Josh Fomon | December 8, 2021

Belgium Falls Behind EU Peers, Faces 5G Regulatory Challenges

Lees in het Vlaams | Lire en français

Belgium represents an important cornerstone to the European community and is home to the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, European Parliament and the European Council. However, Belgium is behind the curve among its regional partners in terms of promoting 5G competition with only one 5G provider during the majority of 2021. In this article, we used Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® to examine Belgium’s fixed and mobile internet performance speeds, as well as regional and provincial performance during Q3 2021. We also examined the European Quarter in Brussels using Ookla Cell Analytics^™ to determine which mobile operators had the best signal level and quality.

The Netherlands leads among Belgium’s regional trading partners for fastest mobile

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Speedtest Intelligence reveals that the Netherlands had the fastest median mobile download speed among Belgium’s closest regional trade partners at 84.59 Mbps during Q3 2021. Switzerland and Luxembourg followed at 71.76 Mbps and 69.81 Mbps, respectively. Austria was next at 49.98 Mbps, followed by Belgium at 48.88 Mbps.

Switzerland and Spain set the European standard with fixed broadband speeds over 100.00 Mbps

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According to Speedtest Intelligence, Switzerland had the fastest median fixed broadband speed among Belgium and its regional trading partners at 104.58 Mbps during Q3 2021, edging out Spain’s 101.10 Mbps. The Netherlands and Luxembourg followed at 92.20 Mbps and 89.27 Mbps, respectively. Belgium’s median fixed broadband download speed of 72.90 Mbps was just slower than France’s at 75.47 Mbps.

BASE, Telenet and Proximus outpaced Orange for mobile

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Belgium’s fastest mobile provider was too close to call during Q3 2021 with BASE (56.83 Mbps), Telenet (56.73 Mbps) and Proximus (53.58 Mbps) leading the way. Orange was fourth at 39.09 Mbps. It also must be noted Telenet owns the BASE brand.

Telenet had the fastest fixed broadband speed

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Telenet had the fastest download speed over fixed broadband at 124.89 Mbps. This far outpaced VOO, which followed at 94.63 Mbps. Orange was next on the list at 82.20 Mbps, followed by Proximus (43.45 Mbps) and Scarlet (35.34 Mbps).

Flanders had faster mobile download speeds than Brussels and the Walloon region

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Speedtest Intelligence data uncovered a wide divide between Belgium’s more populous northern Flemish region and the less populous southern Walloon region on mobile performance during Q3 2021. Flanders had a median mobile download speed at 54.57 Mbps to Walloon’s 37.63 Mbps. The Capital Region of Brussels was squarely in the middle on mobile at 49.90 Mbps. This digital divide extended into province-level data, with almost every Flemish province achieving faster median download speeds than Walloon provinces.

Four Flemish provinces had mobile download speeds over 50 Mbps

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There was no statistically fastest mobile download speed among Belgium’s provinces, though Flemish Brabant (57.47 Mbps), Antwerp (57.30 Mbps), West Flanders (54.95 Mbps) and East Flanders (52.19 Mbps) all notched download speeds above 50.00 Mbps. The Luxembourg province (28.40 Mbps) and Province of Namur (28.71 Mbps) were the only Belgian provinces that fell short of reaching a median mobile download speed of 30.00 Mbps.

There was a wide divide between Flanders and the Walloon region on fixed broadband

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Speedtest Intelligence data revealed the digital divide among Belgium’s regions was even more distant on fixed broadband during Q3 2021. Flanders had a median fixed broadband download speed at 87.02 Mbps to the Walloon’s 55.66 Mbps. The Capital Region of Brussels was again in the middle at 60.40 Mbps.

Limburg was fastest province for fixed broadband

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Limburg had the fastest median download speed over fixed broadband at 90.07 Mbps, followed by East Flanders (86.68 Mbps), West Flanders (86.45 Mbps), Antwerp (85.23 Mbps) and Flemish Brabant (84.50 Mbps). There was no fastest province in Wallonia, though Walloon Brabant and the Province of Namur had the fastest median download speeds at 60.15 Mbps and 58.90, respectively.

4G LTE Signal Level and Quality varied by provider near the European Quarter in Brussels

We examined mobile performance in the European Quarter in Brussels using Cell Analytics data from the past 24 months. Each of these maps shows the strongest 4G Signal Level (RSRP) and Signal Quality (RSRQ) signals in this key area, which can assist mobile operators in improving their networks. Cell Analytics identifies the strongest RSRP and RSRQ by mobile network operator for a given area or building when there is a statistically significant winner and color codes that plot bin to the provider’s corresponding color. RSRP provider-level maps show the strength of a signal from individual providers for a given area, with pink and red showing a strong signal and blue indicating a weak signal. Since users can experience poor quality even with a strong signal level, resulting in audio interruptions or slow data speeds, RSRQ provider-level maps show the quality of an operator’s signal for a given area, with red showing a high-quality signal and blue indicating a lower-quality signal. We’ve also included the approximate locations of cell towers in the area.

Tight competition for best 4G LTE RSRP in Brussels

The image below shows where a provider had the strongest 4G LTE RSRP signal strength during the past 24 months. As you can see, BASE/Telenet had a strong presence in the center of the map, achieving the highest RSRP in our polygon area. Proximus and Orange had strong signals around the edges of the map, and Orange had the strongest RSRP in some of the key EU institutions, including the European Commission headquarters and the European Parliament.

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The maps below show where each top provider has high and low signal strength data in the European Quarter. BASE/Telenet showed very strong RSRP near the center of the map, particularly around the major EU buildings, Rue de la Loi and near Av. Marnix, though there were a few weaker areas just southwest of the European Parliament building. Orange showed areas of strong localized RSRP through the map, particularly in the southwest, with a weaker RSRP in blue in the northwest and in the center of the map. Proximus had some areas of strength along Rue de la Loi, and near the core of the European Quarter, though had weaker signals throughout.

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BASE/Telenet had the best RSRQ in Brussels’ European Quarter

According to Cell Analytics, BASE/Telenet had the highest RSRQ in the polygon area of the European Quarter we surveyed. The maps below show where each provider had the best RSRQ over the past 24 months, for both indoor and outdoor areas. The image below shows BASE/Telenet had areas near the center of the map of the best RSRQ, while Orange had the best RSRQ near the south of the map — particularly on Av. de la Couronne — and the outskirts of the map toward the east. Proximus had the best RSRQ in some areas of the European Quarter, particularly in the northwest around the Royal Palace of Brussels and Parc Léopold. Indoor RSRQ showed a similar story, with strong competition throughout the map, though Orange showed a stronger showing in the southwest of the map, as well as in some key EU buildings.

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The maps below show where each top provider had high and low quality RSRQ signal strength. BASE/Telenet showed very strong areas near the center of the map, particularly around the European Parliament, Square Frère-Orban Park and Parc du Cinquantenaire, though there were a few areas of lower quality just south of the European Parliament building. Orange showed areas of strong localized RSRQ, particularly in the near key EU buildings, though had lower RSRQ areas in blue in the northwest, center and southwest of the map. Proximus had a somewhat similar map to Orange, with areas of higher RSRQ in the east of the map and near the important EU buildings like the Council of the European Union, but generally had lower RSRQ throughout the center of the map, particularly along major throughways like Rue de la Loi.

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Belgium has opportunities for fast 5G, but consumers won’t benefit until operators and regulators make 5G easier to implement

Belgium faces a challenging 5G outlook. The Secretary of State for the Brussels Region, Pascal Smet, has indicated a desire to make “Brussels the technology capital of Europe” and a recently commissioned report for the Belgian regulator estimates 5G’s impact on Belgian society as delivering an additional EUR 4-6 billion to GDP annually by 2030, and a further 40,000-80,000 new jobs. However, the auction of key 5G bands has been repeatedly delayed, and as they stand, strict non-ionizing radiation (NIR) limits will ultimately limit the scale of 5G deployment in the market.

Belgium’s plans for a multi-band spectrum auction — including new frequencies for 5G and the renewal of existing licenses — have been on hold for years as a result of disagreements between regional and federal governments, particularly over how the proceeds should be distributed. The country lags behind many of its regional peers in terms of 5G deployment and adoption, and the continued delay led the Belgian regulator, the Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) to grant temporary 5G licenses during 2020. Recent proposals, which include holding the proceeds in escrow until agreement can be reached, appear to have broken the deadlock, and the auction is now expected to take place in Q2 2022.

Belgium also has to contend with some very stringent NIR limits, particularly in the Brussels region, which will serve to limit 5G deployment. The Regional Government adopted a “5G roadmap” in mid-July 2021 and is organizing working groups to draft a city-wide rollout plan, and make legislative changes. It has already moved to more than double the NIR limit, but despite this it remains lower than other Belgian regions — still well below EU proposals.

Under the draft legislation of the auction, operators would be required to cover 70% of the Belgian population with 5G within one year, increasing to 99.5% after two years. BIPT also plans to set aside spectrum for a potential fourth mobile network operator, as it seeks to reduce prices in the market. However, a consultation it commissioned in early 2021 on the impact of 5G and a fourth mobile network operator estimated that the entry of a new player would have a negligible impact on employment and investment and an uncertain impact on revenues (+/- 5%, versus flat). As a result, the amount of spectrum reserved for a new entrant has been reduced, to allow B2B operators to bid for some of the remaining frequencies. Proximus, which launched its 5G network during Q3 2020, saw median 5G download and upload speeds at 201.59 Mbps and 20.33 Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2021. With Orange and Telenet making huge investments to expand their 5G network within Belgium — and Telenet launching commercial 5G this week, we’re excited to see what the future holds.

