Analysts discuss the latest devices all the time, but rarely is enough attention paid to the phone’s real powerhouse — the modem. We were interested to see how market share for modem manufacturers divides up on a global level, so we investigated device data from Speedtest IntelligenceTM during Q3 2019. We also looked at how popular phones performed in different markets, including a look at 5G phones in 5G countries.
Global modem market share
Speedtest data showed Qualcomm was the most common modem manufacturer in 133 countries during Q3 2019 — the highest market share was in Hong Kong with 73.6% of the devices analyzed showing Qualcomm modems. Qualcomm’s slimmest majority was in Botswana with 25.6% of devices analyzed showing Qualcomm modems.
This is not surprising as Qualcomm chipsets power many flagship devices sold around the world. In the U.S., virtually all Android OEMs use Qualcomm-powered chipsets. The latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ mobile platform with Snapdragon X24 integrated LTE modem (up to 2Gbps) powers popular devices from Samsung, LG and OnePlus. It’s worth noting that Qualcomm has multi-year licensing deals with multiple OEMs based in China, namely Vivo, OPPO, Lenovo, Xiaomi and OnePlus, providing their complete modem-to-antenna solutions for optimal RF performance. This includes valuable RF Front End (RFFE) components such as power amplifiers, envelope trackers, RF switches, filters and antenna tuners.
These OEMs also have access to Qualcomm’s first and second generation 5G modems. As of right now, Qualcomm is also the only chipset manufacturer providing modem-to-antenna solutions for 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) deployments, providing all-in-one mmWave antenna modules that contain radio transceiver, RFFE and phased array antenna.
Intel was the most common modem manufacturer in 32 counties during Q3 2019. The highest percentage of devices with Intel modems was seen in Greenland at 55.6%. Intel’s slimmest majority was in South Africa with 28.6% of devices analyzed showing Intel modems. Intel’s main customer in the smartphone space is Apple. Starting in 2016, Apple began powering some iPhone devices with Intel’s flagship LTE chipsets, and since 2018, all iPhones have Intel’s cellular chipsets.
Samsung was the most common modem manufacturer in 16 countries during Q3 2019. South Korea had the highest percentage of devices with Samsung modems at 53.8%. Samsung’s slimmest majority was in Mozambique with 29.1% of devices analyzed powered by Samsung modems. Samsung’s Exynos LTE modem is seen in variants of Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note devices. Except in the Americas and China, most of Samsung’s flagship S10 and Note 10 devices around the world are powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 982x SoC (system on a chip), with an integrated LTE Category 20 modem capable of download speeds of up to 2 Gbps.
Speedtest data showed HiSilicon as the most common modem manufacturer in two countries during Q3 2019. In Costa Rica, 32.4% of devices analyzed showed HiSilicon modems, and in Namibia that number was 27.6%. HiSilicon is a semiconductor company based in Shenzhen and fully owned by Huawei. Huawei integrates its own flagship modem into its flagship P and Mate series devices. These devices have a large user base in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Device performance is affected by market factors
A phone’s performance is always going to depend on the conditions within its specific market. Factors affecting network performance can include: geography, cell site and population density, the amount of wireless spectrum deployed and the overall capabilities of user equipment seeded to market. Multiple factors can impact the performance of a device, including: varying degrees of RF transparency in the materials used for device chassis, variations in RF front-end and antenna design complexity and whether the baseband processor is more or less capable of handling network tasks. We used Speedtest data to analyze how three popular phones — the Apple iPhone Xs, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S10 — performed in specific markets around the world during Q3 2019. We excluded data from devices with fewer than 100 samples in a market during the period.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 was the fastest of these three devices in all but five markets during Q3 2019. However, the mean download speed on the Galaxy S10 varied between 18.06 Mbps in India and 95.91 Mbps in Canada. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro showed the fastest mean download speed of these three devices in France and the U.K. during Q3 2019 and often placed second in the remaining markets on the list. Mean download speed on the Mate 20 Pro during Q3 2019 ranged from 14.57 Mbps in India to 93.66 Mbps in Canada.
Apple’s iPhone Xs was at a slight disadvantage in this comparison, as it came out in 2018 where the other devices debuted in 2019. Because the iPhone 11 was not fully seeded to markets in Q3 2019, we considered its predecessor, the iPhone Xs, in this analysis. The iPhone Xs showed the fastest mean download speed in Germany, Japan and Nigeria during Q3 2019. Mean download speeds on the iPhone Xs varied from 15.92 Mbps in India to 71.72 Mbps in Canada.
Device performance in 5G markets
5G currently offers the pinnacle of mobile performance. We looked at 5G-capable devices in markets where 5G exists to see how download speeds compare. These results include Speedtest results on all technologies, not just 5G, which means averages also reflect consumers using 5G phones with a 4G connection.
Both the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and the Huawei Mate 20 X 5G showed mean download speeds in excess of 200 Mbps in some markets during Q3 2019. However, there’s clearly some difference in which devices are supported by which operators, as not all operators in 5G markets are offering 5G equally (if at all). Related, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G models sold in the U.S. and China are powered by Qualcomm’s first-generation Snapdragon X50 5G modem, while other 5G markets receive the variant powered by Samsung’s in-house Exynos 5100 5G modem.
Mobile operators continue to incentivize consumers to upgrade to newer and more capable devices to ensure a more efficient use of spectrum assets for network operators. This leads to an improved utilization of shared resources, faster overall speeds and better quality of experience.
We’re looking forward to updating these analyses as more markets adopt 5G and as newer and even faster phones are released. For more information about how our device data can help you, contact us.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
The French government has put a lot of emphasis and effort in promoting industrial transformation, and 5G is an important factor. Dedicated spectrum available for private mobile networks has already been allocated in France and the government is providing funding to target startups and drive innovation. During Q1 2022, Orange dominated the competition as France’s fastest 5G provider by achieving a median 5G download speed of 366.42 Mbps. SFR followed at 247.32 Mbps.
In terms of 5G Availability, Free France led the market with 26.0%, ahead of the country’s average of 15.7%. Free is the only operator that deployed 5G using the 700 MHz spectrum band, which contributes towards its higher 5G Availability.
Bordeaux has the fastest median 5G download speed.
The need for 5G networks densification
France is leading the way in terms of 5G network deployment across Europe. According to the latest 5G Observatory, published by the telecom regulator, the Electronic Communications, Postal and Print Media Distribution Regulatory Authority (ARCEP), the number of mobile base stations providing commercial 5G services in France equated to around 22,000 sites at the end of 2021. Free had the most 5G sites (13,470, primarily in the 700 MHz band), followed by Bouygues Telecom (6,730), SFR (4,984) and Orange (3,035) (these numbers cannot be added up across operators and frequency bands as the same site can broadcast across multiple frequency bands).
Based on the French population as of 2020, this would equate to over 3,000 people per 5G base station, placing it behind South Korea, China, and Japan but just ahead of the EU average, according to the EU 5G Observatory’s International Scoreboard.
French mobile operators are providing 5G services through the 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum bands. The final stages of the French 5G mid-band spectrum auction ended on October 1, 2020, with 310 MHz of spectrum awarded in the 3.4-3.8 GHz band. Orange paid €854 million for a total of 90 MHz; SFR €728 million for 80 MHz, and Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile (Iliad) €602 million each for 70 MHz. Shortly after, in November 2020, all mobile operators were granted an authorization to use these frequencies. The operators can also use the 700 MHz frequency band, which was awarded by ARCEP in 2015, and in the future 26 GHz, yet to be allocated.
Free remains the only French operator to deploy 5G on 700 MHz spectrum. As of December 31, 2021, its 5G footprint included 13,479 sites already operational out of 18,929 permits secured for this frequency band. In addition, Free had 2,384 sites utilizing the 3.5 MHz frequency band. The remaining operators use 2.1 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum for 5G (see chart for more details).
