Philippines
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.
Philippines
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
Globe users have a mobile signal in the most locations where people live, work and travel
Globe is the first Filipino operator to win Opensignal’s new Coverage Experience award. It does so with a score of 7.1 points on a 10-point scale, fractionally ahead of Smart’s 7.05 points. DITO, as might be expected given its status as the country’s newest mobile operator, is further behind with 3.06 points. Coverage Experience measures the geographic coverage of populated areas from users on 2G, 3G, 4G, & 5G connections.
DITO users have the best overall experience when playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections
DITO is the new outright winner of the Games Experience award, replacing Globe which has dropped back to third place. DITO comes top with a score of 63.1 points on a 100-point scale, giving it a lead of 1.4 points over second-placed Smart’s 61.7 points and 2.4 points over Globe. DITO’s victory was driven by an impressive 12.4-point rise in its score from the previous report, while our Smart and Globe users observed increases of 4.1 points and two points, respectively.
Globe wins all four video awards
Our Globe users have the best experience in the Philippines when viewing both on-demand and live video streams, when measured across both all generations of mobile technology and on 5G connections alone. Globe comes top for Video Experience and Live Video Experience with scores of 56.9 points and 51.7 points on 100-point scales, respectively, beating second-placed DITO by 1.3 and 3.6 points. Similarly, Globe wins the 5G Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience awards outright with scores of 72 points and 66.3 points, respectively — ahead of Smart by 4.6 and six points.
Smart users see the fastest overall download speeds
Smart continues to be the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award, it wins this time with a score of 27.2Mbps. However, DITO has cut into its winning margin — dropping it from 2.6Mbps in the last report to 1.4Mbps. This is because, while all three operators’ scores have increased since last time around, DITO’s score rose by 3Mbps — while our Smart and Globe users observed increases of 1.8Mbps and 1.5Mbps, respectively.
DITO performs strongly on 5G in the regions where it is present
It is still too soon to include DITO in the national 5G results. However, in the four regions where we are able to analyze the 5G experience of our DITO users, the Philippines’ newest operator comes top — either jointly or outright — for 5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, 5G Download Speed, 5G Upload Speed and 5G Availability. It is the outright winner across all four regions for 5G Download Speed and narrowly falls short of the same feat for 5G Upload Speed, being the sole winner in Calabarzon, Central Visayas and Metropolitan Manila. It also is the outright winner across all four regions for 5G Availability.
Smart 5G users spend the most time connected to 5G and find it in the most locations
Smart claims the 5G Coverage Experience award, the first operator in the Philippines to do so. It wins with a score of 1.2 points on a 10-point scale, putting it well ahead of Globe’s 0.5 points. In addition, Smart remains the outright winner of the 5G Availability award as our Smart 5G users spend 13% with their time with an active 5G connection, compared to Globe 5G users’ 10.7%. Smart’s lead for 5G Availability has shrunk since the last report, as its score has dropped by 2.9 percentage points, while Globe’s has risen by 1.5 percentage points.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Globe narrowly collects the most awards nationally, winning six outright: all four video awards (Video Experience, Live Video Experience, 5G Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience), 5G Games Experience and Coverage Experience. Smart has the next largest haul, remaining the sole winner of the Download Speed Experience, 5G Download Speed and 5G Availability awards, while also winning the new 5G Coverage Experience award and replacing Globe as the sole winner of the 5G Upload Speed award. DITO wins outright in four categories — one less than Smart — as it comes top for Games Experience, Upload Speed Experience, Availability and Consistent Quality. The Consistent Quality award replaces the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards that featured in previous reports.
This is the first report on the mobile experience of our users in the Philippines to include the new Live Video Experience, 5G Live Video Experience, Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience awards. The first two quantify the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's networks – across all generations of mobile technology in the case of Live Video Experience and across 5G networks with 5G Live Video Experience. They assess a number of technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time, stall rate and live playback offset — the lag between the live event taking place and the viewer seeing it unfold on their device.
Opensignal’s coverage experience metrics measure the geographic coverage of populated areas, thereby indicating the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel.
Globe was recently recognized as a 5G Global Rising Star in Opensignal’s 5G Mobile Network Experience Awards 2023. Our Globe users observed the largest year-on-year (YoY) percentage increase in 5G Games Experience in Group I (markets with a land area greater than 200,000km2) — a rise of 30.3%.
In other news, Globe announced in July 2023 that it had enabled end-to-end network slicing on its 5G standalone access network.
