Sweden
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.
Sweden
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
Telia storms ahead for Coverage Experience
Telia takes home both Coverage Experience awards — overall Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience — and is the first Swedish operator to do so. It wins Coverage Experience outright with a score of 7.18 points on a 10-point scale and a 0.55-point lead over second-placed Telenor. Telia wins 5G Coverage Experience with a score of 2.72 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of around one point over Telenor and Tele2, which share second place with identical scores of 1.72 points.
Tele2 joins 3 on the winners’ podium for Availability
Tele2 steps onto the winners’ podium for Availability, sharing the award with the previous outright winner 3. The pair win the award jointly with nearly perfect scores of 99.2-99.5%, meaning that our users on these two networks spend nearly 100% of their time with a 3G or better connection. Looking at the time our 5G users spend with an active 5G connection — 5G Availability — Telia is victorious, winning outright with a score of 9.1%.
Our users have the most consistent experience on 3’s network
3 takes home the gold for Consistent Quality with a score of 86.5% and a lead of around one percentage point over the two operators that share second place — Telia and Telenor. Consistent Quality measures whether 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.
Tele2 pulls into joint first place for overall Video Experience
Tele2 is the new joint winner of the Video Experience award, replacing 3 — Tele2 joins Telia on the winners’ podium with their statistically level scores of 69.3-70.7 points on a 100-point scale. Tele2 also retains its joint win for 5G Video Experience, sharing the award with Telenor.
Telenor is way out in front for 5G Download Speed
Telenor remains the outright winner of the 5G Download Speed. Our Telenor users’ blisteringly fast average 5G download speeds of 419Mbps place it 179.5Mbps ahead of the closest competitor, Tele2, which places second with a score of 239.5Mbps.
Telia is in first place for Live Video Experience
Telia wins Live Video Experience outright on the award’s inaugural inclusion in Swedish mobile network reports. It does so with a score of 65.3 points on a 100-point scale — 3, Telenor and Tele2 all place in second with their statistically tied scores of 62-63 points. Furthermore, all four operators share the 5G Live Video Experience award with tied scores of 71.4-72.7 points.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In the latest Opensignal report on the mobile network experience in Sweden, we have added Live Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience metrics. These provide insights into the overall and 5G experiences of our users while streaming real-time video on mobile networks. Additionally, Opensignal has introduced its new Coverage Experience metrics to assess the extent of overall and 5G coverage in the locations where our users reside, work, and travel. The Consistent Quality metric now replaces the Excellent Consistent Quality and Core Consistent Quality awards that featured in previous reports.
Telia leads the pack in terms of total award wins, taking home 11 first-place finishes — six outright and five joint. Telia notably breaks out of a tie for 5G Availability and scoops up both new Coverage Experience awards. The operator also continues to place at least joint first for all five overall experience awards, after winning Live Video Experience outright.
Telenor and Tele2 each have six award wins. Telenor shares five first-place finishes, but truly shines in its outright win for 5G Download Speed, where it leaves the competition in the dust with its score of 419Mbps. Tele2 has no outright wins this time, but shares the podium for Availability and Video Experience, among other awards. In a big change since the previous report, 3 has gone from top of the awards table to the bottom — winning just five awards. It does, however, take home the Consistent Quality award all to itself, sharing a further four awards with one or more of its rivals.
Telia has stated that its 5G coverage hit 77% in its report for the period ending September 2023, up from 73% for the prior quarter. Telia is significantly ahead of the competition in Opensignal’s 5G Coverage Experience in the current report.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the four main mobile network operators in Sweden — 3, Tele2, Telenor and Telia — over a period of 90 days starting on August 1, 2023 and ending on October 29, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Tele2 is the new joint winner of the Video Experience award, replacing 3 — Tele2 joins Telia on the winners’ podium with their statistically level scores of 69.3-70.7 points on a 100-point scale. 3 and Telenor tie for third with their scores of 68.5-69.1 points.
All operators place in the lower end of the Very Good (68-78) category, meaning that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little 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
Telia wins Live Video Experience outright on the award’s inaugural inclusion in Swedish mobile network reports. It does so with a score of 65.3 points on a 100-point scale — 3, Telenor and Tele2 all share second place with statistically tied scores of 62-63 points.
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.
Our Swedish users have an Excellent (58 or above) Live Video Experience on all four networks. An Excellent rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
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
Telia, Telenor and Tele2 are joint winners of the Games Experience award with statistically tied scores of 75.4-76.5 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around 2.4 points over 3, which places fourth with its score of 73.5 points.