Belgium has the opportunity to improve mobile and fixed broadband speeds for consumers, and we’ll be watching closely to see what happens in the future with our Global Index Market Analyses. Learn more about Ookla Speedtest Intelligence or Cell Analytics by inquiring here.

België loopt achter op EU-collega’s en wordt geconfronteerd met uitdagingen inzake 5G-regelgeving

België vormt een belangrijke hoeksteen van de Europese gemeenschap en is de thuisbasis van de Raad van de Europese Unie, de Europese Commissie, het Europees Parlement en de Europese Raad. België loopt echter achter op zijn regionale partners wat de ondersteuning van 5G-mededinging betreft, met slechts één 5G-provider gedurende het grootste deel van 2021. In dit artikel maakten we gebruik van Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® com de prestaties van vast en mobiel internet in België te onderzoeken, alsook de regionale en provinciale prestaties tijdens het derde kwartaal van 2021. We hebben ook de Europese wijk in Brussel onderzocht met Ookla Cell Analytics^™ om te bepalen welke mobiele operatoren het beste signaalniveau en de beste signaalkwaliteit hadden.

Nederland is koploper onder de regionale handelspartners van België voor snelste mobiel netwerk

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Speedtest Intelligence toont aan dat Nederland de snelste mediane mobiele downloadsnelheid had van België’s dichtstbijzijnde regionale handelspartners met 84,59 Mbps tijdens Q3 2021. Zwitserland en Luxemburg volgden met respectievelijk 71,76 Mbps en 69,81 Mbps. Oostenrijk was de volgende met 49,98 Mbps, gevolgd door België met 48,88 Mbps.

Zwitserland en Spanje zetten de Europese standaard met vaste breedbandsnelheden van meer dan 100,00 Mbps

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Volgens Speedtest Intelligence had Zwitserland de snelste mediane vaste breedbandsnelheid van België en zijn regionale handelspartners, namelijk 104,58 Mbps tijdens het derde kwartaal van 2021, waarmee het Spanje met zijn 101,10 Mbps voorbleef. Nederland en Luxemburg volgden met respectievelijk 92,20 Mbps en 89,27 Mbps. België’s mediane vaste breedband downloadsnelheid van 72,90 Mbps was net iets trager dan die van Frankrijk met 75,47 Mbps.

BASE, Telenet en Proximus overtroffen Orange voor mobiel

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Het verschil tussen de snelste mobiele aanbieders van België was in het derde kwartaal van 2021 zeer klein: BASE (56,83 Mbps), Telenet (56,73 Mbps) en Proximus (53,58 Mbps) gingen aan kop. Orange was vierde met 39,09 Mbps. Er moet ook worden opgemerkt dat Telenet eigenaar is van het merk BASE.

Telenet had de snelste vaste breedbandsnelheid

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Telenet had de snelste downloadsnelheid via vaste breedband met 124,89 Mbps. Dit was veel beter dan VOO, dat volgde met 94,63 Mbps. Orange was de volgende op de lijst met 82,20 Mbps, gevolgd door Proximus (43,45 Mbps) en Scarlet (35,34 Mbps).

Vlaanderen had hogere mobiele downloadsnelheden dan Brussel en het Waalse Gewest

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Gegevens van Speedtest Intelligence brachten tijdens het derde kwartaal van 2021 een grote kloof aan het licht tussen de meer bevolkte noordelijke Vlaamse regio van België en de minder bevolkte zuidelijke Waalse regio wat mobiele prestaties betreft. Vlaanderen had een mediane mobiele downloadsnelheid van 54,57 Mbps tegenover 37,63 Mbps in Wallonië. Het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest zat opnieuw in het midden met mobiel op 49,90 Mbps. Deze digitale kloof breidde zich uit tot de gegevens op provincieniveau, waarbij bijna elke Vlaamse provincie hogere mediane downloadsnelheden haalde dan de Waalse provincies.

Vier Vlaamse provincies hadden mobiele downloadsnelheden van meer dan 50 Mbps

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Er was geen statistisch snelste mobiele downloadsnelheid onder de Belgische provincies, hoewel Vlaams-Brabant (57,47 Mbps), Antwerpen (57,30 Mbps), West-Vlaanderen (54,95 Mbps) en Oost-Vlaanderen (52,19 Mbps) allemaal downloadsnelheden boven de 50,00 Mbps noteerden. De provincie Luxemburg (28,40 Mbps) en de provincie Namen (28,71 Mbps) waren de enige Belgische provincies die een mediane mobiele downloadsnelheid van 30,00 Mbps niet haalden.

Er was een grote kloof tussen Vlaanderen en Wallonië wat vaste breedband betreft

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Uit gegevens van Speedtest Intelligence blijkt dat de digitale kloof tussen de Belgische regio’s in het derde kwartaal van 2021 nog groter was op het gebied van vaste breedband. Vlaanderen had een mediane vaste breedband downloadsnelheid van 87,02 Mbps tegenover 55,66 Mbps in Wallonië. Het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest zat opnieuw in het midden met 60,40 Mbps.

Limburg was snelste provincie voor vaste breedband

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Limburg had de snelste mediane downloadsnelheid via vaste breedband met 90,07 Mbps, gevolgd door Oost-Vlaanderen (86,68 Mbps), West-Vlaanderen (86,45 Mbps), Antwerpen (85,23 Mbps) en Vlaams-Brabant (84,50 Mbps). Er was geen snelste provincie in Wallonië, hoewel Waals-Brabant en de provincie Namen de snelste mediane downloadsnelheden hadden met respectievelijk 60,15 Mbps en 58,90 Mbps.

4G LTE-signaalniveau en -kwaliteit per aanbieder in de buurt van de Europese wijk in Brussel

We onderzochten de mobiele prestaties in de Europese wijk in Brussel met behulp van Cell Analytics-gegevens van de afgelopen 24 maanden. Elk van deze kaarten toont het sterkste 4G-signaalniveau (RSRP) en de signaalkwaliteit (RSRQ) in dit belangrijke gebied, wat mobiele operatoren kan helpen bij het verbeteren van hun netwerken. Cell Analytics identificeert de sterkste RSRP en RSRQ per mobiele-netwerkexploitant voor een bepaald gebied of gebouw wanneer er een statistisch significante winnaar is en kleurt die plotbin de overeenkomstige kleur van de aanbieder. De kaarten op RSRP-aanbiederniveau tonen de sterkte van een signaal van individuele aanbieders voor een bepaald gebied, waarbij roze en rood een sterk signaal aangeven en blauw een zwak signaal. Aangezien gebruikers zelfs met een sterk signaal een slechte kwaliteit kunnen ervaren, met onderbrekingen van het geluid of trage datasnelheden tot gevolg, geven kaarten op aanbiederniveau van RSRQ de kwaliteit van het signaal van een operator voor een bepaald gebied aan, waarbij rood staat voor een signaal van hoge kwaliteit en blauw voor een signaal van lagere kwaliteit. We hebben ook de locaties van gsm-masten in het gebied bij benadering opgenomen.

Scherpe concurrentie voor beste 4G LTE RSRP in Brussel

De onderstaande afbeelding toont waar een aanbieder de afgelopen 24 maanden de sterkste 4G LTE RSRP-signaalsterkte had. Zoals u kunt zien, was BASE/Telenet sterk aanwezig in het midden van de kaart, met de hoogste RSRP in ons polygoongebied. Proximus en Orange hadden sterke signalen rond de randen van de kaart, en Orange had de sterkste RSRP in enkele van de belangrijkste EU-instellingen, waaronder het hoofdkwartier van de Europese Commissie en het Europees Parlement.

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De onderstaande kaarten laten zien waar elke topaanbieder een hoge en een lage signaalsterkte heeft in de Europese wijk. BASE/Telenet liet zeer sterke RSRP zien in het centrum van de kaart, met name rond de grote EU-gebouwen, de Wetstraat en bij de Marnixlaan, hoewel er een paar zwakkere gebieden waren net ten zuidwesten van het gebouw van het Europees Parlement. Orange toonde gebieden van sterke gelokaliseerde RSRP door de kaart, vooral in het zuidwesten, met een zwakkere RSRP in blauw in het noordwesten en in het centrum van de kaart. Proximus had enkele sterke zones in de Wetstraat en in het hart van de Europese wijk, maar had overal zwakkere signalen.

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BASE/Telenet had de beste RSRQ in de Brusselse Europese Wijk

Volgens Cell Analytics had BASE/Telenet de hoogste RSRQ in het door ons onderzochte polygoongebied van de Europese Wijk. De onderstaande kaarten laten zien waar elke aanbieder de afgelopen 24 maanden de beste RSRQ had, zowel voor binnen- als buitengebieden. De afbeelding hieronder toont dat BASE/Telenet gebieden in het centrum van de kaart had met de beste RSRQ, terwijl Orange de beste RSRQ had in het zuiden van de kaart – met name op Kroonlaan – en aan de rand van de kaart in oostelijke richting. Proximus had het beste RSRQ in sommige delen van de Europese wijk, met name in het noordwesten rond het Koninklijk Paleis van Brussel en het Leopoldpark. Indoor RSRQ kende een gelijkaardig verhaal, met een sterke concurrentie op de hele kaart, hoewel Orange sterker was in het zuidwesten van de kaart, alsook in enkele belangrijke EU-gebouwen.