In this report, we've analyzed the mobile network experience of the Philippines' three national operators (DITO, Globe and Smart) in the 90 days starting on July 1, 2023 and ending on September 28, 2023 both nationally and regionally. We have also analyzed the experience of our Filipino users when they connect to 5G technology. While it is still too early to include DITO in our national 5G analysis, we have reported on the 5G experience of our DITO users in the four regions where DITO has announced that it has 5G coverage areas.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Globe wins the Video Experience award for the second time in a row. It wins this time with a score of 56.9 points on a 100-point scale, giving it a lead of 1.3 points over second-placed DITO. Smart, which was the outright winner back in the October 2022 report, remains in third place with 52.1 points.
All three operators place in the Fair (48-58) category. This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and substantial stalling.
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
Globe is the first Filipino operator to win the Live Video Experience award. It does so with a score of 51.7 points on a 100-point scale. DITO is in second place with 48.2 points, while Smart brings up the rear with 47.4 points.
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
DITO replaces Globe as the outright winner of Games Experience. It wins with a score of 63.1 points on a 100-point scale, giving it a lead of 1.4 points over second-placed Smart’s 61.7 points and 2.4 points over Globe — which has dropped from first place to last. DITO’s victory was driven by a remarkable rise of 12.4 points in its score from the previous report, while our Smart and Globe users observed increases of 4.1 points and two points, respectively.
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
Smart remains the outright winner of the Download Speed Experience award, coming top this time around with a score of 27.2Mbps. However, while it wins with a lead of 1.4Mbps over DITO, this is down from the winning margin of 2.6Mbps it commanded in the previous report. DITO has cut into Smart’s lead as its score rose by 3Mbps, while the average overall download speeds observed by our Smart users rose by 1.8Mbps. Globe’s score increased by 1.5Mbps and it therefore remains firmly in last place, this time with a score of 17.7Mbps.
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
DITO wins the Upload Speed Experience award for the fourth time in a row. It wins this time around with a score of 6.3Mbps, beating the runner-up — Smart — by 1.5Mbps. The average overall upload speeds seen by our DITO users are nearly 30% faster than those observed by Smart users. Globe is in third place with 4.7Mbps, narrowly behind Smart. DITO’s score has risen by 1.1Mbps (22.1%) from the previous report, while Smart’s and Globe’s have risen by 0.6Mbps (14.9%) and 0.3Mbps (6.8%), respectively.
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
DITO performs strongly at the regional level, as out of a possible 85 overall experience awards it wins 36 outright and 19 jointly. In comparison, Globe picks up 16 outright victories and shares first place in a further 14. Finally, Smart wins 13 awards outright and 11 jointly. DITO’s haul is mainly for Games Experience and Upload Speed Experience, but it also has the second-largest collection of regional awards for Video Experience and Live Video Experience after Globe.
Globe narrowly has the most success regionally for Video Experience, winning outright in six regions and jointly in a further six. DITO nearly achieves the same, falling short by a single outright win, while Smart doesn’t come first in any regions for Video Experience, either jointly or outright. Our Globe users in Metropolitan Manila observe the best Video Experience, given their score of 61.5 points on a 100-point scale.
However, Globe dominates Live Video Experience, winning outright in 10 regions and sharing first place in a further three. DITO is the sole winner in four regions and wins alongside Globe in Calabarzon and Western Visayas, while Smart is only present on the winners’ podium alongside Globe in Bangsamoro. As is the case with Video Experience, our Globe users in Metropolitan Manila report the highest regional score for Live Video Experience — 56.4 points on a 100-point scale.
DITO, the national winner for Games Experience, also performs strongly in this regard regionally, racking up 10 outright wins and sharing the winners’ podium with one or more of its rivals in five regions. Smart is the outright winner in Bangsamoro and Calabarzon. All three operators share first place in Bicol, Ilocos and Mimaropa, DITO and Smart come joint top in Central Luzon, while DITO and Globe do the same in Cagayan Valley. DITO has the highest regional score for Games Experience across all three operators in Metropolitan Manila — 68.7 points on a 100-point scale.
Turning to Download Speed Experience, Smart — the national winner — wins outright in 10 regions and ties in a further five for first place alongside DITO. DITO wins outright in Central Visayas and Metropolitan Manila. Our DITO users observe the fastest average download speeds regionally in Metropolitan Manila with 34Mbps — immediately followed by Smart users in the same region with 33.4Mbps.
