Spain
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.
Spain
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
Movistar is top for both overall live and on-demand video streaming experience, including 5G
Our users in Spain continue to observe the best quality of experience while streaming on-demand and live videos with Movistar, both with 5G and overall. Therefore, Movistar is once again the outright winner of Video and Live Video Experience awards in both overall and 5G categories. The operator has also achieved an incredible feat by winning the overall Video Experience award outright for the tenth consecutive time.
Movistar continues to lead in mobile speeds
Once again, our Movistar users clocked the fastest average download speeds in Spain — 46Mbps on overall networks and 250.8Mbps on 5G. Compared to second-placed Orange, Movistar's Download Speed Experience score is 18.4% faster, and its 5G Download Speed score is 42.9% faster. Likewise, Movistar users also enjoy the fastest average upload speeds — 12.3 Mbps on overall networks and 28.9Mbps with 5G.
Movistar users see the biggest boost in 5G Download Speed
Since the last report in July 2023, the average 5G Download Speed on Movistar has increased by 55.3Mbps (28.3%). Orange's score has also increased by 8Mbps (4.8%). On the other hand, Vodafone's and Yoigo's scores have decreased by 14.8Mbps (12.1%) and 12.9Mbps (8.3%), respectively.
Orange emerges as the outright winner of the 5G Availability award
In the last report, Orange and Movistar shared the top spot for 5G Availability — the proportion of time 5G users connect to an active 5G signal. However, this time Orange wins the 5G Availability award outright with a score of 16.9% and a lead of 1.2 percentage points over Movistar. Additionally, Orange and Movistar now share the top spot for Availability — the proportion of time users spend connected to a cellular signal (3G or better).
Movistar leads in Games Experience, both with 5G and overall
Our Movistar users observe the best quality of experience while playing multiplayer mobile games over mobile networks. Movistar outperforms the competition on overall as well as 5G Games Experience.
Movistar stays top for Consistent Quality
Movistar wins Consistent Quality outright for the second consecutive time, currently with a score of 79.6%, ahead of Orange (76.3%) and Vodafone (73.3%). Yoigo is in last place with 71.8%. This indicates that Movistar users continue to see the greatest proportion of tests that meet the minimum thresholds to support more demanding commonly used mobile applications, such as video calling or uploading an image to social media.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In Opensignal's latest analysis of the mobile network experience in Spain, Movistar continues to take home the largest haul of awards, winning 11 out of 13 categories outright. Our results show that Movistar users continue to enjoy the fastest mobile download and upload speeds, as well as observe the top Video, Live Video and Games Experience in Spain, both in terms of 5G and overall experience. Furthermore, our users in Spain also have the most consistent mobile experience with Movistar.
Looking at the coverage categories, for the first time Orange is the 5G Availability award winner, but it shares the podium with Movistar for overall Availability this time.
In comparison to the last report, the overall download speeds in Spain have increased across the board — with Movistar's score increasing by 4.1Mbps (9.7%), Orange's by 3.7Mbps (10.5%), Vodafone's by 1.2Mbps (4.7%) and users on Yoigo seeing the smallest improvement of 0.9Mbps (3.1%). Our users on Movistar have also observed the biggest improvement in 5G Download Speed, up by a noteworthy 55.3Mbps (28.3%), followed by those on Orange 8Mbps (4.8%). On the other hand, Vodafone’s and Yoigo’s 5G Download Speed scores have decreased by 14.8Mbps (12.1%) and 12.9Mbps (8.3%), respectively.
According to data from the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Digital Transformation (MINECO), Movistar, Vodafone, and Orange have significantly expanded their 5G infrastructure over the last year. Movistar led with a 112% increase, adding 3,269 3.6GHz sites and 2,553 700MHz sites, totaling 10,993 5G cell sites by January 2024, up from 5,171 in January 2023. Orange expanded by 53%, deploying 2,760 lower band and 530 upper band sites, reaching 9,435 sites in January 2024, compared to 6,145 in January 2023. Vodafone increased by 61%, with 1,830 700MHz and 456 3.6GHz sites, totaling 6,012 sites in January 2024, up from 3,726 in January 2023. In contrast, Yoigo holds no 700MHz frequencies and has scaled back, ending December with 110 3.6GHz sites, down around 17%.
In this report, we examine the mobile network experience of users on four main mobile network operators in Spain — Vodafone, Orange, Yoigo and Movistar — over a period of 90 days starting on September 01, 2023, and ending on November 29, 2023, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Our users on Movistar’s network continue to enjoy the best overall on-demand video streaming experience in Spain. Movistar achieves an incredible feat, winning the Video Experience award outright for the tenth consecutive time. The operator leads with a score of 67 points on a 100-point scale, 1.6 points over second-placed Vodafone. Orange comes third with a score of 64.7 points, followed by Yoigo with 64 points.
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.
All four Spanish operators are placed in the Good (58-68) category. A Good rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p 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
Movistar leads in Spain when it comes to the Live Video Experience, it wins the award outright with a score of 60.2 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of 0.8 points over Vodafone, which places in second with its score of 59.4 points. Yoigo comes third with a score of 58.2 points, while Orange brings up the rear with 55.6 points.