The roll out of commercial 5G networks started in mid-November 2020, in a Non-Standalone (NSA) mode. It is noteworthy that 5G licenses come with coverage obligations outlined below, which stimulate the operators 5G network rollouts:
Doubling down on enterprise digitalization
The French government is an avid supporter of industrial digital transformation. The “France 2030” programme earmarked €800 million to accelerate digital transformation of industries by leveraging cloud, 5G, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Of which, €400 million was assigned to support startups and innovative businesses in developing their offerings and €400 million to help to transform industrial sites. The government also launched an acceleration strategy for 5G and future telecommunications network technologies to capture 5G opportunities and position France at the forefront of new digital uses. The objective is to create 20,000 new jobs by 2025, support the growth of the French 5G market, as well as innovative French SMEs and overall ecosystem in the country and externally.
International collaboration is high on an agenda too, including a Franco-German partnership on private 5G networks. To strengthen the 5G private network ecosystem, France and Germany commited a total of €17.7 million in support of four projects on 5G applications: 5G-OPERA, 5G4BP, 5GB4BP, and 5G FORUM. Another cross-country collaboration, this time involving France, Germany, and Luxembourg, is the EU-funded 5GCroCo (Cross-Border Control) project. The objective is to trial 5G technologies in the cross-border corridor to validate the use of 5G-networks and equipment from multiple car manufacturers.
Supporting enterprises is an important part of the overall digital transformation strategy. As such, the industrial verticals are already utilizing frequencies in the 2.6 GHz and 26 GHz spectrum band, with a particular focus on private 4G/ 5G networks.
Recently, the French government announced a set of new measures aimed at accelerating the development of industrial 5G use cases, following on from a report and recommendations published by the president of the Mission 5G Industrielle, Philippe Herbert. Mr. Herbert identified seven reasons why 5G in the French industrial sector is lagging behind other European countries, including poor access to relevant spectrum, availability of equipment and services, and lack of maturity of the 5G ecosystems.
To aid that, the government together with ARCEP, is encouraging the industrial companies to apply for a trial spectrum in 3.8 – 4.0 GHz band. Businesses from across a range of verticals including manufacturing, logistics, health and energy (amongst others), will be able to use a 100 MHz spectrum block for three years to trial different applications, while benefiting from a “mature and varied ecosystem of terminals and equipment” thanks to being in a close proximity to the mid-band spectrum band.
In addition, operators’ 5G licenses stipulate that they have to activate 5G functions such as slicing and “differentiated services” by 2023 at the latest, so as to cover the needs of industries, e.g. health and automotive.
French operators are testing 5G use across multiple industries including in the factory setting. For instance, Orange is looking at 5G applications across a number of “factory of the future” projects. In November 2021, ArcelorMittal France, Orange Business Services, and Ericsson announced the launch of an industrial 5G network: 5G Steel. 5G Steel will provide indoor and outdoor coverage, high data throughput for connected devices, low latency for autonomous vehicles, data security, and network slicing to tailor services to each business process and requirement. Another operator, Bouygues Telecom teamed up with its sister company Bouygues Construction to test where 5G can aid with digitization of the construction industry, one of the use cases is using 5G as a technology powering the data transmission between a crane and a remote control cabin on the ground.
Sustainability is high on French operators’ agenda
As we discussed in 5G Comes of Age: Five Predictions for 2022, reducing the environmental impact of 5G is top of the agenda. To that end, ARCEP published a study in January 2022 looking into different energy consumption scenarios in order to assess the impact of 5G networks. It has revealed that 5G network rollouts initially increased energy consumption. However, there are expected efficiency gains in the most densely populated areas starting from 2023, by 2028 total energy savings will be up to ten times the 2002 consumption levels when compared to a 4G-only network densification. In more sparsely populated areas with lower traffic density, the efficiency gains will be lower.
All of the French operators are committed to sustainable energy. For instance, Bouygues Telecom became the first operator in France to use renewable produced hydrogen to power one of its cell sites thanks to a collaboration with its sister company, Bouygues Energies and Services and PowiDian, a French startup. The operator has set a 100% target of its electricity consumption being sourced from renewable power (wind and hydroelectrics).
Another mobile operator, SFR, has also committed to renewable energy by partnering with French supplier EkWateur to supply part of telecom sites with 100% renewable energy. The operator has also committed to supply part of its 5G sites with renewable energy in partnership with TotalEnergies. In a 2021 statement, it indicated that since July 2021, more than 160 5G sites have been powered by renewable energy such as hydroelectric dams, windmills, or solar panels.
France leads amongst its regional peers for median download speeds
Using Speedtest Intelligence®, we compared 5G in France against that of its peers.These measurements are based on 5G-capable devices using Speedtest Intelligence® on both iOS and Android. In the Q1 2022, France topped our list with the fastest median 5G download speed (207.58 Mbps), ahead of Switzerland (173.51 Mbps), the U.K. (166.37 Mbps). Germany (153.51 Mbps), the Netherlands (153.06 Mbps), Italy (123.69 Mbps), and Spain (122.61 Mbps) followed. Interestingly, despite all of the French operators launching 5G service in December 2020 — relatively late compared to other analyzed countries — they achieved top median download speeds due to substantial network investments. However, this has not yet translated into a large customer pool. The number of 5G subscribers has reached almost 3 million as of Q4 2021 — equivalent to 4% of total subscriptions (excluding M2M) and almost double the Q2 2021 level of 1.6 million.
Orange steams ahead for median 5G download speed
Orange had the fastest median 5G download speed among top operators, achieving 366.42 Mbps during Q1 2022, far ahead of SFR (247.32 Mbps), Bouygues Telecom (151.58 Mbps), and Free (150.11 Mbps). Orange deployed 5G in nearly 900 municipalities at the end of 2021, which translates to 38% coverage of metropolitan population. The operator has the most 5G bandwidth (90 MHz) in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band, and has primarily chosen to deploy 5G in this spectrum band: it had 2,698 active sites in the 3.5 GHz band compared to 471 in 2.1 GHz at year-end 2021.
Orange’s approach to 5G rollouts has been to deploy it “where it is useful for its customers,” in the busiest places where there is a risk of 4G saturation in the short to medium term. The operator has also recently announced its plans to decommission 2G by 2025 and 3G by the end of 2028 to achieve cost savings by being able to retire legacy networks. Additional benefit is the ability to refarm its 900 MHz spectrum, currently assigned to 2G and 3G. Orange is also a strong supporter of Open RAN, it was one of the five leading telco groups: Deutsche Telekom (DT), Orange, Telefonica, Telecom Italia (TIM), and Vodafone Group, that published a joint report to highlight the urgency of collaboration on Open RAN in November 2021. Also in November 2021, Orange opened its first research lab in France dedicated to Open RAN, Orange’s CTO Michael Trabbia commented that the launch fits into the group’s ambition to deploy exclusively Open RAN equipment across Europe from 2025 onwards.
France is middle of the road when it comes to 5G Availability
The country ranking shifts when it comes to 5G Availability — the percentage of users on 5G-capable devices that spend most of the time with access to 5G networks. France comes in bang in the middle amongst the analyzed countries for this metric. In Q1 2022, the Netherlands had the highest 5G Availability at 34.7%, Switzerland came in at 33.2%, Spain at 15.9%, France 15.7%, the U.K. at 14.0%, Germany at 9.1%, and 9.0% for Italy.
Free leads on 5G Availability
Free had the highest 5G Availability among French operators at 26.0% in Q1 2022, ahead of Bouygues Telecom (18.3%), SFR (11.8%), and Orange (10.8%). Free remains the only operator that deployed 5G on 700 MHz spectrum, which helps to explain why it ranked better on 5G Availability as low band spectrum propagates further. According to the spectrum agency ANFR, the operator’s 5G footprint included 14,568 sites on air as of April 1, out of 19,289 permits it has secured for this frequency band. Currently, Free’s 5G network coverage extends to 81% of the population and is present in 9,652 municipalities. Free repeated its market entry strategy by pricing 5G services at the price of 4G, just the same when it initially entered the French market and offered 4G for the price of 3G.