DITO wins outright or jointly in all the regions in which we analyzed the experience of our users on its network for Upload Speed Experience. It picks up 15 outright wins alongside a single joint win alongside Globe and Smart in Northern Mindanao. In Bangsamoro where Smart and Globe fight it out alone, Smart wins outright.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
-
A-I
- Bangsamoro
- Bicol
- Cagayan Valley
- Calabarzon
- Caraga
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
- Cordillera
- Davao
- Eastern Visayas
- Ilocos
-
J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
- Mimaropa
- Northern Mindanao
-
S-Z
- Soccsksargen
- Western Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bangsamoro
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Caraga
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
5G Experience
National Analysis
This is the fourth report in a row in which our Globe users have the best experience in the Philippines when streaming on-demand mobile video over 5G connections. Globe wins the 5G Video Experience award outright, this time with a score of 72 points on a 100-point scale, giving it a lead of 4.6 points over second-placed Smart. Globe’s winning margin is almost unchanged from the previous report when it led Smart by 4.5 points. While both operators’ scores have fallen from the last report, by 2.3-2.4 points, this change means that Globe is the only operator to stay in the Very Good (68-78) category, as Smart drops down to Good (58-68).
A Very Good rating for 5G Video Experience indicates that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling when connected to 5G. Placing in the Good category means that they are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
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
As with Live Video Experience, Globe is the first operator in the Philippines to win the 5G Live Video Experience award. It comes top with a score of 66.3 points on a 100-point scale, six points ahead of Smart’s 60.3 points.
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
Globe wins the 5G Games Experience award outright for the second report in a row, after sharing the award with Smart back in the October 2022 report. Globe wins this time with a score of 73.2 points on a 100-point scale, giving it a lead of 5.9 points over Smart. However, this is down from the winning margin of 8.8 points that Globe commanded in the previous report, as Smart’s score has risen by 2.5 points, while Globe’s is statistically unchanged.
Both operators place in the Fair (65-75) category for the experience of our users when playing multiplayer mobile games over 5G connections. This means that they find the experience to be ‘average’. In most cases the game is responsive to the actions of the player with most users feeling like they have control over the game. The majority of players notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
Smart remains unbeaten for the average 5G download speeds observed by our users. It wins the 5G Download Speed award outright for the fifth time in a row, this time around with a score of 139.2Mbps — 44.8Mbps (47.4%) higher than Globe’s. Smart’s winning margin has increased from the last report when it led Globe by 22.5Mbps and this change has been driven by a 16.3Mbps drop in Globe’s score along with a 6Mbps increase in Smart’s.
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
Smart is the new outright winner of the 5G Upload Speed award — ending Globe’s two-report-long winning streak. This time around, our Smart users observe average 5G upload speeds of 12Mbps, 0.9Mbps (8.4%) faster than those with Globe. Smart’s victory was driven by a 1.1Mbps (9.9%) rise in its score together with a drop of 0.5Mbps (4.4%) in Globe’s.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Regional Analysis
In this section, we have analyzed the 5G experience of our Filipino users in 15 regions, including four where we are able to include results for DITO — Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Davao and Metropolitan Manila.
In these four regions, DITO places first — jointly or outright across all four categories (5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, 5G Download Speed and 5G Upload Speed). The operator wins outright in all four regions for 5G Download Speed and comes close to doing the same for 5G Upload Speed as it wins outright in Calabarzon, Central Visayas and Metropolitan Manila, but ties with Globe in Davao.
For 5G Video Experience, Globe wins outright in Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas, while being a joint winner in a further 11 regions. DITO is the only other operator to win outright, doing so in Central Visayas and tying alongside Globe in three regions. Smart is a joint winner in eight regions, all alongside Globe.
Our DITO users have the best regional experience while playing multiplayer mobile games over 5G connections in Metropolitan Manila, while the same is true for Globe users in Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Western Visayas. Globe shares first place with Smart in eight regions and with DITO in three.
Smart users observe the fastest average 5G download speeds in 11 regions, while the same is true for DITO users in all the regions where it has been included. Our DITO users in Central Visayas and Metropolitan Manila report the fastest average 5G download speeds with statistically tied scores of 334.8-344.6Mbps.
Smart also picks up six outright wins for 5G Upload Speed, while DITO does the same in three regions and ties with Globe in Davao. Globe shares first place with Smart in the remaining five regions.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
-
A-I
- Bicol
- Cagayan Valley
- Calabarzon
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
- Cordillera
- Davao
- Eastern Visayas
- Ilocos
-
J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
- Mimaropa
- Northern Mindanao
-
S-Z
- Soccsksargen
- Western Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Davao
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
Coverage
DITO
Globe
Smart
National Analysis
Globe is the first operator in the Philippines to win Opensignal’s new Coverage Experience award. It does so by a hair’s breadth — winning with 7.10 points to Smart’s 7.05 points on a 10-point scale. DITO, as might be expected given that it has less time to roll out its network than its more established rivals, is further behind with 3.06 points.