With these scores Vodafone, Yoigo and Movistar place in the Excellent (58 or above) category, while Orange rates one category lower, in Very Good (53-58).
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, this metric 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.
An Excellent (58 or above) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p and a Very Good (53-58) rating 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
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
Movistar continues to hold the top spot for the quality of multiplayer mobile gaming in Spain, winning the Games Experience award outright with a score of 70.9 points on a 100-point scale — one point ahead of Vodafone. Meanwhile, Orange comes third with a score of 68.5 points, ahead of Yogio’s score of 67.7 points.
Yoigo's score has increased by 0.6 points. Vodafone's, Orange's and Movistar's scores haven't changed a significant amount since the previous report.
All four operators rate Fair (65-75) for Games Experience. A Fair rating means that users find the experience to be ‘average’. In most cases, the game is responsive to the actions of the player with most users reporting that they feel like they have control over the game. The majority of players report that they notice a delay between their actions and the outcomes in the game.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
Our users in Spain continue to enjoy the fastest mobile download speed on Movistar’s network. Movistar therefore holds on to the Download Speed Experience award, with a score of 46Mbps this time, giving it a lead of 7.1Mbps (18.4%) over Orange, which places in second with average download speeds of 38.8Mbps. Yoigo comes third with 31Mbps, while Vodafone lags significantly behind at 25.6Mbps.
Movistar's score has increased by 4.1Mbps (9.7%). Orange's score has increased by 3.7Mbps (10.5%). Vodafone's score has increased by 1.2Mbps (4.7%). Yoigo's score has increased by 0.9Mbps (3.1%).
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
Once again, Movistar wins the Upload Speed Experience award outright with a score of 12.3Mbps and a lead of 1Mbps (8.9%) over Vodafone, which places in second with its score of 11.3Mbps. Orange comes third with a score of 10.7Mbps. Yoigo comes fourth with a score of 9.2Mbps.
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
Movistar wins the 5G Video Experience award outright again, with a score of 74.6 points on a 100-point scale — 2.1 points over Orange. Meanwhile, Vodafone and Yoigo are in last place with statistically tied scores of 70.9-71.3 points.
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.
All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category. A Very Good rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p 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
Movistar wins the 5G Live Video Experience award outright with a score of 67.9 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around one point over Vodafone and Yoigo, which place in second with their statistically tied scores of 66.7-67.2 points. Orange comes fourth with a score of 64.6 points.
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. 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.
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
As with overall Games Experience, Movistar is also the outright winner of the 5G Games Experience award. Movistar leads with a score of 78.9 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of 1.2 points over Vodafone, which places in second with its score of 77.7 points. Orange comes third with a score of 76.9 points. Yoigo comes fourth with a score of 76 points.
All operators place in the Good (75-85) category for 5G Games Experience. A Good 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
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
Once again, the 5G Download Speed award goes to Movistar. The operator wins outright with a score of 250.8Mbps — beating second-placed Orange by an impressive 75.2Mbps (42.9%) and third-placed Yoigo by 107.7Mbps (57.1%). Meanwhile, Vodafone is further behind with an average 5G download speed of 106.8Mbps.
Since the last report, the 5G Download Speed on Movistar has increased by a noteworthy 55.3Mbps (28.3%). Orange's score has also increased, by 8Mbps (4.8%), while Vodafone’s and Yoigo’s scores have decreased by 14.8Mbps (12.1%) and 12.9Mbps (8.3%), 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
Movistar has a firm grip on the 5G Upload Speed award. The operator wins it outright with a score of 28.9Mbps — a lead of 6.4Mbps (28.4%) over Orange, which places in second with its score of 22.5Mbps. Vodafone and Yoigo share third place with statistically tied scores of 20.1-20.2Mbps.
Compared to the last report, Movistar's score has increased by 1.7Mbps (6.4%). Yoigo's score has decreased by 1.8Mbps (8.4%). Meanwhile, Vodafone's score has decreased by 0.6Mbps (2.7%) and Orange's score hasn't changed a significant amount.
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
Orange and Movistar are joint winners of the Availability award with statistically tied scores of 98.9-99% and a lead of around 0.4 percentage points over Vodafone and Yoigo, with their statistically tied scores of 98.6-98.7%.
This means our users in Spain, on average, are able to spend more than 98% of their time connected to a 3G or better cellular signal.
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
In the last report, Orange and Movistar shared the top spot for 5G Availability. However, this time Orange wins the award outright with a score of 16.9% and a lead of 1.2 percentage points over Movistar, which places in second with its score of 15.7%. Yoigo places third with a score of 12.5%, followed by Vodafone with 11.2%.
Opensignal's 5G Availability compares the amount of time our 5G users spend with an active 5G connection — the higher the percentage, the more time users on a network spend connected to 5G.
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
Movistar wins Consistent Quality outright for the second consecutive time, currently with a score of 79.6%, ahead of Orange (76.3%) and Vodafone (73.3%). Yoigo is in last place with 71.8%. This indicates that Movistar users see the greatest proportion of tests that meet the minimum thresholds to support more demanding commonly used mobile applications, such as video calling or uploading an image to social media.
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