won Availability outright — but this time, due to a drop in score of 1.5 percentage points, it slips off the top spot of the podium. The Availability award goes to Zain, which wins it with a score of 98.8%. This result represents the percentage of time our users spent connected to 3G or better services on the winner’s network.
Ooredoo defends both Games Experience awards
Ooredoo remains the sole winner of both Games Experience and 5G Games Experience. The operator wins Games Experience outright with a score of 69.4 points on a 100 point scale, beating statistically tied stc and Zain by around 4.4 points. Ooredoo also triumphs for 5G Games Experience with a score of 80.3 points — 4.9 points ahead of Zain. Both operators place in the Good (75-85) category in 5G Games Experience — which means most users deem the experience acceptable and do not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In Opensignal's latest Kuwait Mobile Network Experience report we introduce Live Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience, which represent the overall and 5G experience of our users when streaming real-time video over mobile networks. We also include Consistent Quality, which replaces the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards used in previous reports.
Ooredoo wins five awards outright and six jointly, out of 15 awards available. It breaks out of the statistical tie it was in for Download Speed Experience with Zain in the previous report. However, Zain seizes two awards that Ooredoo previously held outright — 5G Download Speed and Availability — while also turning a joint win for 5G Video Experience into a sole victory this time around. As a result, Zain claims three awards outright and shares five more — an impressive change from the previous report when it had had no sole wins to its name. Meanwhile, stc is the first winner of Consistent Quality and shares the winners’ podium six times with its competitors.
As our latest insight on mobile network experience in the GCC markets shows, our users in Kuwait see the best 5G Video Experience and highest 5G Availability in the region. Our Kuwaiti users also enjoy the highest 4G to 5G uplift for download speed, of nearly 11 times. 5G experience in Kuwait may improve even more in the near future, as operators in Kuwait examine advanced 5G Carrier Aggregation solutions, combining sub-6GHz bands — stc has performed tests with three-carrier aggregation (3CC CA), while Ooredoo — two-carrier aggregation (2CC CA).
In this report, we have analyzed the mobile network experience for Kuwait's three operators — Ooredoo, stc and Zain — over the 90 days starting April 1, 2023, and ending June 29, 2023 — to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
For the second time in a row we see a three-way statistical tie for Video Experience in Kuwait. Ooredoo, stc and Zain jointly win the award with scores of 63.3-63.7 points on a 100-point scale. They see no statistically significant changes in their scores and all place in the Good (58-68) category. This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users’ real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
Ooredoo, stc and Zain are all joint winners of the Live Video Experience award, with scores of 50.7-52 points on a 100 point scale. They all rate as Good (43-53) for live video streaming. This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 720p with satisfactory loading times, little stalling, and a substantial live offset.
Live Video Experience score is made up of a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including e.g. initial delay, total stalling time but also live offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
Ooredoo defends the Games Experience award outright with a score of 69.4 points on a 100-point scale. Stc and Zain are statistically tied for second place with scores of 64.8-65.2 points — around 4.4 points behind the winner.
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
Stc jumps onto the winners’ podium for Voice App Experience along with the previous joint winners Ooredoo and Zain. All three operators jointly win the award with scores of 79.2-79.6 points on a 100 point scale. All Kuwaiti operators place in the Acceptable (74-80) category — same as in the previous report. This means some users are satisfied, but some experience perceptible call quality impairments.
Definitions
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
- 5G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Voice App Experience – 5G Users: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G voice app experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
In the previous report, Ooredoo and Zain were joint winners of the Download Speed Experience award. This time, Ooredoo breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with Zain, due to a boost in its score of 3.9Mbps, while Zain’s result remains statistically unchanged. Stc comes third with a score of 36.9Mbps, after an increase in its score of 2.2Mbps.
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
Ooredoo remains the sole winner of the Upload Speed Experience award, with a score of 14.9Mbps — ahead of Zain’s score of 13.6Mbps. Ooredoo’s lead over Zain has decreased from 2.7Mbps in the previous report to 1.3Mbps this time around, as our Ooredoo users have observed a decline in average overall upload speeds of 1.2Mbps. Meanwhile, changes in stc’s and Zain’s scores since the previous report are not statistically significant.
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
In the previous report, Ooredoo and Zain shared the winners’ podium for 5G Video Experience. As Ooredoo’s score declines by 1.7 points and changes to Zain’s result are statistically insignificant — Zain wins 5G Video Experience outright with a score of 76.9 points on a 100 point scale. Ooredoo takes second place with a score of 75.6 points, while stc comes third with a score of 74.7 points.
All three operators rate as Very Good (68-78) for 5G Video Experience — meaning our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p 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
Ooredoo, stc and Zain jointly win 5G Live Video Experience, with scores of 62.3-64.2 points on a 100 point scale. All Kuwaiti operators placed in the Excellent (58 and above) for 5G live video streaming. This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling, and a satisfactory live offset.
5G Live Video Experience score is made up of a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including e.g. initial delay, total stalling time but also live offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike 5G Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, 5G Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
5G Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world live video streams when they were connected to 5G.
National Analysis
Ooredoo is once again the outright winner of the 5G Games Experience again, this time with a score of 80.3 points on a 100-point scale — 4.9 points ahead of Zain. Both operators place in the Good (75-85) category in 5G Games Experience — which means most users deem the experience acceptable and do not experience a delay between their actions and the game. With a score of 73.1 points, stc comes last and rates as Fair (65-75).
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
After slipping off the winners’ podium in the previous report, stc rejoins Ooredoo and Zain as a joint winner for 5G Voice App Experience, given the three operators’ statistically tied scores of 82.7-83.3 points on a 100 point scale.
All Kuwaiti operators place in the Good (80-87) category. 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
Zain pulls ahead of Ooredoo and wins the 5G Download Speed award outright, with a score of 328.9Mbps. It beats the previous outright winner by 34.7Mbps (11.8%). Zain wins due to Ooredoo’s score dropping by 61.9Mbps. Stc brings up the rear with a score of 198.7Mbps but our users on this network average 5G download speeds have increased by 26.2Mbps (15.2%) compared to the last report.
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
Ooredoo remains the sole winner of the 5G Upload Speed award, with a score of 30Mbps. Its score has declined by 3.6Mbps compared to the previous report. Meanwhile, Zain and stc’s scores remain statistically unchanged — the operators place second and third for 5G Upload Speed, 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
Ooredoo
stc
Zain
National Analysis
In the previous report, Ooredoo won Availability outright — but this time, due to a drop in score of 1.5 percentage points, it slips off the top spot of the podium. The Availability award goes to Zain, which wins it with a score of 98.8%. Avaliability represents the percentage of time our users spent connected to 3G or better services.
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
After all three Kuwaiti operators jointly won 5G Availability in the previous report, Zain slips off the winners’ podium this time around. Ooredoo and stc share the 5G Availability award with identical scores of 42.7% — which reflects the percentage of time our 5G users with a 5G subscription connect to 5G services. Zain takes third place, 10.1 percentage points behind the joint winners.
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
Stc outright wins Consistent Quality, with a score of 63.5% — six percentage points ahead of Ooredoo and 8.7 percentage points ahead of Zain.
The scores reflect the percentage of tests in which users’ experience on a network is sufficient to support the requirements of more common demanding applications, such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications. This award replaces the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards used in previous reports.
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