Orange 5G Consistency stood at just over 90%
Consistency Score™ measures what percentage of a provider’s samples equals or exceeds both a download and upload threshold. Current thresholds for mobile 5G is 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. Across France, 5G Consistency stood at 84% as of Q1 2022. Orange earned the top spot as France’s most consistent 5G mobile operator with a Consistency Score of 90.6% during Q1 2022, ahead of Free (83.7%), SFR (83.2%) and Bouygues Telecom (77.5%).
Bordeaux has the fastest 5G
Bordeaux was the clear winner for 5G speeds across French cities, with a median 5G download speed of 333.46 Mbps during Q1 2022, a 44% year-over-year increase for all operators combined. Orange’s 5G network in Bordeaux reached a median download speed of 456.69 Mbps, just ahead of SFR at 445.07 Mbps. The 5G launch in Bordeaux was slightly delayed till February 2021, as the city was asking the government for a moratorium on 5G technology and a postponement of the frequency allocation to no avail. Yet, the operators waited until the installation of the autonomous exposure measurement sensors, from which data is reported into the Wave Observatory.
In terms of 5G Availability, there is no clean winner across the five largest French cities.
5G in France is rapidly expanding and we’ll be following the market closely
Mobile operators are actively expanding 5G networks and the 5G adoption in France is growing, stimulated by the strong government support. We’ll be watching 5G performance closely in France using Speedtest Intelligence. If you want to learn more about how Speedtest Intelligence can help you benchmark your 5G performance against competitors, please inquire here.
Le gouvernement français a mis beaucoup l’accent et à mis en place les efforts pour promouvoir la transformation industrielle, et la 5G est un facteur important. Le spectre dédié disponible pour les réseaux mobiles privés a déjà été attribué en France et le gouvernement fournit des fonds pour cibler les startups et stimuler l’innovation.Au cours du premier trimestre 2022, Orange a dominé la concurrence en tant que fournisseur 5G le plus rapide de France en atteignant une vitesse de téléchargement 5G médiane de 366,42 Mbps. SFR suivait avec 247,32 Mbps.
En termes de Disponibilité 5G, Free France est en tête du marché avec 26,0%, devant la moyenne du pays de 15,7%. Free est le seul opérateur à avoir déployé la 5G en utilisant la bande de fréquences 700 MHz, ce qui contribue à sa plus grande Disponibilité 5G.
Bordeaux a le débit médian de téléchargement 5G le plus rapide
La nécessité de densifier les réseaux 5G
La France est en tête en termes de déploiement de réseaux 5G à travers l’Europe. Selon le dernierObservatoire de la 5G, publié par le régulateur des télécoms, l’Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse écrite (ARCEP), le nombre de stations de base mobiles fournissant des services 5G commerciaux en France équivaut à environ 22 000 sites à la fin de 2021. Free comptait le plus grand nombre de sites 5G (13 470, principalement avec la bande 700 MHz), suivi de Bouygues Telecom (6 730), SFR (4 984) et Orange (3 035) (ces chiffres ne peuvent pas être additionnés entre les opérateurs et les bandes de fréquences, car un même site peut diffuser sur plusieurs bandes de fréquences).
Sur la base de la population française en 2020, cela équivaudrait à plus de 3 000 personnes par station de base 5G, ce qui la place derrière la Corée du Sud, la Chine et le Japon, mais juste devant la moyenne de l’UE, selon letableau de bord international de l’Observatoire européen de la 5G.
Les opérateurs mobiles français fournissent des services 5G par le biais des bandes de fréquences 700 MHz, 2,1 GHz et 3,5 GHz. Les étapes finales de la vente aux enchères de spectre 5G à mi-bande en France se sont terminées le 1er octobre 2020, avec 310 MHz de spectre attribués dans la bande 3,4-3,8 GHz. Orange a payé 854 millions d’euros pour un total de 90 MHz ; SFR 728 millions d’euros pour 80 MHz, et Bouygues Telecom et Free Mobile (Iliad) 602 millions d’euros chacun pour 70 MHz. Peu de temps après, en novembre 2020, tous les opérateurs mobiles ont obtenu une autorisation d’utiliser ces fréquences. Les opérateurs peuvent également utiliser la bande de fréquences 700 MHz, attribuée par l’ARCEP en 2015, et dans le futur les 26 GHz, encore à attribuer.
Free reste le seul opérateur français à déployer la 5G sur le spectre 700 MHz. Au 31 décembre 2021, son empreinte 5G comprenait 13 479 sites déjà opérationnels sur les 18 929 autorisations obtenues pour cette bande de fréquences. En outre, Free disposait de 2 384 sites utilisant la bande de fréquences de 3,5 MHz. Les autres opérateurs utilisent des fréquences de 2,1 GHz et 3,5 GHz pour la 5G (voir le graphique pour plus de détails).
Le déploiement des réseaux 5G commerciaux a commencé à la mi-novembre 2020, en mode non-standard (NSA). Il convient de noter que les licences 5G sont assorties d’obligations de couverture décrites ci-dessous, qui stimulent les déploiements de réseaux 5G des opérateurs:
Doubler la numérisation des entreprises
Le gouvernement français est un fervent partisan de la transformation numérique industrielle. Le programme “France 2030” a affecté 800 millions d’euros pour accélérer la transformation numérique des industries en s’appuyant sur le cloud, la 5G et l’intelligence artificielle (IA). Dont 400 millions d’euros ont été affectés à l’accompagnement des startups et des entreprises innovantes dans le développement de leurs offres et 400 millions d’euros pour aider à la transformation des sites industriels. Le gouvernement a également lancé unestratégie d’accélération pour la 5G et les futures technologies de réseaux de télécommunications pour saisir les opportunités de la 5G et positionner la France à l’avant-garde des nouveaux usages numériques. L’objectif est de créer 20 000 nouveaux emplois d’ici 2025, de soutenir la croissance du marché français de la 5G, ainsi que les PME françaises innovantes et l’écosystème global dans le pays et à l’extérieur.
La collaboration internationale figure également en bonne place à l’ordre du jour, notamment un partenariat franco-allemand sur les réseaux privés 5G. Pour renforcer l’écosystème des réseaux privés 5G, la France et l’Allemagne ont engagé un total de 17,7 millions d’euros pour soutenir quatre projets sur les applications 5G : 5G-OPERA, 5G4BP, 5GB4BP et 5G FORUM. Une autre collaboration transnationale, impliquant cette fois la France, l’Allemagne et le Luxembourg, est le projet5GCroCo (Cross-Border Control) financé par l’UE. L’objectif est de tester les technologies 5G dans le corridor transfrontalier afin de valider l’utilisation des réseaux et équipements 5G de plusieurs constructeurs automobiles.
Le soutien aux entreprises est un élément important de la stratégie globale de transformation numérique. À ce titre, les verticales industrielles utilisent déjà des fréquences dans la bande de fréquences de 2,6 GHz et 26 GHz, avec un accent particulier sur les réseaux 4G/ 5G privés.
Récemment, le gouvernement français a annoncé un ensemble de nouvelles mesures visant à accélérer le développement des cas d’utilisation industriels de la 5G, dans le prolongement d’un rapport et de recommandations publiés par le président de laMission 5G Industrielle, Philippe Herbert. M. Herbert a identifié sept raisons pour lesquelles la 5G dans le secteur industriel français est à la traîne par rapport aux autres pays européens, notamment le faible accès au spectre pertinent, la disponibilité des équipements et des services, et le manque de maturité des écosystèmes 5G.
