Taiwan
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.
Taiwan
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
Chunghwa users have the fastest experience in Taiwan — both overall and on 5G
This is the third report in a row in which Chunghwa wins all four speed awards outright — Download Speed Experience, Upload Speed Experience, 5G Download Speed and 5G Upload Speed. Chunghwa wins with impressive leads — the average 5G download speeds seen by our Chunghwa users are 61.4Mbps (27.9%) faster than those seen on second-placed FarEasTone, while Chunghwa wins Download Speed Experience with a score of 71.2Mbps and a lead of 18Mbps over FarEasTone.
Taiwan Mobile comes top for Games Experience and 5G Video Experience
In a change from the last report, Taiwan Mobile is the new outright winner of the Games Experience award, as the statistical tie that existed between it and FarEasTone is no more. Taiwan Mobile wins with a score of 80.4 points on a 100-point scale, about 1.4 points ahead of statistically tied Chunghwa and FarEasTone. Similarly, Taiwan Mobile is now the sole winner of the 5G Video Experience award, after statistically tying with Chunghwa and FarEasTone in the previous report. Taiwan Mobile places first for the experience of our Taiwanese users when streaming on-demand mobile video over 5G connections with a score of 77.1 points on a 100-point scale. This gives it a lead of around 0.7 points over Chunghwa and FarEasTone given their identical scores of 76.4 points.
Chunghwa continues to win both Coverage Experience awards
Chunghwa remains the outright winner of the Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience awards. Opensignal’s coverage experience metrics measure the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. They represent the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage. Chunghwa wins Coverage Experience with a score of 9.2 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of around 1.1 points over FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile, given their statistically tied scores of 8.1-8.2 points. Similarly, Chunghwa commands a lead of 1.1 points for 5G Coverage Experience, as it scores 6.6 points and second-placed FarEasTone follows with 5.5 points.
FarEasTone comes top for Consistent Quality
Our FarEasTone users enjoy the most consistent experience in Taiwan as the operator is the new outright winner of the Consistent Quality award, dethroning the previous winner — Taiwan Mobile. FarEasTone wins with a score of 82.7%, giving it a narrow lead of 0.6 percentage points over the former winner’s 82.1%. 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 demanding typical tasks on their devices.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Chunghwa has scooped up the majority of awards this time around — it wins or jointly wins 10 out of 15 awards. It is the outright winner in six categories: all four speed experience awards (Download Speed Experience, Upload Speed Experience, 5G Download Speed, 5G Upload Speed) and both coverage experience awards (Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience).
The operator with the next largest haul is Taiwan Mobile, as it wins the Games Experience and 5G Video Experience awards outright and is a joint winner across a further five categories. FarEasTone is the outright winner of the Consistent Quality award and shares first place in four categories.
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has granted conditional approval to both the FarEasTone/GT and Taiwan Mobile/T Star mergers, doing so in July and October, respectively. According to the Taipei Times, Taiwan Mobile is looking to complete its merger with T Star by the end of the year. To address some of the FTC’s concerns, FarEasTone will work to expand the availability of voice over LTE (VoLTE), while continuing to invest in upgrading its network. In August, Taiwan Mobile’s board of directors approved the raising of its capital spending for 2023 to NT$15.65 billion (US$487.16 million) to fund the integration of its base stations with those of T Star.
The merger of Taiwan Mobile and T Star will start on December 1, 2023, while that of FarEasTone and GT will commence on December 15, 2023. As all four brands existed separately during the whole of the data collection period used by this report we have included them individually.
In this report, we have analyzed the mobile network experience of Taiwan’s operators in the 90-day period starting on August 1, 2023 and ending on October 29, 2023, to see how they measure up. We have used 5G measurements in addition to those from previous generations of mobile network technology when determining the scores for the overall experience metrics.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile remain locked in a statistical tie, sharing the overall Video Experience award with scores of 69.9-70 points on a 100-point scale — giving them a lead of around 1.4 points over the runner-up, FarEasTone. These three operators are the only ones in Taiwan to place in the Very Good (68-78) category, as GT and T Star earn Good (58-68) ratings instead.
A Very Good rating indicates that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. The same is true for those in the Good category but with 720p or better.
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
Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile are the first Taiwanese operators to win Opensignal’s new Live Video Experience award. They share it with identical scores of 63.5 points on a 100-point scale. In joint third place are FarEasTone and T Star with statistically tied scores of 60.4-60.7 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
Taiwan Mobile is the new sole winner of the Games Experience award. This is a change from the last report when it was a joint winner alongside FarEasTone. Taiwan Mobile wins with a score of 80.4 points on a 100-point scale, about 1.4 points ahead of Chunghwa and FarEasTone — given their statistically tied scores of 78.9-79 points. These three operators continue to place in the Good (75-85) category, while GT and T Star keep their Fair (65-75) ratings from the previous report.