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De onderstaande kaarten laten zien waar elke topaanbieder een hoge en een lage kwaliteit van het RSRQ-signaal had. BASE/Telenet liet zeer sterke gebieden zien in het centrum van de kaart, met name rond het Europees Parlement, het Square Frère-Orban Park en het Jubelpark, hoewel er een paar gebieden van mindere kwaliteit waren net ten zuiden van het gebouw van het Europees Parlement. Orange vertoonde gebieden met een sterke gelokaliseerde RSRQ, vooral in de buurt van belangrijke EU-gebouwen, maar had lagere RSRQ-gebieden in blauw in het noordwesten, midden en zuidwesten van de kaart. Proximus had een kaart die enigszins vergelijkbaar was met die van Orange, met gebieden met een hoger RSRQ in het oosten van de kaart en in de buurt van belangrijke EU-gebouwen zoals de Raad van de Europese Unie, maar met over het algemeen een lager RSRQ in het hele centrum van de kaart, met name langs belangrijke doorgangswegen zoals de Wetstraat.

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België heeft kansen voor snelle 5G, maar consumenten zullen er niet van profiteren zolang operatoren en regulatoren 5G niet gemakkelijker om te implementeren maken

België staat voor moeilijke vooruitzichten wat 5G betreft. De staatssecretaris voor het Brussels Gewest, Pascal Smet, heeft de wens geuit om van "Brussel de technologiehoofdstad van Europa" te maken en in een onlangs in opdracht van de Belgische regelgever opgesteld rapport wordt de impact van 5G op de Belgische samenleving geraamd op een extra 4 à 6 miljard euro per jaar voor het BBP tegen 2030, en op nog eens 40 à 80 duizend nieuwe banen. De veiling van belangrijke 5G-banden is echter herhaaldelijk uitgesteld en in de huidige vorm zullen strikte limieten voor niet-ioniserende straling (NIR) uiteindelijk de schaal van de invoering van 5G op de markt beperken.

De Belgische plannen voor een multiband spectrumveiling – inclusief nieuwe frequenties voor 5G en de vernieuwing van bestaande licenties – liggen al jaren stil door onenigheid tussen de regionale en federale regeringen, met name over hoe de opbrengsten moeten worden verdeeld. Het land loopt achter op veel van zijn collega’s in de regio wat betreft de uitrol en de invoering van 5G, en de aanhoudende vertraging heeft de Belgische toezichthouder, het Belgisch Instituut voor Postdiensten en Telecommunicatie (BIPT), ertoe gebracht tijdelijke 5G-vergunningen te verlenen in de loop van 2020. Recente voorstellen, waaronder het in bewaring houden van de opbrengst totdat overeenstemming kan worden bereikt, lijken de impasse te hebben doorbroken, en de veiling zal nu naar verwachting in het tweede kwartaal van 2022 plaatsvinden.

België heeft ook te kampen met een aantal zeer strenge NIR-grenswaarden, met name in de Brusselse regio, die de uitrol van 5G zullen beperken. De regionale regering heeft medio juli 2021 een "5G-routekaart" goedgekeurd en organiseert werkgroepen om een plan voor de uitrol in de hele stad op te stellen en de wetgeving aan te passen. Ze is al overgegaan op meer dan het dubbele van de NIR-grens, maar desondanks blijft het lager dan andere Belgische regio’s – nog steeds ver onder de EU-voorstellen.

Volgens de ontwerpwetgeving van de veiling moeten de exploitanten binnen een jaar 70% van de Belgische bevolking met 5G bereiken, wat na twee jaar moet oplopen tot 99,5%. Het BIPT is ook van plan spectrum te reserveren voor een potentiële vierde mobiele netwerkoperator, omdat het de prijzen op de markt wil verlagen. In een consultatieronde die zij begin 2021 liet uitvoeren over de gevolgen van 5G en een vierde mobiele netwerkoperator werd echter geraamd dat de toetreding van een nieuwe speler een verwaarloosbaar effect zou hebben op de werkgelegenheid en de investeringen en een onzeker effect op de inkomsten (+/- 5%, tegenover vlak). Als gevolg daarvan is de hoeveelheid spectrum die voor een nieuwkomer is gereserveerd, verminderd om B2B-exploitanten in staat te stellen een bod uit te brengen op een deel van de resterende frequenties. Proximus, dat zijn 5G-netwerk lanceerde tijdens Q3 2020, zag mediane 5G-download- en -uploadsnelheden van respectievelijk 201,59 Mbps en 20,33 Mbps tijdens Q3 2021. Nu Orange en Telenet enorme investeringen doen om hun 5G-netwerk in België uit te breiden – en Telenet die deze week commerciële 5G lanceert, zijn we benieuwd naar wat de toekomst brengt.

België heeft de kans om de mobiele en vaste breedbandsnelheden voor consumenten te verbeteren, en wij zullen nauwlettend in de gaten houden wat er in de toekomst gebeurt met onze Global Index Market Analyses. Leer meer over Ookla Speedtest Intelligence of Cell Analytics door hier informeren.

La Belgique a du retard par rapport à ses pairs de l’UE et doit faire face à des défis réglementaires en matière de 5G

La Belgique représente un pilier important pour la communauté européenne et abrite le Conseil de l’Union européenne, la Commission européenne, le Parlement européen et le Conseil européen. Cependant, la Belgique a du retard vis-à-vis de ses partenaires régionaux en termes de promotion de la concurrence pour la 5G avec un seul fournisseur 5G pendant la majeure partie de 2021. Dans cet article, nous avons utilisé Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® pour examiner les vitesses de performance de l’internet fixe et mobile en Belgique, les performances régionales et provinciales au cours du troisième trimestre 2021. Nous avons également examiné le quartier européen de Bruxelles en utilisant Ookla Cell Analytics^™ pour déterminer quels opérateurs mobiles avaient le meilleur niveau et la meilleure qualité de réseau.

Les Pays-Bas sont en tête des partenaires commerciaux régionaux de la Belgique pour la téléphonie mobile la plus rapide

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Speedtest Intelligence révèle que les Pays-Bas avaient la vitesse médiane de téléchargement mobile la plus rapide parmi les partenaires commerciaux régionaux les plus proches de la Belgique, à 84,59 Mbps au cours du troisième trimestre 2021. La Suisse et le Luxembourg suivaient avec respectivement. 71,76 Mbps et 69,81 Mbps. Vient ensuite l’Autriche, avec 49,98 Mbps, puis la Belgique, avec 48,88 Mbps.

La Suisse et l’Espagne établissent la norme européenne avec des vitesses de haut débit fixe supérieures à 100,00 Mbps!

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Selon Speedtest Intelligence, la Suisse a enregistré la vitesse médiane la plus rapide en matière de haut débit fixe par rapport à la Belgique et ses partenaires commerciaux régionaux, soit 104,58 Mbps au troisième trimestre 2021, devant l’Espagne (101,10 Mbps). Les Pays-Bas et le Luxembourg suivent avec respectivement 92,20 Mbps et 89,27 Mbps. La vitesse médiane de téléchargement du haut débit fixe en Belgique, 72,90 Mbps, était juste inférieure à celle de la France, 75,47 Mbps.

BASE, Telenet et Proximus dépassent Orange pour le mobile

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Le classement du fournisseur de téléphonie mobile le plus rapide de Belgique était très serré au cours du troisième trimestre 2021, avec BASE (56,83 Mbps), Telenet (56,73 Mbps) et Proximus (53,58 Mbps) en tête. Orange est quatrième avec 39,09 Mbps. Il faut également noter que Telenet est propriétaire de la marque BASE.

Telenet a le haut débit fixe le plus rapide

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Telenet avait la vitesse de téléchargement la plus rapide sur le haut débit fixe, avec 124,89 Mbps. Ce chiffre dépasse de loin celui de VOO, qui suit avec 94,63 Mbps. Orange était le suivant sur la liste avec 82,20 Mbps, suivi de Proximus (43,45 Mbps) et Scarlet (35,34 Mbps).

Les vitesses de téléchargement mobile sont plus rapides en Flandre qu’à Bruxelles et en Wallonie

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Les données de Speedtest Intelligence ont révélé un large fossé entre le nord de la région flamande, plus peuplée, et le sud de la région wallonne, moins peuplée, en matière de performances mobiles au cours du troisième trimestre 2021. La Flandre avait une vitesse de téléchargement mobile médiane de 54,57 Mbps, contre 37,63 Mbps pour la Wallonie. La région de Bruxelles-Capitale se situait au milieu du classement en matière de téléphonie mobile, avec 49,90 Mbps. Cette fracture numérique s’est étendue aux données au niveau des provinces. Presque toutes les provinces flamandes ont atteint des vitesses de téléchargement médianes plus rapides que les provinces wallonnes.