Telia, Telenor and Tele2 place in the Good (75-85) category, while 3 places one category lower — Fair (65-75).
A Good (75-85) rating means that most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and 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
Telia wins the Download Speed Experience award outright for the second consecutive time. Telia wins with a score of 63.3Mbps, just 3.1Mbps (5.2%) above runner-up Telenor. 3 and Tele2 share third place with statistically tied scores of 56.5-56.9Mbps.
Telenor is gaining on Telia as Telenor’s score has increased by 7.3Mbps from the previous report while Telia's score dropped by 3.6Mbps. Additionally, 3's score has decreased by 5Mbps and Tele2's score hasn't changed by a statistically significant amount since the previous report.
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
Telia comes top for Upload Speed Experience — an award it has won outright in every Opensignal Swedish mobile network experience report. It wins this time with a score of 14.9Mbps and around 1.7Mbps (12.9%) faster than 3, Telenor and Tele2, which all tie for second place with statistically similar scores of 12.9-13.4Mbps.
Telia's lead over second place has decreased since the previous report as its score has dropped by 1.4Mbps, while 3's score fell by 1.2Mbps. Telenor's and Tele2's scores have not changed by a significant amount since the previous report.
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
Telenor and Tele2 win the 5G Video Experience award jointly, as Telia and 3 drop down to third place. Telenor and Tele2 come first with scores of 77.5-77.6 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around 1.2 points over statistically tied Telia and 3.
All four operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category, the same as for the overall award — although for 5G Video Experience all the operators place at the top end of the category.
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
All of the Swedish operators share the new 5G Live Video Experience award. Telia, Tele2, 3 and Telenor share the award with statistically tied scores of 71.4-72.7 points on a 100-point scale.
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.
All operators place in the Excellent (58 or above) category, meaning that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
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
For the third report in a row, all of the major mobile operators in Sweden share the 5G Games Experience award — this time with statistically tied scores of 84.3-85 points on a 100-point scale.
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
Telenor wins the 5G Download Speed award outright once again. The lightning-fast average 5G download speeds observed by our Telenor users — 419Mbps — are leagues ahead of those seen on the competition, 74.9% faster than the speeds seen on Tele2, which is in second place with its score of 239.5Mbps. Our Telenor users’ 5G download speed is also around double that of those on Telia and 3, which share third place with statistically level scores of 207-214.5Mbps.
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
Telia, 3 and Telenor jointly win the 5G Upload Speed award — this is a change from the previous report when all four operators shared the award. Telia, 3 and Telenor tie with scores of 36-37.2Mbps and around 2.8Mbps (8.3%) faster than Tele2’s 33.7Mbps. Tele2 slips down to fourth place due to its score decreasing by 4.4Mbps (11.6%), while Telia's, 3's and Telenor's scores have not changed by a significant amount from the previous report.
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
National Analysis
Telia is the first Swedish operator to win the new Coverage Experience award. Telia wins outright with a score of 7.18 points on a 10-point scale, 0.55 points above second-placed Telenor. Tele2 and 3 come third and fourth, respectively, with scores of 6.58 points and 5.95 points.
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.
National Analysis
As with the overall award, Telia also wins the 5G Coverage Experience award outright. It does so with a score of 2.72 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of around one point over Telenor and Tele2, which place in second with their identical scores of 1.72 points. 3 brings up the rear in fourth place.
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.
National Analysis
Tele2 steps onto the winners’ podium for Availability, sharing the award with previous outright winner 3. The pair win the award jointly with near-perfect scores of 99.2-99.5%. Telenor places in third with its score of 99.2%, narrowly missing out on the top spot as its confidence intervals do not overlap with 3’s. Telia comes fourth with a score of 98.4%.
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.
National Analysis
Telia wins the 5G Availability award outright with a score of 9.1%, breaking out of the statistical tie it was in with 3 in the previous report. 3 moves down to second place, tied with Telenor and Tele2, around 2.9 percentage points below Telia.
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.
Consistency
National Analysis
3 wins the Consistent Quality award outright with a score of 86.5% and a lead of around one percentage point over second-placed Telia and Telenor with their statistically tied scores of 85.3-85.5%. Tele2 comes fourth with a score of 81.4%.
Consistent Quality replaces the Core Consistent Quality and Excellent Consistent Quality awards used in previous reports. It measures whether 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.
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