Brazil
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.
Brazil
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
TIM defends the Consistent Quality award
Our users in Brazil enjoy the most consistent quality of mobile experience on TIM’s network. The operator wins the Consistent Quality award outright for the second time in a row, scoring 63.4% and a lead of 4.3 percentage points over Claro. Vivo comes third with a score of 58.6%. All operators have seen improvements in their scores — TIM's and Vivo’s scores have grown by 3.3 and 2.3 percentage points, respectively, while Claro's has risen by 1.4 percentage points. As a result, TIM increases its winning margin over second-placed Claro from 2.4 to 4.3 percentage points.
Our Claro users enjoy the fastest average overall speeds in Brazil
Once again, Claro wins both overall speed awards — Download Speed Experience and Upload Speed Experience. Claro takes home the Download Speed Experience award with a score of 27.2Mbps and a lead of 1Mbps (3.8%) over Vivo. TIM comes third with a score of 26.1Mbps. All Brazil operators see increases in their scores, ranging from 3.6Mbps (15.2%) for Claro to 4.8Mbps (22.5%) for TIM. Claro triumphs for Upload Speed Experience with a score of 8.5Mbps, beating Vivo by 0.4Mbps (5.1%).
TIM takes home both newly introduced live video streaming awards
Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events, such as live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news. TIM wins the Live Video Experience award outright with a score of 49.6 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of 4.8 points over Claro. TIM also comes first for 5G Live Video Experience with a score of 64.9 points on a 100-point scale, beating statistically tied Claro and Vivo by around 2.1 points.
Vivo wins both 5G speed awards outright for the third consecutive time
Vivo wins the 5G Download Speed award outright with a score of 384.3Mbps and a lead of around 29.5Mbps (8.3%) over Claro. Claro has overtaken TIM for second place after an impressive increase in its score of 53.2Mbps. Vivo also comes first for 5G Upload Speed with a score of 33.3Mbps. Claro takes the second spot, 1.5Mbps behind the winner as, due to an increase in its score of 2.7Mbps, it breaks out of a statistical tie it was in with TIM.
TIM claims the 5G Video Experience award all to itself
In the previous report, TIM and Vivo were joint winners of 5G Video Experience. This time, however, TIM takes home this award with a score of 74.7 points on a 100-point scale. All Brazilian operators rate as Very Good (68-78) for 5G Video Experience — which means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Claro achieves the Excellent rating for 5G Games Experience
Claro remains the sole winner of both games experience awards — Games Experience and 5G Games Experience, with scores of 64.4 points and 85 points on 100-point scales. Claro is the only operator in Brazil to rate as Excellent (85 or above) for 5G Games Experience. This means nearly all users feel like they have control over the game and they receive immediate feedback on their actions.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In Opensignal's latest Brazil Mobile Network Experience report we introduce Live Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience, which represent the overall and 5G experience of our users when streaming real-time video over mobile networks.
TIM is the most awarded mobile network in Brazil this time around, with seven awards won outright. The operator claims all of the Video and Live Video Experience awards — both overall and 5G — along with Availability, 5G Availability and Consistent Quality. Claro ends with four outright wins under its belt — both overall speed awards and both gaming experience awards. Vivo’s award haul is more modest, although the operator reconfirms its supremacy for both 5G speed awards, winning both of them for the third time in a row.
Since July 2022, Anatel has approved 3.5GHz 5G standalone access deployments across 3,079 Brazilian towns and cities, which means 81% of the Brazilian population (around 172 million people). Currently, the 5G infrastructure has been rolled out across 513 municipalities, with more than 17,000 5G cell sites deployed — around 20% of the overall cell site volume in Brazil. The regulator targets completing the authorization of 5G access to all 5,570 municipalities by 2026 — these deployments are mainly focused on urban parts, while rural areas have yet to fully experience the benefits of 5G. Anatel has also earmarked 120MHz in the 4.9GHz band for future 5G use and is looking for applicants to facilitate the process of transitioning Brazilian mobile users from 2G and 3G to newer network generations.
While our report focuses on mobile network experience on Brazil’s national networks — regional players have also been launching and expanding their 5G services across the country, e.g. Algar, Brisanet and Unifique.
In this report, we examine the mobile network experience of our users on the three main mobile network operators in Brazil – Claro, TIM, and Vivo – over the period of 90 days between October 1, 2023 and December 29, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
TIM defends the Video Experience award with a score of 57.9 points on a 100-point scale, commanding a lead of 4.3 points over the runner-up Claro. Meanwhile, Vivo comes third with a score of 52.1 points. All operators’ scores have decreased compared to the previous report — from TIM’s drop of 0.5 points to Vivo's decline in score of two points.
