Japan
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.
Japan
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
SoftBank takes home Consistency
SoftBank wins the Consistent Quality award with a score of 83.8%, 0.4 percentage points ahead of second-placed Rakuten Mobile. NTT docomo and au jointly come third with identical scores of 81.2%. These scores reflect the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality. This metric 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 demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
Rakuten Mobile retains both upload speed awards
Rakuten Mobile remains the sole winner of both Upload Speed Experience and 5G Upload Speed. Our Rakuten Mobile users enjoy overall upload speeds clocking in at 18.7Mbps — more than double the speed seen on the runner-up SoftBank. Rakuten Mobile also defends the 5G Upload Speed award with a score of 30.4Mbps, 55.4% faster than second-placed SoftBank and more than twice as fast as third-placed au.
SoftBank remains the sole winner for Games Experience and 5G Games Experience
SoftBank holds both Games Experience and 5G Games Experience in a firm grip. It wins Games Experience with a score of 81.7 points on a 100-point scale — around one point ahead of statistically tied au and Rakuten Mobile. SoftBank commands a wider lead over second-placed au for 5G Games Experience, of 4.5 points, as it wins the award with a score of 90.2 points. Both SoftBank and au place in the Excellent (85 or above) category for 5G Games Experience. This means nearly all respondents feel like they had control over the game, they receive immediate feedback on their actions and there is not a noticeable delay in almost all cases.
NTT docomo stays on the winners’ podium for both download speed awards
In the previous report, NTT docomo was the outright winner for both Download Speed Experience and 5G Download Speed. This time, however, due to the drops in its scores of 8Mbps and 26.6Mbps, the operator shares both awards with two different competitors. Both au and NTT docomo jointly win Download Speed Experience with nearly identical scores of 44.7-44.8Mbps — 3.8Mbps ahead of third-placed SoftBank. For 5G Download Speed, there is a statistical tie between NTT docomo and Rakuten Mobile, as both operators share the recognition with scores of 177.4-180.9Mbps.
SoftBank wins 5G Video Experience outright
Once again, SoftBank wins the 5G Video Experience award outright — this time with a score of 77.4 points on a 100-point scale. NTT docomo comes second, 2.6 points behind the winner, while au takes third place with a score of 74.5 points. All mobile operators in Japan rate as Very Good (68-78). This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling when connected to 5G.
NTT docomo claims Voice App Experience all to itself
In the previous report, au and NTT docomo were joint winners for Voice App Experience. This time around, NTT docomo wins the award outright with a score of 81.9 points on a 100-point scale. It does so by a hair, as it commands a lead of around 0.2 points over au, Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank, which are all in a statistical tie for second place with scores of 81.6-81.7 points. All operators place in the Good (80-87) category — many users are satisfied but some experience minor quality impairments.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In Opensignal's latest Japan 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. Opensignal also introduces new Coverage Experience metrics that measure the extent of overall and 5G coverage in the places people live, work, and travel.
SoftBank collects the highest number of awards in the report — five outright and four joint wins, including sole victories for both games categories and Consistent Quality. NTT docomo secures four sole wins — including both coverage awards — and shares two more. Meanwhile, Rakuten Mobile scores two outright wins for both upload categories and two further two joint victories — and au ends up with five shared wins. Noteworthily, Rakuten Mobile users enjoy significant improvements in overall metric scores, driven by steady developments of operator’s own 4G network.
Japanese mobile operators have been exploring satellite-to-mobile connectivity, to close the connectivity gap. Rakuten Mobile Mobile and US-based AST SpaceMobile have announced the successful completion of a two-way international voice call with standard mobile phones through a BlueWalker 3 (BW3) satellite. Meanwhile, au signed a contract with SpaceX to bring satellite-to-cellular services to Japan via the Starlink satellite service — which will help expanding au’s mobile connectivity to remote areas of the country. According to our analysis, while Japanese smartphone users have one of the lowest proportions of time spent with no signal globally, there remains a need for satellite connectivity to fill in gaps in mobile service across Japan.
In this report, we have analyzed the mobile network experience for Japan's four operators — au, NTT docomo, Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank — over the 90 days starting June 1, 2023, and ending August 29, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
NTT docomo and SoftBank shared the Video Experience award in the previous report. However, au replaces NTT docomo as a joint winner and shares it with SoftBank, with statistically tied scores of 69.7–70.2 points on a 100-point scale. NTT docomo and Rakuten Mobile statistically tie for third place, with scores of 69-69.3 points — around 0.8 points behind the joint winners. Regardless of the network to which they are subscribed, Opensignal users enjoy a Very Good (68-78) video experience. This means our 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
The first Live Video Experience award in Japan goes to au, Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank, with statistically tied scores of 61.8-62.3 points on a 100-point scale. NTT docomo comes last, but only losing by a hair, as it has a score of 61.7 points. All Japanese operators rank as Excellent (58 or above). 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.
Operators’ Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, but also live playback 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
SoftBank remains the sole winner of Games Experience with a score of 81.7 points on a 100-point scale — around one point ahead of statistically tied au and Rakuten Mobile. NTT docomo brings up the rear with a score of 77.7 points.