Quatre provinces flamandes affichent des vitesses de téléchargement mobile supérieures à 50 Mbps

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Il n’y a pas eu de vitesse de téléchargement mobile statistiquement la plus rapide parmi les provinces belges, bien que le Brabant flamand (57,47 Mbps), Anvers (57,30 Mbps), la Flandre occidentale (54,95 Mbps) et la Flandre orientale (52,19 Mbps) aient toutes atteint des vitesses de téléchargement supérieures à 50,00 Mbps. La province du Luxembourg (28,40 Mbps) et la province de Namur (28,71 Mbps) sont les seules provinces belges à ne pas avoir atteint une vitesse de téléchargement mobile médiane de 30,00 Mbps.

Un large fossé sépare la Flandre de la région wallonne en matière de haut débit fixe

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Les données de Speedtest Intelligence ont révélé que la fracture numérique entre les régions de Belgique était encore plus éloignée sur le haut débit fixe au cours du troisième trimestre 2021. La Flandre avait une vitesse médiane de téléchargement à large bande fixe de 87,02 Mbps contre 55,66 Mbps pour la Wallonie. La région de Bruxelles-Capitale se situait à nouveau dans la médiane avec 60,40 Mbps.

Le Limbourg est la province la plus rapide pour le haut débit fixe

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Le Limbourg avait la vitesse de téléchargement médiane la plus rapide sur le haut débit fixe, avec 90,07 Mbps, suivi par la Flandre orientale (86,68 Mbps), la Flandre occidentale (86,45 Mbps), Anvers (85,23 Mbps) et le Brabant flamand (84,50 Mbps). Il n’y a pas de province plus rapide en Wallonie, bien que le Brabant wallon et la province de Namur aient eu les vitesses de téléchargement médianes les plus rapides, avec respectivement 60,15 et 58,90 Mbps.

Niveau et qualité du signal 4G LTE selon le fournisseur près du quartier européen de Bruxelles

Nous avons examiné les performances mobiles dans le quartier européen de Bruxelles en utilisant les données de Cell Analytics des 24 derniers mois. Chacune de ces cartes montre les signaux 4G de niveau de signal (RSRP) et de qualité de signal (RSRQ) les plus forts dans cette zone clé, ce qui peut aider les opérateurs mobiles à améliorer leurs réseaux. Cell Analytics identifie le RSRP et le RSRQ les plus forts par opérateur de réseau mobile pour une zone ou un bâtiment donné lorsqu’il y a un gagnant statistiquement significatif et attribue un code couleur à la couleur correspondante du fournisseur. Les cartes RSRP au niveau du fournisseur montrent la force du signal des différents fournisseurs pour une zone donnée, le rose et le rouge indiquant un signal fort et le bleu un signal faible. Les utilisateurs peuvent cependant être confrontés à une qualité médiocre même avec un niveau de signal élevé, ce qui se traduit par des interruptions audios ou des vitesses de données lentes. Les cartes RSRQ au niveau du fournisseur montrent la qualité du signal d’un opérateur pour une zone donnée, le rouge indiquant un signal de haute qualité et le bleu un signal de qualité inférieure. Nous avons également inclus les emplacements approximatifs des tours de téléphonie mobile dans la région.

Une concurrence serrée pour le meilleur RSRP 4G LTE à Bruxelles

L’image ci-dessous montre où un fournisseur a eu la plus forte intensité de signal 4G LTE RSRP au cours des 24 derniers mois. Comme vous pouvez le voir, BASE/Telenet a une forte présence au centre de la carte, obtenant le RSRP le plus élevé dans la zone de notre polygone. Proximus et Orange avaient des signaux forts sur les bords de la carte, et Orange avait le RSRP le plus fort dans certaines des institutions clés de l’UE, y compris le siège de la Commission européenne et le Parlement européen.

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Les cartes ci-dessous montrent où chaque fournisseur principal a des données de puissance de signal élevée et faible dans le quartier européen. BASE/Telenet a montré un RSRP très fort près du centre de la carte, en particulier autour des principau’ bâtiments de l’UE, rue de la ’oi et près de l’Av.’Marnix, bien qu’il y ait eu quelques zones plus faibles juste au sud-ouest du bâtiment du Parlement européen. Orange a montré des zones de forte RSRP localisée à travers la carte, en particulier dans le sud-ouest, avec une RSRP plus faible en bleu dans le nord-ouest et au centre de la carte. Proximus avait quelques zones de force le long de la rue de la Loi, et près du cœur du quartier européen, mais avait des signaux plus faibles partout.

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BASE/Telenet avait le meilleur RSRQ dans le quartier européen de Bruxelles

Selon Cell Analytics, BASE/Telenet avait le RSRQ le plus élevé dans la zone du polygone du quartier européen que nous avons étudié. Les cartes ci-dessous montrent où chaque fournisseur a eu le meilleur RSRQ au cours des 24 derniers mois, pour les zones intérieures et extérieures. L’image ci-dessous montre que BASE/Telenet avait des zones près du centre de la carte avec le meilleur RSRQ, tandis qu’Orange avait le meilleur RSRQ près du sud de la carte – en particulier sur l’avenue de la Couronne – et la périphérie de la carte vers l’est. Proximus avait le meilleur RSRQ dans certaines zones du quartier européen, notamment au nord-ouest autour du Palais Royal de Bruxelles et du Parc Léopold. Le RSRQ en intérieur a montré un phénomène similaire, avec une forte concurrence sur toute la carte, bien qu’Orange ait montré une meilleure performance dans le sud-ouest de la carte, ainsi que dans certains bâtiments clés de l’UE.

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Les cartes ci-dessous montrent où chaque fournisseur principal avait une force de signal RSRQ de haute et de basse qualité. BASE/Telenet a montré des zones très fortes près du centre de la carte, en particulier autour du Parlement européen, du Square Frère-Orban et du Parc du Cinquantenaire, bien qu’il y ait eu quelques zones de moindre qualité juste au sud du bâtiment du Parlement européen. Orange a montré des zones de RSRQ localisées fortes, en particulier près des bâtiments clés de l’UE, mais avait des zones de RSRQ plus faibles en bleu dans le nord-ouest, le centre et le sud-ouest de la carte. Proximus avait une carte assez similaire à celle d’Orange, avec des zones de RSRQ plus élevées à l’est de la carte et près des bâtiments importants de l’UE comme le Conseil de l’Union européenne, mais avait généralement un RSRQ plus faible dans tout le centre de la carte, en particulier le long des grandes voies de circulation comme la rue de la Loi.

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La Belgique a des opportunités pour la 5G rapide, mais les consommateurs n’en profiteront pas tant que les opérateurs et les régulateurs ne faciliteront pas la mise en œuvre de la 5G

La Belgique est confrontée à des perspectives difficiles en matière de 5G. Le secrétaire d’État à la Région bruxelloise, Pascal Smet, a fait part de sa volonté de faire de "Bruxelles la capitale technologique de l’Europe" et un rapport récemment commandé par le régulateur belge estime que l’impact de la 5G sur la société belge se traduira par une augmentation du PIB de 4 à 6 milliards d’euros par an d’ici à 2030 et par la création de 40 000 à 80 000 emplois supplémentaires. Cependant, la mise aux enchères des bandes 5G clés a été retardée à plusieurs reprises et, en l’état actuel des choses, les limites strictes des rayonnements non ionisants (RNI) finiront par limiter l’ampleur du déploiement de la 5G sur le marché.

Les plans de la Belgique pour une vente aux enchères de spectre multibande – y compris de nouvelles fréquences pour la 5G et le renouvellement des licences existantes – sont en attente depuis des années en raison de désaccords entre les gouvernements régionaux et fédéraux, en particulier sur la façon dont les recettes devraient être distribuées. Le pays est à la traîne par rapport à ses pairs régionaux en termes de déploiement et d’adoption de la 5G, et le retard persistant a conduit le régulateur belge, l’Institut belge des services postaux et des télécommunications (IBPT), à accorder des licences 5G temporaires au cours de l’année 2020. Des propositions récentes, qui incluent le maintien du produit de la vente sous séquestre jusqu’à ce qu’un accord puisse être trouvé, semblent avoir débloqué la situation, et la vente aux enchères devrait maintenant avoir lieu au deuxième trimestre 2022.

La Belgique doit également faire face à des limites NIR très strictes, notamment dans la région de Bruxelles, qui serviront à limiter le déploiement de la 5G. Le gouvernement régional a ado« té une "feuille de »oute 5G" à la mi-juillet 2021 et organise des groupes de travail pour élaborer un plan de déploie’ent à l’échelle de la ville et apporter des modifications législatives. Elle a déjà pris des mesures pour plus que doubler la limite NIR, mais malgré cela, elle reste inférieure à celle des autres régions–belges – toujours bien en deçà des propositi’ns de l’UE.

