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.
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.
In the first Opensignal Mobile Network Experience report on Indonesia to include 5G awards, Telkomsel comes first in all six 5G Experience categories, either outright or jointly. The operator is the sole winner of four awards in the 5G section — including both 5G speeds awards — while sharing 5G Voice App Experience with XL. It also triumphs for 5G Availability in the Coverage section. Opensignal includes 5G scores for four out of five national operators in Indonesia — 3, IM3, Telkomsel and XL.
Both IOH brands are frontrunners for Consistent Quality and Reliability Experience, taking the top two spots. 3 wins Consistent Quality outright and it also retains its lead for Reliability Experience.
Telkomsel once again wins Download Speed Experience, with a score of 26.3Mbps. XL comes second, around 1Mbps behind the outright winner. All operators have observed increases in their Download Speed Experience scores, of 1-2Mbps.
Due to an increase in its score of 2Mbps, 3 takes the lead for Upload Speed Experience, with a score of 11Mbps. Our users on IM3’s network have also enjoyed a boost in average overall upload speeds of 2Mbps. As a result, IM3 moves to second place for Upload Speed Experience.
Telkomsel leads for Coverage Experience with a score of 8.6 points on a 10-point scale and a winning margin of 3.6 points over 3 and IM3 which take second place with identical scores of five points. This means Telkomsel has the widest and largest geographic footprint of coverage in populated areas out of all mobile operators in Indonesia.
3 collects the largest number of awards in Indonesia’s regions — 33 outright and eight jointly, with the bulk of its awards coming from experiential categories — Video Experience, Games Experience, Voice App Experience — and Reliability Experience. However, Telkomsel has the largest haul of awards across provinces in Java (Banten, Jakarta Raya, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah. Jawa Timur, Yogyakarta), which means it has the fastest download speeds, best video experience and the most consistent quality of network experience on the island.
In Opensignal's latest Indonesia Mobile Network Experience report we introduce our 5G metrics for the first time for this market. Telkomsel leads the award count with seven outright and one joint win out of 15 awards available. The operator especially shines in the newly introduced 5G categories, where it comes first in all six 5G categories, either outright or jointly. It also scoops the highest number of awards in Java out of all national Indonesian operators.
3 collects six awards in total, in Overall Experience and Consistency sections. Compared to the previous report, 3 increases its award count after surpassing its rivals for two awards — Telkomsel for Upload Speed Experience and IM3 for Consistent Quality.
Both Smartfren and XL are working towards their merger, which was in the due diligence stage in August 2024. It has entered the final stage and might be completed even by the end of 2024, subject to regulatory and governmental approvals. Both operators joining forces could result in major improvements in mobile network experience for its subscribers, similar to what Opensignal has observed in the case of the Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) merger.
Telkomsel’s success in 5G can be attributed to the operators’ heavy investment in its aggressive expansion of 5G footprint across the nation. Its recent focus is on Bali due to high internet usage (especially coming from international roaming) and 5G device adoption. The operator also plans to further roll out 5G standalone access services, both in Jakarta or for industrial use cases seaports.
Universal coverage is still a major challenge in Indonesia, however there are initiatives to close the coverage gap in the country. Indonesia's Telecommunications and Information Accessibility Agency (BAKTI) intends to construct 630 base stations in Indonesia’s remote areas by the end of 2024. Meanwhile, XL has provided 4G coverage to numerous remote islands in the Riau archipelago.
As our recent benchmarking analysis shows — both Indonesia and Jakarta lag behind their Asia Pacific peers in terms of 5G speed. Part of the reason for this is the lack of access to the 3.5GHz spectrum band, currently used by satellite services. This forces Indonesian operators to rely on Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology, supported by the 2100MHz and 2300MHz bands, However, the spectrum availability for 5G mobile services — and consequently, the 5G network experience — is likely to improve in Indonesia next year, as Kominfo is planning to auction three spectrum bands suitable for 5G deployments — 700MHz, 2.6GHz and 26GHz.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the five main mobile network operators in Indonesia — 3, IM3 (both IOH brands), Smartfren, Telkomsel and XL — over a period of 90 days starting on August 01, 2024, and ending on October 29, 2024, to see how they fared. Opensignal includes 5G scores for four out of five national operators in Indonesia — 3, IM3, Telkomsel and XL. Along with our national analysis, we've also examined users' mobile network experience across 10 of Indonesia's major regions.
3 remains the sole winner of the Video Experience award, with a score of 65.1 points on a 100-point scale, ahead of second-placed IM3.