Pour y parvenir, le gouvernement, en collaboration avec l’ARCEP, encourage les entreprises industrielles à demander un spectre d’essai dans labande 3,8 – 4,0 GHz. Les entreprises de divers secteurs verticaux tels que la fabrication, la logistique, la santé et l’énergie (entre autres), pourront utiliser un bloc de spectre de 100 MHz pendant trois ans pour tester différentes applications, tout en bénéficiant d’un « écosystème mature et varié de terminaux et d’équipements » grâce à la proximité de la bande de fréquences intermédiaire.
En outre, les licences 5G des opérateurs stipulent qu’ils doivent activer les fonctions 5G telles que le découpage en tranches et les « services différenciés » au plus tard en 2023, afin de couvrir les besoins des industries, par exemple la santé et l’automobile.
Les opérateurs français testent l’utilisation de la 5G dans de nombreuses industries, y compris dans le cadre d’une usine. Par exemple, Orange étudie les applications 5G à travers un certain nombre de projets d‘ « usine du futur » . En novembre 2021, ArcelorMittal France, Orange Business Services et Ericsson ont annoncé le lancement d’un réseau 5G industriel :5G Steel. La 5G Steel offrira une couverture intérieure et extérieure, un débit de données élevé pour les appareils connectés, une faible latence pour les véhicules autonomes, la sécurité des données et le découpage du réseau pour adapter les services à chaque processus et exigence de l’entreprise. Un autre opérateur, Bouygues Telecom, s’est associé à sa société sœur Bouygues Construction pour tester comment la 5G peut contribuer à la numérisation dusecteur de la construction. L’un des cas d’utilisation est l’utilisation de la 5G comme technologie permettant la transmission de données entre une grue et une cabine de contrôle à distance au sol.
Le développement durable est une priorité pour les opérateurs français
Comme nous l’avons abordé dans5G Comes of Age : Cinq prédictions pour 2022, la réduction de l’impact environnemental de la 5G est en tête des priorités. À cette fin, l’ARCEP a publiéune étude en janvier 2022 examinant différents scénarios de consommation d’énergie afin d’évaluer l’impact des réseaux 5G. Elle a révélé que les déploiements de réseaux 5G ont initialement augmenté la consommation d’énergie. Cependant, des gains d’efficacité sont attendus dans les zones les plus densément peuplées à partir de 2023, d’ici 2028, les économies d’énergie totales seront jusqu’à dix fois supérieures aux niveaux de consommation de 2002 par rapport à une densification du réseau uniquement en 4G. Dans les zones plus faiblement peuplées où la densité du trafic est plus faible, les gains d’efficacité seront plus faibles.
Tous les opérateurs français sont engagés dans l’énergie durable. Par exemple, Bouygues Telecom est devenu le premier opérateur en France à utiliser de l’hydrogène produit à partir de sources renouvelables pour alimenter l’un de ses sites cellulaires grâce à une collaboration avec sa société sœur, Bouygues Energies et Services, et PowiDian, une startup française. L’opérateur a fixé unobjectif de 100% de sa consommation d’électricité provenant d’énergies renouvelables (éolienne et hydroélectrique).
Un autre opérateur mobile, SFR, s’est également engagé en faveur des énergies renouvelables en s’associant au fournisseur français EkWateur pour alimenter une partie des sites télécoms en énergie 100% renouvelable. L’opérateur s’est également engagé à fournir une partie de ses sites 5G en énergie renouvelable en partenariat avec TotalEnergies. Dans un communiqué de 2021, il a indiqué que depuis juillet 2021, plus de 160 sites 5G ont été alimentés par des énergies renouvelables telles que des barrages hydroélectriques, des éoliennes ou des panneaux solaires.
La France est en tête de ses pairs régionaux pour les vitesses de téléchargement médianes.
En utilisantSpeedtest Intelligence®, nous avons comparé la 5G en France à celle de ses pairs. Ces mesures sont basées sur des appareils compatibles 5G utilisant Speedtest Intelligence® sur iOS et Android. Au T1 2022, la France est en tête de notre liste avec la vitesse de téléchargement 5G médiane la plus rapide (207,58 Mbps), devant la Suisse (173,51 Mbps), le Royaume-Uni (166,37 Mbps). Suivent l’Allemagne (153,51 Mbps), les Pays-Bas (153,06 Mbps), l’Italie (123,69 Mbps) et l’Espagne (122,61 Mbps). Il est intéressant de noter que, bien que tous les opérateurs français aient lancé le service 5G en décembre 2020 – relativement tard par rapport aux autres pays analysés – ils ont atteint les vitesses de téléchargement médianes les plus élevées grâce à des investissements substantiels dans les réseaux. Cependant, cela ne s’est pas encore traduit par un grand nombre de clients. Le nombre d’abonnés 5G a atteint près de 3 millions au quatrième trimestre 2021 – ce qui équivaut à 4 % du total des abonnements (hors M2M) et représente presque le double du niveau du deuxième trimestre 2021, soit 1,6 million.
Orange va de l’avant pour une vitesse de téléchargement 5G médiane
Orange a enregistré la vitesse de téléchargement 5G médiane la plus rapide parmi les principaux opérateurs, atteignant 366,42 Mbps au cours du premier trimestre 2022, loin devant SFR (247,32 Mbps), Bouygues Telecom (151,58 Mbps) et Free (150,11 Mbps). Orange a déployé la 5G dans près de 900 communes à fin 2021, ce qui se traduit par une couverture de 38% de la population métropolitaine. L’opérateur dispose de la plus grande bande passante 5G (90 MHz) dans la bande de fréquences 3,5 GHz et a principalement choisi de déployer la 5G dans cette bande de fréquences : il comptait 2 698 sites actifs dans la bande 3,5 GHz contre 471 dans la bande 2,1 GHz à fin 2021.
L’approche d’Orange en matière de déploiement de la 5G a été de la déployer “là où elle est utile pour ses clients”, dans les endroits les plus fréquentés où il y a un risque de saturation de la 4G à court ou moyen terme. L’opérateur a également annoncé récemment son intention de mettre hors service la 2G d’ici à 2025 et la 3G d’ici à la fin de 2028, afin de réaliser des économies en étant en mesure de retirer les réseaux hérités. La possibilité de réaffecter son spectre de 900 MHz, actuellement attribué à la 2G et à la 3G, constitue un avantage supplémentaire. Orange est également un fervent partisan de l’Open RAN, qui était l’un des cinq principaux groupes de télécoms : Deutsche Telekom (DT), Orange, Telefonica, Telecom Italia (TIM) et Vodafone Group. Ils ont publié un rapport commun pour souligner l’urgence d’une collaboration sur l’Open RAN en novembre 2021. Toujours en novembre 2021, Orange a ouvert son premier laboratoire de recherche en France dédié à l’Open RAN. Michael Trabbia, directeur technique d’Orange,a déclaré que ce lancement s’inscrivait dans l’ambition du groupe de déployer exclusivement des équipements Open RAN en Europe à partir de 2025.
La France se situe à mi-chemin en matière de disponibilité de la 5G
Le classement des pays change lorsqu’il s’agit de la disponibilité de la 5G – le pourcentage d’utilisateurs d’appareils compatibles avec la 5G qui passent la plupart du temps avec un accès aux réseaux 5G. La France arrive en plein milieu des pays analysés pour cette métrique. Au premier trimestre 2022, les Pays-Bas avaient la plus grande disponibilité de la 5G (34,7%), la Suisse (33,2%), l’Espagne (15,9%), la France (15,7%), le Royaume-Uni (14,0%), l’Allemagne (9,1%) et l’Italie (9,0%).