Selon le projet de législation de la vente aux enchères, les opérateurs seraient tenus de couvrir 70 % de la population belge avec la 5G dans un’délai d’un an, puis 99,5 % après deu’ ans. L’IBPT prévoit également de réserver des fréquences pour un éventuel quatrième opérateur de réseau mobile, car il cherche à réduire les prix sur le marché. Toutefois, une consult’tion qu’il a commandée début 2021 sur l’impact de la’5G et d’un quatrième opérateur de réseau mobile a esti’é que l’’ntrée d’un nouvel acteur aurait un impact négligeab’e sur l’emp’oi et l’investissement et un impact incertain sur les revenus (+/- 5 %, contre une stabilité). En conséquence, la quantité de spectre réservée à un nouvel entrant a été réduite, afin de permettre aux opérateurs B2B de faire une offre pour certaines des fréquences restantes. Proximus, qui a lancé son réseau 5G au cours du troisième trimestre 2020, a vu les vitesses médianes de téléchargem’nt et d’upload 5G s’établir à 201,59 Mbps et 20,33 Mbps, respectivement, au cours du troisième trimestre 2021. Orange et Telenet ayan’ fait d’énormes investissements pour étendre leur réseau 5G en Belgique, et Telenet lance la 5G commerciale cette semaine, nous sommes impatients de voir ce que l’avenir nous réserve.

La Belgique a la possibilité d’améliorer les vitesses du haut débit mobile et fixe pour les consommateurs, et nous surveillerons de pr’s ce qui se passera à l’avenir avec nos Analyses du marché des Global Index. Pour en savoir plus sur Ookla Speedtest Intelligence ou Cell Analytics, veuillez demander 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.

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Josh Fomon

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Josh Fomon | November 21, 2022

Details on the Fastest 5G Mobile Devices (Just in Time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday)

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just a few days away, so Ookla® wanted to help you navigate those deals with hard data on the fastest 5G popular devices. We used Speedtest Intelligence® to look at 5G performance data in the 10 countries with the highest number of connected mobile devices according to GSMA that also had an established 5G market during Q3 2022. As a reminder, we already looked at the newer models in the Apple iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 earlier this quarter, right after both device models launched.

Our analysis examined the five fastest popular 5G devices in a given country. To be included, a device had to have a market share of greater than or equal to 0.5% of all devices and a minimum sample size of 100 devices in a given market. Each market we examined included only 5G samples from every 5G provider in a given country. That means performance most likely varies network to network and country to country, but this provides a snapshot of what you might typically expect.

It should be noted that some newer device models like the iPhone 14, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4, and Google Pixel 7 launched in select markets on different days and may not have been included in our Q3 2022 analysis.

Fastest 5G devices in Brazil

According to Speedtest Intelligence, there was no statistically fastest 5G device in Brazil during Q3 2022, though every device on our list exceeded a median 5G download speed of 300 Mbps. That means each of these devices would make an excellent, fast choice if you can connect to 5G.

The Motorola Moto G 5G Plus had a median 5G download speed of 358.39 Mbps, the Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G at 355.43 Mbps, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max at 344.44 Mbps, the Apple iPhone 13 mini at 341.21 Mbps, and the Apple iPhone 13 at 336.04 Mbps. That being said, the new iPhone 14 models and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 were also very fast in our recent launch article.

5 devices vie for fastest 5G in China

Competition for the fastest popular 5G mobile device was very close in China, with no statistically fastest device during Q3 2022. The OnePlus 9 5G had a median 5G download speed of 349.15 Mbps, the Huawei P40 5G was at 344.41 Mbps, the Huawei Mate 30 5G at 344.23 Mbps, the Huawei Mate 40 5G at 332.39 Mbps, and the Huawei Mate 40 Pro 5G at 328.25 Mbps. Every device on this list would make an excellent choice if you are looking for an upgrade.

New iPhones top fastest 5G devices in Germany

German iPhone users have a clear mandate: Upgrade your phone! During Q3 2022, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max had the fastest median 5G download speeds in the country among popular 5G devices at 181.09 Mbps and 177.98 Mbps, respectively. The iPhone 13 Pro (148.87 Mbps) and iPhone 13 Pro Max (148.08 Mbps) followed, then the OnePlus 9 Pro 5G at 140.93 Mbps.

Sony Xperia and Samsung Galaxy 20 among fastest 5G devices in Japan

Japanese 5G consumers saw Sony devices take three out of the top five spots among the fastest popular 5G devices in Q3 2022. While there was no statistical winner, the Sony Xperia 1 II 5G had a median 5G download speed of 224.68 Mbps, the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G was at 189.22 Mbps and the Sony Xperia 1 IV at 184.90 Mbps. Any one of these three devices would make an excellent choice for an upgrade.

Many options for fastest 5G devices in the Philippines

Consumers in the Philippines have a handful of top 5G devices they can upgrade to, with no statistical winner for fastest 5G device during Q3 2022. The Samsung Galaxy A53 had a median 5G download speed at 199.90 Mbps, the Huawei Nova 7 5G was at 192.80 Mbps, the Huawei Nov 7 SE 5G at 188.32 Mbps, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G at 185.85 Mbps, and the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G at 183.54 Mbps.

Tight competition for fastest 5G devices in South Africa

Speedtest Intelligence shows competition for the fastest popular 5G was incredibly tight in South Africa, with no statistically fastest 5G device during Q3 2022. The Samsung Galaxy S22+ had a median 5G download speed of 228.31 Mbps during Q3 2022, the Apple iPhone 13 mini was at 226.44 Mbps, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra at 218.26 Mbps, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max at 212.94 Mbps, and the Apple iPhone 13 Pro at 211.73 Mbps.

Consumers looking to upgrade their phone have some great options here, and we suspect the new Apple and Samsung models are incredibly competitive with these devices.

Dead heat on fastest 5G devices in Thailand

Consumers in Thailand have many options when considering an upgrade, with no statistical winner among the top five fastest 5G devices. The Apple iPhone 14 Pro had a median 5G download speed of 236.35 Mbps, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was at 233.15 Mbps, the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max at 232.80 Mbps, the Xiaomi Redmi K40 5G at 229.30 Mbps, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G at 228.29 Mbps.

iPhone dominates fastest 5G devices in the United Kingdom

U.K. Apple users should celebrate, with iPhone models taking the top five spots for the U.K.’s fastest 5G devices. While there was no statistically significant fastest device, the new iPhone 14 Pro Max had a median 5G download speed of 171.24 Mbps, the iPhone 13 Pro Max was at 165.49 Mbps, the iPhone 14 Pro at 158.24 Mbps, the iPhone 13 mini at 157.42 Mbps, and the iPhone 13 Pro at 154.50 Mbps.

Fastest 5G devices in the United States are new iPhones

Speedtest Intelligence reveals the new Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro were the fastest popular 5G devices in the U.S. with a median 5G download speed of 177.21 Mbps and 175.08 Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2022. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 was a close third at 162.50 Mbps, while the Galaxy S21+ 5G and Galaxy S22 Ultra rounded out the top five at 140.06 Mbps and 137.42 Mbps, respectively. Ookla data shows there’s a pretty strong case you should consider upgrading your Apple or Samsung device in the U.S., which we highly recommend.

Older iPhones keeping up with fastest 5G devices in Vietnam

5G consumers in Vietnam were in the enviable position of receiving very fast 5G speeds during Q3 2022. While there was no statistical winner for fastest 5G device, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra had a median 5G download of 286.77 Mbps, the Apple iPhone 12 5G was at 278.32 Mbps, the iPhone 13 Pro at 270.99 Mbps, the iPhone 13 Pro Max at 266.99 Mbps, and the iPhone 13 at 259.35 Mbps. We suspect users who upgrade to the newest Apple and Samsung models will reap the rewards of even faster speeds.

Ookla will continue evaluating device performance

The launch of the new iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 models has already shown that new devices are speeding ahead and we’ll be monitoring results for the rest of the year. If you end up getting a great Black Friday deal to upgrade your phone, be sure to download the iOS or Android Speedtest® app to make sure your mobile operator is delivering the speeds you need.

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Josh Fomon

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Josh Fomon | March 27, 2023

Early Testing Shows How Fast the New Samsung Galaxy S23 Models Are

The new Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra models launched February 17 and Ookla® is here today to see how they’ve performed over 5G against their predecessor S22 models. Our analysis looks at data from the first month after launching in 12 of the largest mobile markets with an established 5G market and the highest number of connected mobile devices during Q4 2022 according to GSMA. Previously, in October 2022, we used Speedtest Intelligence® to look at 5G performance data right after the launches of the iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 in various countries.

Note that device data differs across markets due to a variety of factors, including: 5G investments by governments and mobile operators, different 5G spectrum allocations by operator, 5G Availability, the number of and different kinds of 5G deployments, and other differences, including mobile 5G plans. Read on to learn more and see whether or not you should upgrade your Samsung S22 to a newer model.

Key takeaways:

The Samsung S23 models only statistically outperformed corresponding S22 models in Germany and two out of three models in the United States for 5G download speed, but the S23 looks poised to be faster as further 5G adoption and build out continues and more spectrum is allocated for 5G across the C-band and mmWave frequencies.

Key improvements to the new Galaxy S23 models

You want to know if the latest technology is worth the price of an upgrade when you’re looking for a new phone. The S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra have various upgrades, but when it comes to performance, here’s a quick list of what’s different between the new and older models.

All Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S22 models

The Samsung S23 models have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, while the Samsung S22 models have a Samsung Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
The S23 models have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem, while the S22 models have an X65 modem
The S23 models have an upgraded GPU

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S22 base models

The S23 has a bigger battery capacity at 3,900 mAh over the S22’s 3,700 mAh
The S23 has slightly better ultra-wide and front cameras and video recording capabilities

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+ models

The S23+ has expanded storage capacity at a base level of 256 GB (which can be upgraded to 512 GB) over the S22+’s base of 128 GB
The S23+ has a bigger battery capacity at 4,700 mAh over the S22+’s 4,500 mAh
The S23+ has slightly better ultra-wide and front cameras and video recording capabilities

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. S22 Ultra models

The S23 Ultra has expanded storage capacity at a base level of 256 GB (which can be upgraded to 512 GB) over the S22 Ultra’s base of 128 GB
The S23 Ultra has much better main camera, with up to 200 MP vs. the S22 Ultra’s maximum of 108 MP

Samsung Galaxy S23 performance in the world’s largest mobile device markets

Brazilian S22 and S23 users saw seriously fast 5G speeds (even though 5G Availability remains low)

Speedtest Intelligence shows that the new S23 models were not yet statistically faster than the older S22 models in Brazil during the first month of launch, but they did exceed the median 5G download speed in Brazil during Q4 2022. Despite that, every S22 and S23 model had blazing fast speeds in Brazil, with median 5G download speeds faster than 400 Mbps. The S22 had a median download speed of 431.61 Mbps, the S22 Ultra was at 451.01 Mbps, and the S22+ at 451.85 Mbps. While the S23 models were not statistically faster than their S22 counterparts, the S23 had a median download speed of 459.76 Mbps, the S23 Ultra at 479.78 Mbps, and the S23+ at 494.18 Mbps. 5G upload speeds showed a similar trend, with no statistically faster S22 or S23 model, but with S22 models ranging from 35.73 Mbps to 39.42 Mbps and S23 models ranging from 39.30 Mbps to 42.59 Mbps. Multi-server latency — the latency you should expect to encounter more generally when your network is not under heavy load — ranged from 28.01 ms to 31.78 ms across all models over 5G.

Recommendation: Brazilian Galaxy S22 users should consider upgrading your phone if you can get 5G access; you’re going to get fast speeds and the new features of the S23, especially the camera of the S23 Ultra, may be worth it alone.

Chinese S23 users haven’t quite seen an improved 5G experience over S22 users

Data from the first month since the Samsung S23 launching illuminates that S23 models did not statistically outperform S22 models over 5G in China, and S23 models also didn’t quite exceed the Q4 2022 median 5G download speed. The S22 had a median 5G download speed of 267.47 Mbps, the S22 Ultra was similar at 265.65 Mbps, and the S22+ was at 301.41 Mbps. The S23 showed a median 5G download speed at 242.70 Mbps, while the S23 Ultra had a median download speed of 269.86 Mbps. 5G upload speeds on S22 models ranged from 48.40 Mbps to 62.93 Mbps, while the S23 and S23 Ultra were at 50.77 Mbps and 42.65 Mbps, respectively. While the S23 models showed lower median multi-server latency over 5G, there was no statistical winner between the S22 and S23 models. The S23+ did not meet the statistical threshold for inclusion in our analysis in China.

Recommendation: Chinese Galaxy S22 users should wait to upgrade your phone until speeds improve, unless the new S23 model hardware upgrades have you wanting a new phone.

French S23 users saw promising 5G results, S22 users might want to wait to upgrade

There was no statistically faster Samsung Galaxy S22 or S23 model over 5G in France during the first month of the S23’s release. However, median 5G download speeds for the S22 models ranged from 177.98 Mbps to 219.32 Mbps, while the S23 models ranged from 196.53 to 249.46 Mbps. 5G upload speeds showed a similar story, with no statistical winner. Upload speeds on S22 models ranged from 11.46 Mbps to 14.15 Mbps, and upload speeds on S23 models ranged from 14.89 Mbps to 19.22 Mbps. 5G multi-server latency was virtually the same for both models, which all ranged from 41.40 ms to 43.24 ms.

Recommendation: French Galaxy S22 users who want faster speeds might want to wait to upgrade your phone, but the new features of the S23 may make upgrading very tempting.

German Samsung Galaxy S22 users should feel confident upgrading to S23 models

Speedtest Intelligence reveals that German S23 users experienced faster 5G download speeds than their S22 counterparts during the first month of S23 availability across all models. The S23 outperformed the S22 for median 5G download speed, 147.26 Mbps to 112.01 Mbps, the S23 Ultra outperformed the S22 Ultra 141.56 Mbps to 124.45 Mbps, and the S23+ outperformed the S22+ 174.74 Mbps to 128.69 Mbps. Upload speeds had a bit more parity with the S22 models showing a range of 5G upload speeds from 20.47 Mbps to 26.10 Mbps, while the S23 models showed a range from 23.59 Mbps to 31.64 Mbps. Multi-server latency over 5G showed no statistical winner for either model but ranged from 36.76 ms to 38.58 ms.

Recommendation: Germany Galaxy S22 users shouldn’t hesitate to run to your operator to immediately upgrade your phone to an S23 model for faster speeds and better features.

Samsung Galaxy S23 users in Italy saw mixed 5G results after launch

New Speedtest Intelligence data reveals that while the basic S23 model outperformed the S22 model over 5G in Italy for median download speed 178.67 Mbps to 128.53 Mbps during the first month after launch, the S23 Ultra and S23+ models didn’t statistically outperform their S22 counterparts. That held true for upload speeds as well, with the S23 recording a median 5G upload speed of 21.73 Mbps to the S22’s 15.50 Mbps, while the S23 Ultra and S23+ weren’t statistically faster than the S22 Ultra and S22+, respectively. All of the S23 and S22 models during the first month of the S23 launch, except the S22 base model, were statistically faster than the 5G median download speed in Italy during Q4 2022. Median multi-server latency showed closer parity, with S22 models ranging from 45.02 ms to 47.79 ms, and S23 models ranging from 43.50 ms to 48.24 ms.

Recommendation: Unless you want a basic Galaxy S23 model and have consistent 5G access in Italy, you might want to wait to upgrade your phone to the S23 models unless you really want the new features.

Samsung Galaxy S23 showed 5G potential in the Philippines

Fresh data from Speedtest Intelligence shows that while the S23 and S23+ had faster median 5G download speeds than their S22 counterparts during the first month of the S23’s launch, there were no statistical winners between the models in the Philippines. The S23 models’ median 5G download speeds ranged from 142.31 Mbps to 185.32 Mbps, while the S22 models ranged from 131.87 Mbps to 143.57 Mbps. Median 5G upload speed for the S23 Ultra was faster than its S22 Ultra counterparts at 15.46 Mbps to 12.68 Mbps, respectively. There were no statistical winners for median multi-server latency over 5G, though the S22 models ranged from 35.42 ms to 38.39 ms, while the S23 models ranged from 34.29 ms to 35.31 ms.

Recommendation: Filippino Galaxy S22 users should upgrade their phones to the S23 models if they want new features, but shouldn’t expect faster speeds and a better experience quite yet.

Polish Samsung S23 models had a promising debut over 5G

Speedtest Intelligence data shows Poland had some of the slowest median 5G download speeds on Samsung S23 and S22 models among the countries we surveyed. While the new S23 models had a higher median 5G download speed than their counterparts during the first month after launching, there were no statistically significant faster speeds. The S23 models ranged from 83.74 Mbps to 98.99 Mbps, while the S22 models ranged from 75.70 Mbps to 80.43 Mbps. Upload speeds were similarly faster, but not statistically so, with S22 models ranging from 16.89 Mbps to 19.62 Mbps and S23 models ranging from 19.94 Mbps to 24.25 Mbps. Median multi-server latency over 5G was a mixed bag, with the new S23+ actually having a higher latency than the S22+ 44.25 ms to 38.37 ms, respectively. The other two models were too close to call.

Recommendation: Polish Galaxy S22 users can upgrade their phones to the S23 models for the new features, but might not yet experience faster 5G speeds on the new models.

Samsung S23 models in South Africa don’t live up to the hype just yet

Speedtest Intelligence reveals that the new S23 models weren’t yet statistically faster than their S22 counterparts over 5G in South Africa during the first month after launch. S22 models had median 5G download speeds that ranged from 172.07 Mbps to 206.03 Mbps, while the S23 models ranged from 187.62 Mbps to 202.10 Mbps. There was one bright note — the median 5G upload speed for the S23 Ultra was faster than the S22 Ultra 20.43 Mbps to 14.75 Mbps. Median multi-server latency showed parity over 5G for the S22 models and S23 models. The S22 models ranged from 29.06 ms to 33.75 ms, while the S23 models ranged from 31.41 ms to 32.92 ms.

Recommendation: South African Galaxy S22 users should probably wait to upgrade their phones to the S23 models if they are looking for faster 5G experience, but the S23 features may outweigh the parity in speeds between models.

South Koreans saw fast 5G speeds on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 models

Home to Samsung, South Korea showed some of the fastest 5G speeds on our list. Every S23 model had a faster median 5G download speed than the corresponding S22 models, but statistical winners remained elusive during the first month after launch, which we expect will probably change upon more adoption in the near future. S22 models recorded median 5G download speeds between 418.57 Mbps and 537.28 Mbps, while the S23 models ranged from 503.99 Mbps and 584.08 Mbps. Upload speeds were similarly impressive — though with no statistically faster median 5G upload speeds than another — with S22 models ranging from 37.76 Mbps to 51.66 Mbps over 5G, and S23 models ranging from 47.51 Mbps to 57.62 Mbps. Median multi-server latency over 5G showed ranges from 65.00 ms to 69.81 ms for the S22 models, and a range of 66.13 ms to 68.15 ms for the S23 models.