A Good rating indicates 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
Yet again, Chunghwa is the sole winner of the Download Speed Experience award. It wins this time with a score of 71.2Mbps and a lead of 18Mbps over FarEasTone’s 53.2Mbps. Taiwan Mobile is in third place with 46.4Mbps; while T Star and GT bring up the rear with scores of 30.5Mbps and 29Mbps, respectively.
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
Chunghwa continues to be the outright winner of the Upload Speed Experience award. This time, the average overall upload speeds observed by our Chunghwa users — 11.8Mbps — are 0.8Mbps (7.3%) faster than those seen on second-placed FarEasTone. Taiwan Mobile comes third with 10.6Mbps — followed by T Star and GT with their scores of 7.1Mbps and 6.1Mbps, 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).
5G Experience
National Analysis
Taiwan Mobile wins the 5G Video Experience award outright, as our Taiwan Mobile users have the best available experience when streaming on-demand mobile video over 5G connections. This is a change from the last report, when it was statistically tied with Chunghwa and FarEasTone. Taiwan Mobile wins with a score of 77.1 points on a 100-point scale and leads Chunghwa and FarEasTone by around 0.7 points given their identical scores of 76.4 points.
However, all five Taiwanese operators continue to place in the Very Good (68-78) category. This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 720p or 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
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
Four operators share Opensignal’s new 5G Live Video Experience award with statistically tied scores of 69.6-71.2 points on a 100-point scale: Chunghwa, FarEasTone, T Star and Taiwan Mobile. GT is in last place with 69 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
In the last report, Chunghwa and FarEasTone shared the 5G Games Experience. This time, they are joined on the winners’ podium by Taiwan Mobile as the three operators’ scores of 87.4-87.9 points on a 100-point scale are statistically tied. The runners-up are GT and T Star with statistically tied scores of 83.4-83.9 points. Only the winning operators place in the Excellent (85 or above) category, while GT and T Star earn Good (75-85) ratings.
An Excellent rating indicates that the vast majority of users deem this 5G network experience acceptable. Nearly all users feel like they have control over the game and they receive immediate feedback on their actions. There is not a noticeable delay in almost all cases.
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
Chunghwa once again wins the 5G Download Speed award outright. The average 5G download speeds seen by our Chunghwa users — 281.6Mbps — are 61.4Mbps (27.9%) faster than the 220.2Mbps seen on second-placed FarEasTone. Taiwan Mobile is in third place with 186.3Mbps, while GT and T Star are in fourth and fifth place, respectively, with scores of 174.7Mbps and 107.1Mbps.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
Our Chunghwa users continue to observe the fastest average 5G upload speeds in Taiwan — 36.6Mbps, 7Mbps (23.7%) faster than the 29.6Mbps seen on second-placed FarEasTone. Taiwan Mobile is in third place with 26.1Mbps, while GT and T Star follow with 24.1Mbps and 19.9Mbps, respectively.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Coverage
Chunghwa
FarEasTone
GT
Taiwan Mobile
T Star
National Analysis
Chunghwa remains the only Taiwanese operator to win Opensignal’s new Coverage Experience award — which we introduced in the last report. It does so with a score of 9.2 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of around 1.1 points over FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile, which share second place with statistically tied scores of 8.1-8.2 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.
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
As with overall Coverage Experience, Chunghwa continues to win the 5G Coverage Experience award outright. It comes top with a score of 6.6 points on a 10-point scale, giving it a lead of 1.1 points over second-placed FarEasTone. Taiwan Mobile is in third place with 4.5 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.
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
FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile remain locked in a statistical tie for the Availability award, this time with statistically tied scores of 99.2-99.4%. Chunghwa is the runner-up with a score of 99.1%. Availability is the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection. It is not a measure of geographical or population coverage.
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
FarEasTone and GT share the 5G Availability award with statistically tied scores of 25.5-28.5% — the average proportion of time that our 5G users with these operators have an active 5G connection. Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile follow in joint third place with scores of 19.2-20.3%. 5G Availability is the proportion of time that Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription have an active 5G connection. It is not a measure of geographical or population coverage.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Map Definition
The coverage maps show the locations where we received measurements from users connecting with 3G or better mobile service. Each map provides an indication of the areas in which it is possible to obtain mobile service from that mobile operator.
Consistency
National Analysis
FarEasTone is the new outright winner of the Consistent Quality award, replacing the previous winner Taiwan Mobile. FarEasTone wins with a score of 82.7% and a lead of 0.6 percentage points over second-placed Taiwan Mobile’s 82.1%. Chunghwa is in third place with 81.2%.
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