Des pistes gratuites sur la disponibilité de la 5G
Free avait la plus grande disponibilité de la 5G parmi les opérateurs français, à 26,0% au T1 2022, devant Bouygues Telecom (18,3%), SFR (11,8%) et Orange (10,8%). Free reste le seul opérateur à avoir déployé la 5G sur le spectre 700 MHz, ce qui permet d’expliquer pourquoi il s’est mieux classé sur la Disponibilité 5G alors que le spectre bas débit se propage davantage. Selon l’agence du spectre ANFR, l’empreinte 5G de l’opérateur comprenait 14 568 sites en ondes au 1er avril, sur les 19 289 autorisations qu’il a obtenues pour cette bande de fréquences.Actuellement, la couverture du réseau 5G de Free s’étend à 81% de la population et est présente dans 9 652 communes. Free a réitéré sa stratégie d’entrée sur le marché en tarifant les services 5G au prix de la 4G, à l’instar de son entrée initiale sur le marché français où il proposait la 4G au prix de la 3G.
La cohérence 5G d’Orange s’est établie à un peu plus de 90%.
Consistency Score™ mesure quel pourcentage des échantillons d’un fournisseur est égal ou supérieur à un seuil de téléchargement et de chargement. Les seuils actuels pour la 5G mobile sont de 25 Mbps en téléchargement et de 3 Mbps en upload. Dans toute la France, la cohérence 5G s’est établie à 84% au premier trimestre 2022. Orange a obtenu la première place en tant qu’opérateur mobile 5G le plus constant en France avec un score de cohérence de 90,6 % au premier trimestre 2022, devant Free (83,7%), SFR (83,2%) et Bouygues Telecom (77,5%).
Bordeaux dispose de la 5G la plus rapide
Bordeaux a été le grand gagnant pour les vitesses 5G dans toutes les villes françaises, avec une vitesse de téléchargement 5G médiane de 333,46 Mbps au cours du T1 2022, soit une augmentation de 44 % d’une année sur l’autre pour tous les opérateurs combinés. Le réseau 5G d’Orange à Bordeaux a atteint une vitesse de téléchargement médiane de 456,69 Mbps, juste devant SFR à 445,07 Mbps. Le lancement de la 5G à Bordeaux a été légèrement retardé jusqu’en février 2021, car la ville demandait en vain au gouvernement un moratoire sur la technologie 5G et un report de l’attribution des fréquences. Pourtant, les opérateurs ont attendu l’installation des capteurs autonomes de mesure d’exposition, dont les données sont reportées dans l’Observatoire des ondes.
En termes de disponibilité de la 5G, il n’y a pas de vainqueur incontesté dans les cinq plus grandes villes françaises.
La 5G en France est en pleine expansion et nous suivrons le marché de près.
Les opérateurs mobiles étendent activement les réseaux 5G et l’adoption de la 5G en France est en pleine croissance, stimulée par le fort soutien du gouvernement. Nous suivrons de près les performances de la 5G en France grâce à Speedtest Intelligence. Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur la façon dont Speedtest Intelligence peut vous aider à comparer vos performances 5G à celles de vos concurrents,veuillez vous renseigner ici.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
Last year we took a look at how free roaming was working out for EU citizens in terms of speeds and latency. This year we’ve expanded our analysis to all European countries and included data on Wi-Fi roaming behavior. We’ve also added a little insight into how roaming might affect download speeds for visitors to Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona from February 25- 28, 2019.
Except where noted, this analysis is based on Speedtest data from Android devices on 4G LTE cellular connections during Q3-Q4 2018. We included data on any country with greater than 30 samples in all categories.
Most Europeans experience slower downloads while roaming
Roaming traffic is subject to deals struck between individual mobile operators on how that traffic will be prioritized, so roaming speeds can depend not only on the country of origin but also the country of destination and the plan a subscriber has selected.
Consider the following table where an Albanian experiences a mean download speed of 54.56 Mbps at home and then 38.47 Mbps while roaming elsewhere in Europe. This is expected as a roamer does not usually have a direct relationship with the mobile operator handling their data and calls abroad.
Mean Mobile Download Speeds in Europe
Speedtest Data | Q3-Q4 2018
Country
Local Speed (Mbps)
Roaming Speed (Mbps)
% Difference
Austria
38.23
35.78
-6.4%
Belarus
16.15
19.49
20.7%
Belgium
52.58
35.42
-32.6%
Bulgaria
47.28
32.35
-31.6%
Croatia
43.83
43.60
-0.5%
Cyprus
37.13
20.58
-44.6%
Czech Republic
44.91
13.43
-70.1%
Denmark
48.83
34.89
-28.6%
Estonia
36.43
38.98
7.0%
Finland
39.33
38.20
-2.9%
France
39.94
34.97
-12.5%
Germany
33.77
28.57
-15.4%
Greece
41.35
38.08
-7.9%
Hungary
49.57
28.19
-43.1%
Iceland
69.27
35.58
-48.6%
Ireland
28.23
31.49
11.6%
Italy
32.18
43.12
34.0%
Kazakhstan
22.93
13.80
-39.8%
Latvia
30.88
33.79
9.4%
Liechtenstein
56.48
36.66
-35.1%
Lithuania
41.49
33.43
-19.4%
Luxembourg
50.91
25.08
-50.7%
Malta
56.34
34.27
-39.2%
Montenegro
45.45
49.97
10.0%
Netherlands
56.06
33.86
-39.6%
Norway
68.49
38.69
-43.5%
Poland
28.74
29.71
3.4%
Portugal
32.06
36.95
15.3%
Romania
36.64
30.74
-16.1%
Russia
20.91
20.47
-2.1%
Serbia
43.41
21.64
-50.1%
Slovakia
33.47
31.80
-5.0%
Slovenia
35.51
36.41
2.5%
Spain
36.07
22.37
-38.0%
Sweden
44.87
34.59
-22.9%
Switzerland
47.59
30.36
-36.2%
Turkey
38.19
28.77
-24.7%
Ukraine
26.07
25.48
-2.3%
United Kingdom
30.84
38.76
25.7%
Residents of the Czech Republic will face massive speed disappointment when roaming through the rest of Europe. Other countries with much better speeds at home than abroad include Luxembourg, Serbia, Iceland and Cyprus.
In ten European countries, citizens experience faster mobile downloads while roaming than they do at home. These include: Italy, the United Kingdom, Belarus, Portugal, Ireland, Montenegro, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Slovenia. Most of these are among the slowest countries on this list, so it would make sense that their citizens would experience better speeds elsewhere in Europe than they do at home.
Europeans are connected to Wi-Fi most of the time
Customers sometimes try to get better speeds and avoid roaming fees (for those outside the E.U.) and data overages by connecting to Wi-Fi. The following table compares the percentage of time spent on Wi-Fi by a resident of a country with that of a visitor to the country.