Our Japanese users across all operators enjoy a Good (75-85) gaming experience. Most users deem the experience acceptable and do not experience a delay between their actions and the game. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback 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
In the previous report, au and NTT docomo shared the top spot for Voice App Experience. This time around, NTT docomo wins the award outright with a score of 81.9 points on a 100-point scale — and with a winning margin of around 0.2 points over au, Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank, which are all in a statistical tie for second place with scores of 81.6-81.7 points. All operators place in the Good (80-87) category — many users are satisfied but some experience minor 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 last report, NTT docomo won Download Speed Experience. Our users on this network observe a decline in their average overall download speeds of 8Mbps, while their au peers see a drop of 1.1Mbps. As a result, both au and NTT docomo jointly win Download Speed Experience with nearly identical scores of 44.7-44.8Mbps — 3.8Mbps ahead of third-placed SoftBank, whose score remained statistically unchanged. Rakuten Mobile comes last with a score of 38.4Mbps, but our Rakuten Mobile users observe a boost in their average download speeds of 4.7Mbps.
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
Rakuten Mobile keeps the Upload Speed Experience award in a firm grip with a score of 18.7Mbps — more than twice as fast as SoftBank’s score of 8.7Mbps. Rakuten Mobile is the only operator with an increase in its Upload Speed Experience score — a rise of 0.4Mbps. Meanwhile, its competitors see declines in their scores ranging from 0.2Mbps and 0.3Mbps for au and SoftBank, respectively, to 1Mbps for NTT docomo.
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
We observed mixed fortunes across eight Japanese regions in the Overall section of the regional awards table, with sparse outright wins and frequent joint victories. Rakuten Mobile ends with the most sole victories across all categories and regions — eight, ahead of NTT docomo’s five outright wins, while both au and SoftBank enjoy three sole victories each. Au completes its award haul with 27 joint wins in the Overall section — ahead of SoftBank’s 25 shared victories.
NTT docomo wins two regional awards for Download Speed Experience in Chubu and Shikoku — in the latter, our users on this network enjoy the fastest regional average download speeds clocking in at 52.3Mbps, while au secures a single outright victory in Kanto. NTT docomo, au and SoftBank are all joint winners in four regions — and in Chugoku, Rakuten Mobile joins the winners’ podium due to a four-way statistical tie.
All of Rakuten Mobile’s outright wins in the regional award table are for Upload Speed Experience, where the operator again achieves a clean sweep, confirming its dominance in this category. Our users on this network enjoy the fastest average overall regional upload speeds in Kanto and Kinki, with scores of 19.2-19.3Mbps.
Our users observe only one sole win for Video Experience across Japanese regions — SoftBank wins outright in Chubu. Both au and SoftBank tie for first place in the remaining seven regions, with NTT docomo and Rakuten Mobile joining the winners’ podium in six and five regions, respectively. The competition for regional awards is even fiercer in the Live Video Experience category, with the four operators statistically tying in all eight Japan’s regions bar Kyushu, where NTT does not make it to the winners’ podium.
Two operators evenly split the award haul for Games Experience — au wins in Kyushu and Tohoku, while SoftBank triumphs in Chubu and Kinki. They share the awards in the remaining four regions, with Rakuten Mobile joining the winners’ podium in Kanto. NTT docomo secures three outright wins for Voice App Experience in Hokkaido, Kanto and Kyushu and five joint ones in the remaining regions. Meanwhile, au, SoftBank and Rakuten Mobile end with four, two and one regional award for this category, respectively.
Regional Analysis Summary: Japan, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
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A-I
- Chubu
- Chugoku
- Hokkaido
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J-R
- Kanto
- Kinki
- Kyushu
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S-Z
- Shikoku
- Tohoku
in Chubu
in Chubu
in Chubu
in Chubu
in Chubu
in Chubu
in Chugoku
in Chugoku
in Chugoku
in Chugoku
in Chugoku
in Chugoku
in Hokkaido
in Hokkaido
in Hokkaido
in Hokkaido
in Hokkaido
in Hokkaido
in Kanto
in Kanto
in Kanto
in Kanto
in Kanto
in Kanto
in Kinki
in Kinki
in Kinki
in Kinki
in Kinki
in Kinki
in Kyushu
in Kyushu
in Kyushu
in Kyushu
in Kyushu
in Kyushu
in Shikoku
in Shikoku
in Shikoku
in Shikoku
in Shikoku
in Shikoku
in Tohoku
in Tohoku
in Tohoku
in Tohoku
in Tohoku
in Tohoku
5G Experience
National Analysis
SoftBank defends 5G Video Experience with a score of 77.4 points on a 100 point scale — 2.6 points ahead of NTT docomo, 2.9 points ahead of au and 3.5 points ahead of Rakuten Mobile. All mobile operators in Japan place in the Very Good (68-78) category. This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling when connected to 5G.
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
SoftBank and au are the first joint winners of Live Video Experience in Japan, with statistically tied scores of 67.6-68 points on a 100-point scale. NTT docomo comes third with a score of 66.8 points and Rakuten Mobile brings up the rear, with a score of 64.3 points.