All operators rate as Fair (48-58). This means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and substantial stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
TIM becomes the first-ever winner of Live Video Experience in Brazil. It secures the award outright with a score of 49.6 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of 4.8 points over the runner-up Claro. Vivo comes third with a score of 44.5 points.
Regardless of their choice of an operator, our users in Brazil experience Good (43-53) live video streaming services. This means that they are, on average, able to stream video at least at 720p with satisfactory loading times, little stalling, and a substantial live offset.
Operators’ Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time, and stall rate, but also live playback offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
Claro wins the Games Experience award outright with a score of 64.4 points on a 100-point scale. Claro commands a lead of 1.4 points over TIM, which comes second with its score of 63.1 points. Vivo takes the third spot with a score of 61.5 points — but is the only operator with a score that has increased since the previous report, by 2.5 points.
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
Claro takes home the Download Speed Experience award with a score of 27.2Mbps and a winning margin of 1Mbps (3.8%) over Vivo. TIM comes third with a score of 26.1Mbps. Our users on all operators have enjoyed boosts in their average overall download speeds, ranging from 3.6Mbps for Claro to 4.8Mbps for TIM.
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
Claro triumphs for Upload Speed Experience — it wins the award with a score of 8.5Mbps, beating Vivo by 0.4Mbps (5.1%). TIM comes third with a score of 7.8Mbps.
Claro's and Vivo’s scores have improved by 0.4Mbps and 0.1Mbps, respectively, while TIM’s Upload Speed Experience score dropped by 0.1Mbps 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
In the previous report, TIM and Vivo were joint winners of 5G Video Experience. This time, however, TIM takes home this award with a score of 74.7 points on a 100-point scale.
All Brazilian operators rate as Very Good (68-78) — which means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling while connected to 5G.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
TIM takes the top spot for 5G Live Video Experience with a score of 64.9 points on a 100-point scale, beating statistically tied Claro and Vivo by around 2.1 points. All Brazilian national operators place in the Excellent (58 or above) category. This 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 while connected to 5G.
Operators’ 5G Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time, and stall rate, but also live playback offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike 5G Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, 5G Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
5G Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world live video streams when they were connected to 5G.
National Analysis
Claro keeps leadership of 5G Games Experience in a firm grip, with a score of 85 points on a 100-point scale. It commands a winning margin of 0.4 points over second-placed Vivo. Claro is the only operator in Brazil to rate as Excellent (85 or above) for 5G Games Experience. This means 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
For the third time in a row Vivo wins the 5G Download Speed award outright, this time with a score of 384.3Mbps. It commands a lead of 29.5Mbps (8.3%) over Claro. Claro has overtaken TIM for second place after an impressive increase in its score of 53.2Mbps. while both TIM and Vivo have observed dips in their scores, 5.3Mbps and 18.9Mbps, respectively.
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
Vivo secures 5G Upload Speed for the third consecutive time, with a score of 33.3Mbps. Claro comes second, 1.5Mbps behind the winner as, due to an increase in its score of 2.7Mbps, it breaks out of a statistical tie it was in with TIM. Both Vivo’s and TIM’s scores have decreased since the last report, by 2.6Mbps and 1Mbps, 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
National Analysis
TIM retains the Availability award — our users on this network connect to 3G or better services 95.7% of the time. TIM’s score has decreased since the previous report by 0.2 percentage points, while both Claro and Vivo have observed increases in their scores of 0.3 and 0.4 percentage points each. As a result, TIM’s lead has shrunk, declining from 0.9 percentage points to 0.2 points this time around.
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
TIM keeps 5G Availability in a firm grip, as it wins the award with a score of 11.1% — one percentage point ahead of second-placed Claro. Meanwhile, Vivo comes third with a score of 7.1%. These scores reflect the time our 5G users spend connected to 5G services.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
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
Our users in Brazil enjoy the most consistent quality of services in Brazil on TIM’s network. The operator wins the Consistent Quality award outright for the second time in a row, with a score of 63.4% and a lead of 4.3 percentage points over Vivo. Claro comes third with a score of 58.6%.
All operators have seen improvements in their scores — TIM's and Vivo’s scores have increased by 3.3 and 2.3 percentage points, respectively, while Claro's has risen by 1.4 percentage points. As a result, TIM increases its winning margin over second-placed Claro from 2.4 to 4.3 percentage points.
These results reflect the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality, along with the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted.
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