Percentage of Time Spent on Wi-Fi in Europe
Speedtest Data | Q3-Q4 2018
Country
Local Customers
Visitors
% Difference
Albania
61.9%
59.8%
-3.4%
Andorra
73.6%
69.0%
-6.2%
Armenia
61.5%
68.1%
10.7%
Austria
65.6%
36.7%
-44.1%
Azerbaijan
67.0%
70.7%
5.5%
Belarus
63.9%
58.3%
-8.9%
Belgium
71.1%
32.9%
-53.7%
Bosnia and Herzegovina
71.9%
66.0%
-8.2%
Bulgaria
65.2%
46.8%
-28.2%
Croatia
66.1%
41.0%
-38.0%
Cyprus
70.9%
58.4%
-17.7%
Czech Republic
75.1%
38.9%
-48.1%
Denmark
70.4%
52.9%
-24.9%
Estonia
61.2%
45.6%
-25.4%
Finland
56.6%
47.1%
-16.7%
France
60.2%
43.1%
-28.5%
Georgia
61.4%
62.2%
1.3%
Germany
72.2%
42.4%
-41.3%
Greece
73.5%
52.2%
-28.9%
Hungary
71.9%
35.0%
-51.3%
Iceland
65.7%
58.2%
-11.4%
Ireland
67.2%
52.4%
-22.0%
Italy
64.1%
48.9%
-23.7%
Kazakhstan
57.7%
64.7%
12.3%
Latvia
60.9%
43.8%
-28.1%
Liechtenstein
71.7%
58.2%
-18.9%
Lithuania
66.8%
43.3%
-35.1%
Luxembourg
63.6%
26.0%
-59.1%
Macedonia
65.3%
52.9%
-18.9%
Malta
74.3%
58.0%
-22.0%
Moldova
67.2%
67.3%
0.2%
Montenegro
63.6%
65.2%
2.5%
Netherlands
73.0%
42.5%
-41.7%
Norway
74.7%
59.7%
-20.1%
Poland
62.5%
48.1%
-23.1%
Portugal
69.1%
54.7%
-20.9%
Romania
62.4%
48.7%
-21.9%
Russia
58.8%
65.9%
12.2%
San Marino
66.8%
39.7%
-40.6%
Serbia
68.6%
61.2%
-10.7%
Slovakia
69.6%
35.1%
-49.6%
Slovenia
63.3%
26.4%
-58.3%
Spain
70.8%
53.0%
-25.2%
Sweden
71.8%
44.9%
-37.4%
Switzerland
62.4%
47.2%
-24.4%
Turkey
61.7%
73.0%
18.4%
Ukraine
61.5%
62.4%
1.5%
United Kingdom
71.3%
54.0%
-24.3%
Finland showed the lowest time spent on Wi-Fi by residents at 56.6%. Kazakhstan was second at 57.7% followed by Russia (58.8%), France (60.2%) and Latvia (60.9%). The Czech Republic showed the highest time spent on Wi-Fi by residents at 75.1%. Norway was second at 74.7% followed by Malta (74.3%), Andorra (73.6%) and Greece (73.5%).
When it comes to time spent on Wi-Fi by visitors, Luxembourg had the lowest percentage at 26.0%. Slovenia was second at 26.4% followed by Belgium (32.9%), Hungary (35.0%) and Slovakia (35.1%). Turkey showed the highest time spent on Wi-Fi by visitors at 73.0%. Azerbaijan was second at 70.7% followed by Andorra (69.0%), Armenia (68.1%) and Moldova (67.3%).
Luxembourg saw the largest difference in time spent on Wi-Fi between residents and visitors with visitors using Wi-Fi 59.1% less than residents. Slovenia was close behind at 58.3%, followed by Belgium (53.7%) and Hungary (51.3%). On the other end of the spectrum, visitors to Turkey were on Wi-Fi 18.4% longer than residents followed by Kazakhstan (12.3%) and Russia (12.2%).
Roaming dramatically increases latency in Europe
Because roaming signals are routed through a user’s home network, latency is always an issue in roaming. Speedtest data shows that latency while roaming is a much larger issue for residents of some countries than it is for others.
Comparing European Latency In-Country and Abroad
Speedtest Data | Q3-Q4 2018
Country
Local Latency (ms)
Roaming Latency (ms)
% Difference
Austria
24
83
245.8%
Belarus
32
75
134.4%
Belgium
24
81
237.5%
Bulgaria
24
126
425.0%
Croatia
32
86
168.8%
Cyprus
20
194
870.0%
Czech Republic
24
86
258.3%
Denmark
24
98
308.3%
Estonia
23
78
239.1%
Finland
26
104
300.0%
France
42
87
107.1%
Germany
33
87
163.6%
Greece
27
137
407.4%
Hungary
22
94
327.3%
Iceland
18
163
805.6%
Ireland
34
114
235.3%
Italy
52
116
123.1%
Kazakhstan
35
164
368.6%
Latvia
24
94
291.7%
Liechtenstein
40
90
125.0%
Lithuania
26
108
315.4%
Luxembourg
23
73
217.4%
Malta
18
141
683.3%
Montenegro
18
42
133.3%
Netherlands
26
81
211.5%
Norway
36
109
202.8%
Poland
33
104
215.2%
Portugal
27
102
277.8%
Romania
26
131
403.8%
Russia
42
161
283.3%
Serbia
22
76
245.5%
Slovakia
30
69
130.0%
Slovenia
21
69
228.6%
Spain
45
118
162.2%
Sweden
30
118
293.3%
Switzerland
26
75
188.5%
Turkey
26
115
342.3%
Ukraine
35
116
231.4%
United Kingdom
37
107
189.2%
Residents of Cyprus saw an average latency of 194 ms while roaming in Europe. The country with the second highest latency for residents roaming abroad was Kazakhstan at 164 ms, followed by Iceland (163 ms). Russia (161 ms) and Malta (141 ms). In contrast, Montenegro had a lower latency for residents roaming abroad than Italy did for residents using their mobile phones locally.
Roaming performance at MWC
MWC, the largest mobile conference in the world, has Barcelona teeming with visitors from across the globe all trying to connect to their home networks. During February 2018 we saw an average download speed of 34.31 Mbps while roaming in Barcelona and a mean latency of 201 ms. Visitors from the U.K. saw an average download speed of 49.00 Mbps and a mean latency of 111 ms, while those from Italy averaged a download of 32.88 Mbps and a latency of 128 ms.
What will the performance look like at this year’s conference? Schedule a meeting or come see us in Hall 2 at Booth 2i25 to learn more about our roaming data.
Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.
Austria has been held up as an example of a pioneer European 5G-market, having announced its 5G Strategy in April 2018, which has since been incorporated in the nation’s Broadband Strategy 2030. This strategy includes a number of 5G targets: commitments to early 5G trials, the rollout of 5G in all state capitals by the end of 2020 (which it has achieved), coverage of all main traffic routes in the country by the end of 2023 and nationwide 5G coverage by the end of 2025. We analyzed Speedtest Intelligence® data from Q1-Q2 2021 to see how performance is tracking two years on from launch. We compared Austrian 5G speeds to those of its regional peers and examined how its operators 5G networks perform across the country.
Key spectrum auctions are opening up Austria’s 5G market
Despite COVID-19 related delays, the Austrian regulator has completed the auction of spectrum in key 5G bands. The first auction in early 2019 saw all three national mobile operators acquire contiguous bands at least equal to the EU’s recommended 80-100 MHz in the C-band. A follow up multi-band auction (which included spectrum in the 700 MHz band) was conducted in September 2020 and included obligations to cover a range of not-spots (areas of zero mobile broadband coverage) and partial not-spots (areas of coverage by only one network operator).
Having access to large contiguous blocks of spectrum in the key C-band will allow Austrian operators to make more efficient use of their spectrum resources and better support high-bandwidth, low-latency 5G use cases. Austria already looks set to advance with standalone (SA) 5G networks, with Drei Austria recently announcing a trial in the capital Vienna and plans to launch a commercial 5G SA network in spring 2022. Notably, operators have complained that the high cost of mobile mast rental has slowed 5G rollout.
Switzerland had the fastest 5G among Austria’s European peers during Q1-Q2 2021
5G performance has seen some wild swings over the past year in Austria and its European peer countries in the region. Switzerland ended Q2 2021 with the fastest median 5G download speed on this list at 177.33 Mbps, followed by France (169.16 Mbps), Austria (143.98 Mbps), Germany (142.71 Mbps) and Italy (122.54 Mbps).
Switzerland was also fastest for median upload speed over 5G during Q2 2021 at 36.37 Mbps, followed by Germany (26.22 Mbps), Austria (21.97 Mbps), Italy (16.43 Mbps) and France (15.95 Mbps). We often see 5G speeds decline after the initial launch period as more users adopt the technology, which adds congestion to cell sites. Additionally, the use of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) allows operators to expand 5G coverage through the use of existing spectrum bands and incorporates bands at lower frequencies that can lead to slower median speeds.
Drei Austria was the fastest operator in Austria for 5G
5G performance varied widely among Austria’s top providers during Q1-Q2 2021 but Drei Austria had the fastest median 5G download speed at 183.04 Mbps. Accounting for statistical uncertainty, this was at least 21% faster than the nearest competitor. Magenta Telekom and A1 Telekom had slower 5G download speeds at 145.18 Mbps and 111.07 Mbps, respectively. For median 5G upload speeds, Magenta Telekom placed first at 24.43 Mbps.