While Opensignal normally report its metrics to one decimal place, in the rare instances with the coverage experience metrics where two operators share the same scores to one decimal place, we show them to two decimal places instead.
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
Smart is the first operator in the Philippines to win Opensignal’s new 5G Coverage Experience award. It does so with a score of 1.2 points on a 10-point scale, easily beating Globe’s score of 0.5 points. Both operators’ relatively low scores indicate that the roll-out of 5G in the Philippines is still at a fairly early stage.
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
DITO remains the only Filipino operator to win the Availability award, since its introduction in the April 2022 report. It comes top this time with a score of 98.6%, giving it a lead of 1.9 percentage points over second-placed Smart, while Globe lags DITO and Smart by 4.8 and 2.9 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.
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
Smart remains unbeaten on 5G Availability — the operator has won every 5G Availability award outright since Opensignal’s first report on the Filipino 5G experience back in October 2021. In this report, Smart wins with a score of 13% — the average proportion of time that our Smart 5G users have an active 5G connection. Globe places second with 10.7%, 2.3 percentage points behind Smart. However, Smart’s winning margin is much lower than it was in the previous report, when it led by 6.7 percentage points. This is because Smart’s score has dropped by 2.9 percentage points, while Globe’s rose by 1.5 percentage points.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
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
Starting with Availability, DITO — the national winner — wins outright in all but two of the regions where it is included, with the exceptions being Cordillera and Ilocos where it shares first place with Smart. Globe and Smart are statistically tied for first place in Bangsamoro.
Our DITO 5G users spend the highest proportion of time with an active 5G connection in all four regions in which we are able to include DITO in the regional analysis – Calabarzon, Central Visayas, Davao and Metropolitan Manila. Smart wins outright in six regions and shares first place with Globe in a further four. Our DITO users in Metropolitan Manila report the highest regional score for 5G Availability — an impressive 39.3%.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
-
A-I
- Bangsamoro
- Bicol
- Cagayan Valley
- Calabarzon
- Caraga
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
- Cordillera
- Davao
- Eastern Visayas
- Ilocos
-
J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
- Mimaropa
- Northern Mindanao
-
S-Z
- Soccsksargen
- Western Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
in Bangsamoro
in Bicol
in Bicol
in Cagayan Valley
in Cagayan Valley
in Calabarzon
in Calabarzon
in Caraga
in Central Luzon
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Central Visayas
in Cordillera
in Cordillera
in Davao
in Davao
in Eastern Visayas
in Eastern Visayas
in Ilocos
in Ilocos
in Metropolitan Manila
in Metropolitan Manila
in Mimaropa
in Mimaropa
in Northern Mindanao
in Northern Mindanao
in Soccsksargen
in Soccsksargen
in Western Visayas
in Western Visayas
in Zamboanga Peninsula
in Zamboanga Peninsula
Consistency
National Analysis
DITO wins Consistent Quality outright — with a score of 57.9%, beating Smart’s and Globe’s scores by 4.1 and 8.2 percentage points, respectively. Consistent Quality replaces the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards, which and DITO won both of in the previous report.
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
Smart is the outright winner for Consistent Quality in Metropolitan Manila and Bangsamoro but in all the other regions, DITO reigns supreme. Our Smart users in Metropolitan Manila see the highest regional score for Consistent Quality — 66%.
Regional Analysis Summary: Philippines, Mobile Network Experience Report, October 2023
-
A-I
- Bangsamoro
- Bicol
- Cagayan Valley
- Calabarzon
- Caraga
- Central Luzon
- Central Visayas
- Cordillera
- Davao
- Eastern Visayas
- Ilocos
-
J-R
- Metropolitan Manila
- Mimaropa
- Northern Mindanao
-
S-Z
- Soccsksargen
- Western Visayas
- Zamboanga Peninsula
in Bangsamoro
in Bicol
in Cagayan Valley
in Calabarzon
in Caraga
in Central Luzon
in Central Visayas
in Cordillera
in Davao
in Eastern Visayas
in Ilocos
in Metropolitan Manila
in Mimaropa
in Northern Mindanao
in Soccsksargen
in Western Visayas
in Zamboanga Peninsula
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.
Check how your internet connection impacts your favorite apps with the Meteor App
Journalists, please retain the Opensignal logo and copyright
(© Opensignal Limited) information when using this image.
This image may not be used for any commercial purpose, including use in advertisements or other promotional content, without prior written consent.
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