Recommendation: If you’re a South Korean Galaxy S22 user, you can probably expect slightly faster speeds if you upgrade to the new S23 models, but an upgrade for the new features, especially for the new S23 Ultra camera, might be more justified.

Thai Samsung Galaxy S22 and S23 users saw faster 5G speeds than the median average during Q4 2022

Speedtest Intelligence shows that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was the only S23 model to achieve faster median 5G speeds than its predecessor in Thailand during the first month after launching. The S23 Ultra outperformed the S22 Ultra 222.21 Mbps to 198.74 Mbps over 5G for download speed and 33.57 Mbps to 30.10 Mbps for upload speed, respectively. The S23 and S23+ were not statistically faster, though the S23+ and S23 had median 5G download speeds of 202.64 Mbps and 229.56 Mbps, respectively. Median 5G multi-server latency showed close parity with the S22 ranging from 31.06 ms to 32.34 ms and the S23 ranging from 30.40 ms to 34.14 ms.

Recommendation: Thai Galaxy S22 Ultra users should feel confident in upgrading your phones to the S23 Ultra, especially for the new features. If you are a S22 and S22+ 5G user, you should absolutely consider upgrading, but might not yet see faster speeds.

Samsung Galaxy S23 results showed potential in the United Kingdom, but you still may want to wait to upgrade

New 5G data from the U.K. reveals that while the new Samsung Galaxy S23 models have higher median download speeds, the S23 models are not statistically faster than the S22 models. The S22 models had median 5G download speeds that ranged from 113.18 Mbps to 129.16 Mbps, and the S23 models ranged from 123.57 Mbps to 137.20 Mbps. 5G download speeds in the U.K. weren’t the slowest we saw among the countries we surveyed, but they were quite close to Poland’s bottom-tier results. The S23 Ultra was one stand-out performer, which had a faster median 5G upload speed than the S22 Ultra at 15.36 Mbps to 13.07 Mbps, though the other models weren’t significantly faster, but came close. Median multi-server latency over 5G was too statistically close to call, with the S22 models between 43.04 ms and 45.09 ms, and the S23 models between 41.77 ms and 46.63 ms.

Recommendation: U.K. Samsung Galaxy S22 users should wait to upgrade their phones to the S23 models unless you’re dying for the S23’s new features. But don’t expect faster results quite yet, especially as the U.K. continues to lag behind other more mature 5G markets around the world.

If you have 5G and a Samsung Galaxy S22 in the United States, don’t hesitate to upgrade to an S23 model

New data from Speedtest Intelligence reveals that during the first month of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series’ availability, the S23 and S23 Ultra outperformed the S22 and S22 Ultra for 5G download speeds, respectively, while the S23+ and S22+ were statistically too close to call. The S23 raced ahead of the S22 177.15 Mbps to 145.91 Mbps, and the S23 Ultra was faster than the S22 Ultra at 187.83 Mbps to 161.87 Mbps. All of the S22 and S23 models outperformed the median 5G download speed in the U.S. during Q4 2022. The Samsung S23 Ultra was the only S23 model to statistically outperform its counterpart for median 5G upload speeds, with an upload speed of 17.56 Mbps to 14.60 Mbps. The S23 and S23+ were too close to call. Looking at median multi-server latency over 5G, the S23 Ultra edged ahead of its S22 Ultra counterpart 50.44 ms to 51.52, while the other S23 didn’t have a statistical leg up.

Recommendation: U.S. Samsung Galaxy S22 users shouldn’t hesitate to upgrade to the S23 models, especially for the new features and hardware — particularly if you want the S23 Ultra’s 200 MP camera. With 5G networks increasingly getting faster, we suspect the S23 models have yet to see their full potential in the U.S., too.

The Speedtest® Android app can help benchmark your device’s 5G performance

After promising launches that have seen the Samsung Galaxy S23 models pull ever-so-slightly ahead in the U.S. and Germany, you can track how the Samsung Galaxy S23 performs on our next release of Ookla Market Reports™. If you recently upgraded your phone, be sure to download the Android Speedtest app to make sure you are getting the speeds you need along with access to video testing. We’ll be back throughout the year with fresh data on new phone launches, so if you’re considering upgrading your phone, be on the lookout for a new Ookla® device report.

About the Author

Josh Fomon

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Ookla | November 5, 2020

Unable to Connect — The Most Significant Online Service Outages in Q3 2020

“Is it down?” frustrated users asked themselves during the multiple online service outages in Q3 2020. The fourth installment of our online service outage tracking series used Downdetector® data from Q3 2020 and focused on the following online service categories: cloud services, collaboration platforms, financial services, gaming, internet service providers and social media.

Cloud services

Cloudflare (July 17, 2020): 14,198 reports at peak

Downdetector_Cloudflare_Outage_1020

On July 17, a major disruption in Cloudflare’s service broke the internet, taking multiple online services down with it. Users rushed to Downdetector to log issues with multiple services that rely on Cloudflare for content delivery, including 4chan, DoorDash and Zendesk. At the peak of the outage, there were 14,198 reports of issues with the service in the U.S.

Azure (September 28, 2020): 2,846 reports at peak

Azure, Microsoft’s cloud service, was affected by September 28’s Microsoft-wide outage (see next category). Users from Germany, India, Japan and the U.S. stated they had issues with the cloud service. That day, there were 2,846 reports of issues at the peak of the outage in the U.S.

Collaboration platforms

Office 365 (September 28,2020): 20,437 reports at peak

Downdetector_Office365_Outage_1020

Microsoft’s suite of online collaboration services including Outlook, Sharepoint, OneDrive and Skype went down on September 28 (along with Azure, see above). Logs of issues with the services started coming into Downdetector at 3 p.m Pacific. Most users stated being unable to log in or connect to the server. At the peak, there were 20,437 reported issues in the U.S. Users from Japan and India also logged problems with the service that day.

Zoom (August 24, 2020): 17,874 reports at peak

On August 24, users were upset to find that they were unable to connect with their coworkers, friends and family through Zoom. Most users stated problems with logging in and joining a conference. There were 17,874 reports of issues in the U.S. at the peak of the outage. Users in the U.K. and Canada also had issues with the video conferencing service that day.

Google Drive (September 24, 2020): 14,715 reports at peak

Users in the U.S., Philippines and Indonesia were unable to collaborate on projects, upload files or access their documents stored in Google Drive on September 24. At the peak of the outage in the U.S., there were 14,715 reported issues. Users of Google products YouTube and Gmail also logged issues in Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico and the U.K.

Slack (September 29, 2020): 1,396 reports at peak

Slack received 1,396 logs of issues at the peak of the outage reports on September 29. Users in the U.S. had problems with sending messages, videos and images to their peers — and some were unable to connect to the platform at all.

Financial services

TD Ameritrade (August 18, 2020): 7,814 reports at peak

Downdetector_TD-Ameritrade_Outage_1020

The online stock investment tool reportedly went down on August 18. Users were unable to log into their account or buy and sell stocks. At the peak of the outage, there were 7,814 reports of issues in the U.S. There were two other notable outages that month — August 17 with 5,816 reports at peak and August 31 with 6,893 reports at peak.

Gaming

Steam (August 5, 2020): 69,255 reports at peak

Downdetector_Steam_Outage_1020

Users from Brazil, Germany, Japan, the U.K and the U.S. submitted issues with Steam on August 5. Most users stated problems when trying to log into the platform and play with other users. At the peak of the outage in the U.S, there were 69,255 reports of issues with the gaming platform.

Fall Guys (September 2, 2020): 2,890 reports at peak

The Fall Guys status page on Downdetector showed there were problems with the popular online game on September 2. Users in Brazil, the U.K. and the U.S. were struggling to play the game online. That day, 97% of reports stated problems with the server connection.

Internet service providers

Spectrum (July 29, 2020): 56,318 reports at peak

Downdetector_Spectrum_Outage_1020

Spectrum users from the both coasts of the United States flooded Downdetector with logs of issues with the service when they started experiencing problems with their internet connections. Complaints with the service started surging at around 5 p.m. Pacific and lasted for about an hour. At the peak of the outage there were 56,318 reports of issues.

CenturyLink (August 30, 2020): 11,543 reports at peak

CenturyLink customers on the East Coast of the U.S. had problems with their internet service on August 30 starting around 2 a.m. Pacific and ending around 8 a.m. Pacific. There were 11,543 reports of issues at the peak of the outage.

Social Media

WhatsApp (July 14, 2020): 148,573 reports at peak

Downdetector_WhatsApp_Outage_1020-1

A multi-country outage affected WhatsApp on July 14. Users from all over the world stated problems with sending and receiving messages on the Facebook-owned app. The country with the most issues submitted was Germany with 148,573 reports of issues at the peak of the outage. Users in Brazil, India, the Netherlands, Mexico, Spain and the U.K. were also affected by the outage.