Innsbruck trumps Vienna on 5G download and upload speeds
While there was no statistical winner among Austrian capitals, Innsbruck had a median 5G download speed at 169.43 Mbps, which was demonstrably faster than Vienna’s median download speed of 144.93 Mbps. Since there was no clear winner among all state capitals, this indicates operators’ 5G rollouts to date have not prioritized any single state capital, and that they are currently managing the balance between providing 5G capacity with demand on the new network. Within the capital Vienna, Drei Austria’s 5G network showed the fastest performance during Q1-Q2 2021 achieving a median download speed of 193.66 Mbps.
Österreich gilt als einer der 5G-Pioniermärkte in Europa. Bereits im April 2018 verkündete Österreich seine 5G-Strategie, die inzwischen in die nationale Breitbandstrategie 2030 integriert wurde. Diese Strategie enthält eine Reihe von 5G-Zielen: eine Verpflichtungen zu ersten frühzeitigen 5G-Tests, die mittlerweile bereits umgesetzt Einführung von 5G in allen Landeshauptstädten zum Zeitpunkt Ende 2020, die Abdeckung aller Hauptverkehrswege des Landes bis Ende 2023 und eine landesweite 5G-Versorgung bis Ende 2025.
Zwei Jahre nach dem kommerziellen 5G-Start in Österreich haben wir unsere Speedtest Intelligence® Daten aus Q1-Q2 2021 analysiert, um zu sehen, wie sich die Performance von 5G im Land entwickelt hat. Wir haben untersucht, wie die 5G-Netze der Betreiber im ganzen Land abschneiden, und die 5G-Übertragungsraten jenen vergleichbarer europäischer Länder in der Region gegenübergestellt.
Frequenzauktionen machen Weg frei für Österreichs 5G-Markt
Trotz COVID-19-bedingter Verzögerungen hat die österreichische Regulierungsbehörde die Versteigerung der Frequenzbänder für 5G mittlerweile abgeschlossen. Bei der ersten Auktion Anfang 2019 erwarben alle drei nationalen Mobilfunkbetreiber zusammenhängende Bänder, die mindestens den von der EU empfohlenen 80-100 MHz im C-Band entsprechen. Eine nachfolgende Multi-Band-Auktion, die auch Frequenzen im 700-MHz-Band umfasste, wurde im September 2020 durchgeführt und beinhaltete Verpflichtungen zur Abdeckung einer Reihe von Not-Spots (Gebiete ohne mobile Breitbandabdeckung) und von partiellen Not-Spots (Gebiete mit Abdeckung durch nur einen Netzbetreiber).
Der Zugang zu großen, zusammenhängenden Frequenzblöcken im wichtigen C-Band wird es den österreichischen Betreibern ermöglichen, ihre Frequenzressourcen effizienter zu nutzen und 5G-Anwendungsfälle mit hoher Bandbreite und geringer Latenz noch besser zu unterstützen. Österreich scheint hierfür auch bereits mit 5G standalone (SA)-Netzen voranzukommen. Drei Austria hat kürzlich einen Test in der Hauptstadt Wien angekündigt und plant, schon im Frühjahr 2022 ein kommerzielles 5G SA-Netz in Betrieb zu nehmen. Zugleich beklagen die Betreiber jedoch, dass die hohen Kosten für die Anmietung von Mobilfunkmasten die Einführung von 5G verlangsamt haben.
Schweiz mit schnellstem 5G unter Österreichs Peers in Q1-Q2 2021
Die 5G-Performance hat im vergangenen Jahr in Österreich und anderen vergleichbaren europäischen Ländern in der Region stark geschwankt. Im Q2 2021 hatte die Schweiz die Nase vorne mit einer mittleren 5G-Download-Geschwindigkeit von 177,33 Mbps, gefolgt von Frankreich (169,16 Mbps), Österreich (143,98 Mbps), Deutschland (142,71 Mbps) und Italien (122,54 Mbps).
Auch bei den Upload-Raten erreichte die Schweiz in Q2 2021 mit 36,37 Mbit/s bei 5G den besten Mittelwert, gefolgt von Deutschland (26,22 Mbit/s), Österreich (21,97 Mbit/s), Italien (16,43 Mbit/s) und Frankreich (15,95 Mbit/s). Nach der anfänglichen Einführungsphase sinken die 5G-Geschwindigkeiten häufig, denn die Zahl der 5G-Kunden steigt allmählich an, was zu einer stärkeren Belastung der Mobilfunkstandorte führt. Außerdem nutzen die Betreiber zunehmend bestehende Frequenzbänder für 5G mittels Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). Die Betreiber sind so in der Lage, die 5G-Abdeckung zu erweitern und niedrigere Frequenzbänder einzubeziehen. Die durchschnittliche Übertragungsgeschwindigkeit kann sich dadurch verlangsamen.
Drei mit schnellstem 5G-Netz in Österreichs in Q1-Q2 2021
Die 5G-Performance hat in Q1-Q2 2021 zwischen den österreichischen Top-Providern stark variiert. Drei Austria hatte mit 183,04 Mbit/s im Mittelwert die schnellste 5G-Download-Geschwindigkeit. Unter Berücksichtigung der statistischen Schwankungsbreite war das 5G Netz von Drei damit mindestens 21 % schneller als jenes des nächsten Mitbewerbers. Magenta Telekom und A1 Telekom erreichten langsamere 5G-Download-Geschwindigkeiten von 145,18 Mbit/s bzw. 111,07 Mbit/s. Bei der mittleren 5G-Upload-Rate lag Magenta Telekom mit 24,43 Mbit/s an erster Stelle.
Innsbruck übertrumpft Wien bei 5G-Download- und Upload
Unter den österreichischen Landeshauptstädten zeigte sich statistisch betrachtet kein eindeutiger Gewinner. In der mittleren Download-Geschwindigkeit war 5G in Innsbruck mit 169,43 Mbit/s aber augenscheinlich schneller als Wien mit 144,93 Mbit/s. Dass es keinen eindeutigen Gewinner unter den Landeshauptstädten gab, lässt darauf schließen, dass die Betreiber beim 5G-Rollout bisher keine Region signifikant priorisiert haben und dass ihnen derzeit eine gute Balance zwischen der Bereitstellung von 5G-Kapazität und der Nachfrage im neuen Netz gelingt.
In der Hauptstadt Wien erreichte das 5G-Netz von Drei Austria in Q1-Q2 2021 die schnellsten Übertragungsraten mit einer mittleren Download-Geschwindigkeit von 193,66 Mbit/s.
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We recently attended the European 5G Observatory’s workshop, “5G in the Digital Decade,” which provided an overview of progress towards the EU’s 5G Action Plan targets and also looked ahead to the new targets as set out in the EU Digital Decade. The European Commission presented its vision of the region’s Digital Decade in March 2021, providing targets (the Digital Compass) for the digital transformation of Member States by 2030. Progress towards these targets is measured through the existing Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), a key component of which focuses on connectivity. The relevant 2030 goals here are to provide Gigabit access to all EU households and 5G coverage in all populated areas.
The connectivity component of DESI is made up of a mix of demand and supply-side factors, including fixed and mobile broadband coverage and take-up, 5G spectrum availability and broadband pricing. The latest iteration was published in November using 2020 data, with Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain securing the top three spots for connectivity, and Greece and Bulgaria the bottom two.
As 5G evolves, so should the Commission’s 5G targets
The Commission’s DESI has evolved from its inception in 2014 to now track the Digital Compass’ targets. However, 5G is a rapidly evolving technology, and it was clear from the discussion during the Observatory’s workshop that there will be a need to review the actual targets and by implication the measurement criteria. The key concern lies in the “5G everywhere” target, both from a coverage and a performance perspective. As the end goal is the digital transformation of Member States, 5G coverage should be extended beyond the current target of all populated areas, to provide greater geographical coverage — in particular to support emerging vertical industry needs, for example in agriculture or logistics.