IM3, XL, Telkomsel and 3 place in the Good (58-68) category, while Smartfren places one category lower, in Fair (48-58). A Good (58-68) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little 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.
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:
3 retains the Games Experience award with a score of 82.2 points on a 100-point scale, beating the runner-up IM3 by two points.
Regardless of their choice of a mobile operator, our Indonesian users enjoy 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.
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:
3 holds Voice App Experience in a firm grip, with a score of 80.9 points on a 100-point scale. 3 and IM3, along with XL, rate as Good (80-87) for Voice App Experience. This means that many users are satisfied but some experience minor quality impairments. Smartfren and Telkomsel both place in the Acceptable (74-80) category.
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
Our Telkomsel users continue to enjoy the fastest average overall download speeds in Indonesia, clocking in at 26.3Mbps. XL comes second, around 1Mbps behind the outright winner. All operators have observed increases in their Download Speed Experience scores, of 1-2Mbps.
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:
Due to an increase in its score of 2Mbps, 3 takes the lead for Upload Speed Experience, with a score of 11Mbps. Our users on IM3’s network have also enjoyed a boost in average overall upload speeds of 2Mbps. As a result, IM3 moves to second place for Upload Speed Experience.
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:
Telkomsel is the first winner of 5G Video Experience, with a score of 73.5 points on a 100-point scale, beating the statistically-tied IM3 and XL by around one point.
3, IM3, Telkomsel and XL all place in the Very Good (68-78) category for 5G Video Experience. This means our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
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.
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.
Telkomsel leads for 5G Games Experience with a score of 88.8 points on a 100-point scale. XL takes second spot, two points behind the outright winner.
XL and Telkomsel rate as Excellent (85 or above) for 5G Games Experience, while IM3 and 3 place one category lower, in Good (75-85). An Excellent (85 or above) rating means that the vast majority of users deem this 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.
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.
Telkomsel and XL are joint winners for 5G Voice App Experience, with statistically tied scores of 83.7-83.8 points on a 100-point scale. All four operators place in a Good (80-87) category — many users are satisfied but some experience minor quality impairments.
5G Voice App Experience quantifies the experience of Opensignal users when using over-the-top voice apps — such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — on an operator’s 5G network. It uses a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. 5G Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
Telkomsel takes the top spot for the 5G Download Speed award, winning it outright with a score of 54.9Mbps — around 11% faster than 3 and IM3, which are statistically-tied for second place.
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).
Telkomsel triumphs for 5G Upload Speed with a score of 24.3Mbps, beating second-placed 3 by almost 3Mbps.
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).
Telkomsel comes first for Coverage Experience with a score of 8.6 points on a 10-point scale. This means it has the widest and largest geographic footprint of coverage in populated areas out of all mobile operators in Indonesia. Telkomsel commands a lead of around four points over IM3 and 3, which place in second with their identical scores of five points.
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.
Smartfren remains the sole winner the Availability award, outright with a score of 98.7% — one percentage point ahead of the runner-up IM3. These scores represent the proportion of time Opensignal users spend with a 5G, 4G or 3G mobile signal.
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.
In the first Mobile Network Experience report on Indonesia where Opensignal introduces 5G Availability, Telkomsel claims this award outright with a score of 2.2%. It commands a winning margin of around one percentage point over statistically-tied IM3 and 3.
Telkomsel’s score means that our 5G users on its network spend more than 2% of their time with an active 5G connection.
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.
Both IOH brands — 3 and IM3 are frontrunners for Consistent Quality, taking the two top spots. 3 wins Consistent Quality outright with a score of 68.8%, thanks to an increase in its score of four percentage points. XL has seen the highest increase in its score since the previous report, of five percentage points.
This metric 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 demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
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.
3 wins the Reliability Experience award outright for the second time in a row, this time with a score of 884 points on a 100-1000 points scale. It beats second-placed IM3 by nine points. XL observes the highest improvement in its Reliability Experience scores among Indonesian mobile operators — of 32 points.
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete basic tasks on operators’ networks. It consists of the following components:
a) Signal Availability — the proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully receive mobile network signal,
b) Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the network is available and the device can connect to the internet,
c) Task Completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed,
d) Sufficiency — the probability that (basic) tasks will be executed sufficiently well for the user.
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of Opensignal users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on communication service providers’ (CSP) networks. It analyzes how much Opensignal users’ experience is affected by the radio access and core network, along with issues that prevent them from connecting to the internet even if they have a connection to their CSP’s network. It also factors in users’ ability to successfully use lower performance applications including SD video, over-the-top voice calls and web browsing.
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.
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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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