All Japanese operators rate as Excellent (58 or above). 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 when connected to 5G.
Operators’ 5G Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, but also live playback 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
SoftBank triumphs for 5G Games Experience once again, with a score of 90.2 points on a 100-point scale — 4.5 points ahead of the runner-up au. Both of them place in the Excellent (85 or above) category for 5G Games Experience. This means nearly all respondents feel like they had control over the game, they receive immediate feedback on their actions and there is not a noticeable delay in almost all cases when connected to 5G.
Rakuten Mobile takes the third spot with a score of 82.9 points, while NTT docomo comes last — 3.7 points behind Rakuten Mobile. These operators rate as Good (75-85).
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
SoftBank wins 5G Voice App Experience outright with a score of 84.1 points on a 100-point scale — 0.5 points ahead of second-placed au. Only 1.2 points separate all four Japanese operators. They all place in the Good (80-87) category — this means that many users are satisfied, but some experience minor quality impairments. Sometimes the background is not quite clear, it may be either hazy or not loud enough.
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
Due to a drop in its score of 26.6Mbps, NTT docomo is not the sole winner of 5G Download Speed anymore. The operator now shares the award with Rakuten Mobile with a statistically tied scores of 177.4-180.9Mbps. SoftBank comes third and au comes fourth — but their scores have improved by 7.4Mbps and 2.8Mbps respectively, while Rakuten Mobile’s score remains statistically unchanged since the previous 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
Rakuten Mobile retains the 5G Upload Speed award with a score of 30.4Mbps. Our Rakuten Mobile users enjoy 55.4% faster 5G upload speeds than those on second-placed SoftBank and more than twice as fast as their peers on third-placed au. NTT docomo brings up the rear with a score of 8.4Mbps.
Rakuten Mobile increases its lead over the runner-up from 8.2Mbps to 10.9Mbps, as SoftBank’s score drops by 1.6Mbps. Average 5G upload speeds decline for NTT docomo users by 0.8Mbps, while those on au see an increase of 0.7Mbps.
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
au
NTT docomo
Rakuten
SoftBank
National Analysis
NTT docomo is the first winner of Coverage Experience in Japan with a score of 9.1 points on a 10-point scale — beating second-placed Rakuten Mobile by 1.2 points. Rakuten Mobile has a domestic roaming agreement with au, which partly drives its Coverage Experience score.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses 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.
National Analysis
NTT docomo triumphs for 5G Coverage Experience, with a score of 3.4 points on a 10-point scale, one point ahead of au and 1.5 points ahead of SoftBank.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
5G Coverage Experience shows the proportion of places 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
Availability scores for all Japanese operators exceed 99% — which represents the amount of Opensignal users spend with a 5G, 4G or 3G mobile signal. NTT docomo remains the sole winner of the Availability award, due to its score of 99.7% — 0.1 percentage points ahead of au.
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
In the previous report, au was the sole winner of 5G Availability. However, SoftBank forces a statistical tie against au due to an increase in its score of 1.1 percentage points, compared to au’s boost of 0.6 percentage points. As a result, au and SoftBank share the winners’ podium for 5G Availability, with scores of 9.4-9.9%. This means, our 5G users spend more than 9% of their time with an active 5G connection on the winners’ networks.
NTT docomo takes the third spot with a score of 6.4%, after a 0.3 percentage point increase in its score, while Rakuten Mobile comes last, with a statistically unchanged 1.3%.
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.
Regional Analysis
There are no outright wins for Availability in any of Japan’s regions. However, au and NTT docomo jointly win across all eight regions, while Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank share the podium in three and four regions, respectively. Opensignal users observe two four-way statistical ties between all national operators in Chugoku and Shikoku.
Regional Analysis Summary: Japan, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
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A-I
- Chubu
- Chugoku
- Hokkaido
-
J-R
- Kanto
- Kinki
- Kyushu
-
S-Z
- Shikoku
- Tohoku
in Chubu
in Chugoku
in Hokkaido
in Kanto
in Kinki
in Kyushu
in Shikoku
in Tohoku
Consistency
National Analysis
SoftBank wins the Consistent Quality award with a score of 83.8%, 0.4 percentage points ahead of second-placed Rakuten Mobile. NTT docomo and au jointly come third with identical scores of 81.2%. These scores reflect the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality.
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.
Regional Analysis
SoftBank leads on the award count in the Consistency section, winning outright in two regions — Chubu and Kinki — and jointly in four more. Rakuten Mobile comes first in Chugoku and Kyushu and shares the winners’ podium with SoftBank in two more regions. Au and NTT secure single joint wins in Tohoku and Hokkaido, respectively, along with SoftBank. Rakuten Mobile exceeds 85% of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality in Shikoku, while SoftBank does so in Chubu, Kinki, and Shikoku.
Regional Analysis Summary: Japan, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
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A-I
- Chubu
- Chugoku
- Hokkaido
-
J-R
- Kanto
- Kinki
- Kyushu
-
S-Z
- Shikoku
- Tohoku
in Chubu
in Chugoku
in Hokkaido
in Kanto
in Kinki
in Kyushu
in Shikoku
in Tohoku
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