In terms of 5G performance, the ITU’s IMT-2020 requirements are for a user-experienced data rate of 100 Mbps download and 50 Mbps upload. However, not all 5G networks are created equally. The increasing use of dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) means that operators can boost 5G coverage and capacity by using existing spectrum formerly dedicated to other generations of mobile technology. As a result, network performance will vary widely based on the bands used. There are also differences in 5G rollout, with initial 5G radio equipment tending to be deployed on existing tower infrastructure, and the coverage of higher capacity C-band spectrum will be limited relative to that of lower frequency bands as result.
Divergence between the DESI and end-user internet speed
What’s also interesting are the outliers and how their performance differs from their position within the DESI. Bulgaria (which came second to last in the connectivity portion of the DESI), does lag behind the European average on fixed broadband speeds, but is significantly faster on mobile speeds. Bulgaria’s median mobile download speed of 83.71 Mbps makes it the seventh fastest market globally. The reverse is true for Spain, which came third in the DESI, and where median fixed download speeds of 118.25 Mbps are well above the European average, putting it in 11th place globally, but where mobile speeds of 34.63 Mbps lag well behind the European average, and place it 51st globally. Other examples of divergence between the DESI and actual internet speeds on the ground include markets such as Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia and Lithuania.
To support Member States, the Commission has proposed a “Path to the Digital Decade”, a governance framework which in addition to the development of roadmaps at a Member State level and regular reporting on progress, will also include a framework to address progress shortfalls and support for multi-country projects. Member States have been encouraged to make use of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, an EU-wide fund of EUR 723.8 billion designed to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, from which they are required to devote at least 20% of their allocation to digital projects. As of October 2021, digital investment plans totalled 26% of the fund, of which 11% is dedicated to connectivity. With such significant public funds directed at improving connectivity, and the digital services that it underpins, the Commission must ensure that its targets and measurement methodology keep pace with the evolution of network technologies.
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Winter’s on in the northern hemisphere, and travelers from all over are booking cruises to the Caribbean for a little sun. If a phone figures into that fabulous vacation, it’s important to know where mobile roaming speeds will slow down the fun. We examined Speedtest® data from Q4 2019 for five popular Caribbean destinations to see which country has the best roaming speed, how roaming affects latency and how country of origin affects results.
Roaming speeds excel in the French Antilles
Roaming agreements are complex arrangements negotiated between individual mobile operators on a country-by-country basis. For travelers this means that mobile speeds can be very unpredictable abroad. Speedtest data showed Guadeloupe and Martinique had the fastest mean inbound roaming download speeds of all the countries on our list during Q4 2019.
On the other hand, visitors to Cuba and The Bahamas saw the slowest mean download speeds while roaming during Q4 2019.
Local speed does not predict roaming speed
We expect to see slow roaming speeds in countries with slow mobile speeds overall, because roaming relies on in-country networks. However, when we look only at the percent difference between roaming and local speeds, we see that local speed was not the only indicator of roaming speed.
Comparing Inbound Roaming Speeds to Local Speeds in the Caribbean
Speedtest® Data | Q4 2019
Country
Local Download (Mbps)
% Decrease Download When Roaming
Local Upload (Mbps)
% Decrease Upload When Roaming
Cuba
28.45
82.9%
12.98
19.4%
Antigua and Barbuda
41.66
75.5%
13.18
56.4%
The Bahamas
23.21
68.8%
11.99
49.0%
Guadeloupe
46.33
31.6%
12.52
45.8%
Puerto Rico
27.46
31.3%
10.83
37.4%
Dominican Republic
26.58
21.8%
10.49
37.9%
Martinique
32.59
4.2%
10.37
4.1%
For example, Antigua and Barbuda’s mean local download speed was the second fastest on our list during Q4 2019, but that figure represents a 75.5% decrease in mean roaming download speed. The result is that Antigua and Barbuda ranked third to last for mean roaming download speed during Q4 2019. Cuba showed the largest decrease in mean download speed between roaming and local at 82.9%. Martinique showed the smallest decrease at 4.2%.
Roaming’s effect on latency
Latency is a major pain point for consumers who are roaming outside of their home country. Roaming signals are routed from the country a consumer is visiting to their country of origin and then back to where they physically are with their phones.
Comparing Inbound Roaming to Local Latency in Caribbean Countries
Speedtest® Data | Q4 2019
Country
Roaming Latency (ms)
Local Latency (ms)
% Increase Latency When Roaming
Cuba
472
100
372.0%
Guadeloupe
289
80
261.3%
Martinique
289
99
191.9%
Dominican Republic
216
35
517.1%
Puerto Rico
174
52
234.6%
Antigua and Barbuda
149
28
432.1%
The Bahamas
149
32
365.6%
Latency while roaming was highest by far in Cuba during Q4 2019. Roaming latency represented a 372.0% increase over local latency, which was also higher in Cuba than any other country on this list. The high roaming latency in both Guadeloupe and Martinique is likely both because local latency is higher there and because the majority of samples we saw in those locations were roamers from France, so the signals for roamers had to cross an ocean, twice.
Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas were tied for the lowest latency we saw for consumers roaming in the Caribbean during Q4 2019. These two countries also had the lowest local latencies during this period.
Performance varies widely by roamer’s origin and destination
Mobile Roaming Speeds and Latency for U.S. Consumers in Three Caribbean Markets
Speedtest® Data | Q4 2019
Country
Roaming Download (Mbps)
% Decrease Download When Roaming
Roaming Upload (Mbps)
% Decrease Upload When Roaming
Roaming Latency (ms)
% Increase Latency When Roaming
Dominican Republic
21.43
19.4%
5.98
43.0%
144
311.4%
Puerto Rico
19.74
28.1%
6.43
40.6%
172
230.8%
The Bahamas
7.20
69.0%
6.20
48.3%
143
346.9%
Although Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, visitors from the 50 states of the union had a faster mean download speed roaming in the Dominican Republic than they did in Puerto Rico during Q4 2019. Both were slower than the U.S. average download of 38.74 Mbps during that period.
Roaming download speed for U.S. visitors to The Bahamas were much slower than those seen in the other two locations and 19.4% slower than the mean download speed for residents of The Bahamas. Latency for U.S. roamers was also much higher in Puerto Rico than it was in either The Bahamas or the Dominican Republic. For comparison, mean latency in the U.S. was 47 ms during the same period.
Roaming upload speeds for U.S. visitors were much more similar between the three destinations than we saw on the download side. All were much slower than the mean upload speed in the U.S. of 11.19 Mbps during Q4 2019.
Mobile Roaming Speeds and Latency for French Consumers in Two Caribbean Markets
Speedtest® Data | Q4 2019
Country
Roaming Download (Mbps)
% Decrease Download When Roaming
Roaming Upload (Mbps)
% Decrease Upload When Roaming
Roaming Latency (ms)
% Increase Latency When Roaming
Guadeloupe
35.65
23.1%
7.53
39.9%
285
256.3%
Martinique
31.22
4.2%
9.94
4.1%
289
191.9%
French visitors to Guadeloupe and Martinique experienced similar speeds and latency roaming in both locations, despite the sharp difference in local speeds. Considering the mean download speed in France was 44.19 Mbps and upload was 10.94 Mbps during the same period, these roaming speeds require a bit of an adjustment, but not painfully so. Latency, on the other hand, will require users to pack their patience, as mean latency in France during this same period was 41 ms.
Guadeloupe, Martinique, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are among the best Caribbean destinations if roaming performance is a factor in choosing a cruise. Either way, multi-island travelers should be prepared for a variety of mobile roaming experiences in a variety of countries and aboard ships where roaming uses the ship’s cellular or Wi-Fi network.
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