Facebook (September 17, 2020): 30,918 reports at peak

Facebook users from multiple countries experienced problems with the social media platform on September 17. More than half of the logs were labeled as “total blackout” — users were unable to access the platform or any of its features. There were 30,918 reports of issues at the peak of the outage in the U.S. Users in Italy, Poland and the U.K. also had problems with Facebook that day.

Want to know when an online service is down? Keep up with outages by visiting Downdetector.

About the Author

Ookla

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Isla McKetta | October 22, 2020

ICYMI: Ookla Data and Research from September 2020

Highlights from the Speedtest Global Index^TM

Global-Index-Tweet-Image-Sept-2020
These are the top stories from September 2020:

Croatia is back up to 11th place on mobile after a two-month slump.
Denmark’s relatively steady increase in fixed broadband speeds over the last 13 months has them ranked seventh.
There was no change in the rankings of the top four countries on mobile and the top three on fixed broadband from August.

New Market Analyses

Canada

TELUS showed the fastest Speed Score^™ on mobile during Q3 2020 while Rogers was fastest on fixed broadband. Québec City had the fastest mean mobile download speed while London was fastest for fixed broadband.

Malaysia

Maxis had the fastest Speed Score on mobile during Q1-Q2 2020 while TIME was fastest for fixed broadband. Nusajaya had the fastest mean download speed over mobile while Shah Alam was fastest for fixed broadband.

Taiwan

Chunghwa Telecom showed the highest 4G Availability in Taiwan during Q1-Q2 2020.

Turkey

Turkcell was the fastest mobile provider in Turkey during Q3 2020 while Turksat Kablo was the fastest ISP.

United Kingdom

EE had the fastest Speed Score on mobile during Q3 2020 while Virgin Media was fastest on fixed broadband. Three showed the fastest median download speed on 5G. Cardiff had the fastest mean download speed on mobile while Edinburgh was fastest for fixed broadband. Read our latest article debunking misleading claims in the U.K.

United States

AT&T was the fastest mobile operator in the U.S. during Q3 2020 while Verizon was the fastest fixed broadband ISP. Fort Wayne, Indiana had the fastest mobile download speed on our list and Austin, Texas was the fastest city for fixed broadband.

Articles worth a second look

Announcing Ookla Open Datasets

This is your chance to crunch Ookla’s data on global network performance. Use our new open dataset to create a project that illustrates internet performance where you live.

How Georgia is Leveraging Cell Analytics^™ to Enable Virtual Classrooms

classroom
Ookla helped the Georgia Department of Education to find the best locations to deploy school buses with mobile Wi-Fi hotspots to bridge the connectivity gap for remote learning.

Read our latest white paper

How to Improve In-Building Network Performance and Coverage with Crowdsourced Data

buildings
This guide for RAN engineering teams will show you how to use crowdsourced data to analyze in-building network performance and coverage — and how to prioritize the network improvements that have the most impact on your customers.

About the Author

Isla McKetta

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Sylwia Kechiche | November 23, 2023

Empowering Europe's Digital Ascent: Insights from Ookla's Gigabit Revolution Webinar

Ookla® has recently hosted a webinar on “Accelerating Europe’s Gigabit Revolution: The importance of high-speed internet in the digital era.” We gathered representatives from three European fiber providers, vertically integrated UK Internet Service Provider (ISP) Hyperoptic, Polish open-access fiber network provider, Fiberhost, and Spanish wholesale provider Onvia, to discuss their strategies and challenges related to fiber roll out and adoption. Industry experts from the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ecta) and two research houses, Assembly Research and Omdia, also joined us.

European Commission’s Digital Decade 2030 Strategy

The European Commission’s Digital Decade 2030 strategy, also known as the Digital Compass, is an ambitious roadmap to speed up the digital transformation of Member States by 2030. One of its primary objectives is to enhance digital connectivity, with specific targets such as 100 Mbps services by 2025 and gigabit coverage for all EU households by 2030. We recently published an article to provide a reality check on the progress towards a Gigabit society. Our data suggests a wide gap between advertised and actual speeds for gigabit services, with speeds approaching 100 Mbps commonly seen by users. Despite this gap, our webinar participants were optimistic about achieving the Gigabit Society goal, with 71% supporting that view.

Chart of Percentage of Households Subscribing to Fixed Broadband of at Least 1 Gbps

The EU goal predominantly focuses on the availability aspect. However, it is important to note that having fiber networks available does not automatically equate to actual penetration or adoption rates, although it is a necessary prerequisite. Having physical accessibility to network services is, of course, a vital first step before actual usage, which is influenced by multiple factors such as affordability, awareness, and the perceived need for the service.

The European fiber network landscape

Stephen Wilson, Senior Principal Analyst from Omdia, provided an analyst’s perspective on how the fiber networks’ competitive landscape is evolving for alternative operators and incumbents. He stated that there has been a substantial increase in Fiber-To-The-Premises (FTTP) coverage, and the investment case for fiber has been spurred by the pandemic. Leading countries, including those in Iberia and Eastern Europe, are pushing coverage to 90% of premises or more, driven by a positive business case. While FTTH (Fiber to the Home) subscriber penetration is generally experiencing steady growth, country-level variations exist, with factors like digital literacy, existing broadband penetration, and competition playing crucial roles in the observed trends. Countries such as Spain and Romania have achieved significant FTTH penetration rates, while others like France have outperformed predictions, emphasizing the diverse dynamics influencing fiber adoption across Europe.

Importance of supportive regulatory framework

James Robinson, Senior Analyst from Assembly Research, highlighted three measures the European Commission is taking as it seeks to deliver against the Digital Decade’s connectivity targets: the draft Gigabit Recommendation, the proposed Gigabit Infrastructure Act, and a plan for a Digital Networks Act. Although broad industry support exists for the Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA), the draft Gigabit Recommendation has proven to be the most controversial. Both measures are still nevertheless expected to be finalized by the end of the year. The Digital Networks Act (DNA) will take longer to materialize, with a white paper not due until H1 2024. Despite its catchy title, the ‘DNA’ is unlikely to represent the urgent concrete action many operators had hoped to see from the Commission following the launch of the exploratory consultation back in February of this year.

Luc Hindryckx, Director General at ecta, expressed doubt about an investment gap that could endanger the 2030 targets. He suggested that some proposed legislation had been developed to support only a few operators rather than to promote competition. Hindryckx stressed the importance of bringing the Gigabit Infrastructure Act to “a good end” and ensuring the reduction of the timing for obtaining permits to deploy networks. He also pointed out that the GIA is complementary to the European Electronic Communication Code (ECCC), and its key elements include asymmetrical regulation and the Significant Market Power (SMP) regime. Overall, ecta emphasizes the importance of regulatory measures that foster competition, encourage investment, and create a level playing field, ultimately contributing to the successful deployment of gigabit connectivity and the Digital Decade 2030 objectives.

Succeeding in Rural Areas

Marta Wojciechowska, Chief Executive Officer at Fiberhost, has reported that the company has already met its goal of extending its fiber-optic network to over 1.3 million households by the end of the year. The company primarily focuses on underserved areas, where deployment costs tend to be higher and less predictable. While there are uncertainties regarding demand and fiber service uptake, there are unique benefits, including the low risk of overbuilding. However, the investment process varies significantly between urban and rural areas. In cities, one kilometer of infrastructure can connect one hundred to two hundred households, depending on the city’s size. In rural areas, connectivity extends to just seventeen households per kilometer.

Furthermore, up to 19 formal approvals may be required for infrastructure deployment, which extends the time to connect premises in rural areas to an impractical 24 months. The cost of connecting one household in these secluded “white spots” is over five hundred percent higher than in cities. Overcoming these challenges requires expertise, experience, and a collaborative approach, emphasizing the importance of partnerships with multiple stakeholders. These include local governments and subcontractors to achieve common goals in fiber network expansion.

Strategies for Expansion

Icíar Martínez, Markets and Product Director at Onivia, acknowledged they face similar challenges to Fiberhost but noted that their strategies for expanding the FTTH footprint might differ. Spain boasts close to 90% fiber optic coverage, thanks to private initiatives and government support. Their selective deployment focuses on rural and ultra-rural areas, addressing high customer interest. However, the cherry-picking strategy becomes expensive, impacting profitability, especially in densely competitive areas. Onivia aims to maximize capital returns by identifying key players, adopting XGPON technology for speeds up to 10 Gbps, and strategically balancing deployments in large cities and rural regions to optimize network utilization based on market demands.

On the other hand, Howard Jones, Head of Communications at Hyperoptic, noted that the Hyperoptic approach is distinct, focusing on urban areas with densely populated regions. The key lies in a granular business case approach, evaluating each deployment building by building and street by street. Hyperoptic’s philosophy centers on understanding that the network’s value lies in retaining customers, emphasizing a customer-centric business model. With a customer experience-oriented strategy, the ISP addresses challenges in the UK broadband market, historically marked by lower speeds and inadequate competition. By delivering a high-quality network, reliable service, and fair pricing policies, Jones highlighted that the company aims to set new standards in customer experience, achieving a 40% penetration rate within approximately a year of network deployment.

Addressing take-up challenges

Marta shared that Fiberhost’s network would not be deployed in white spot areas without EU funds. Fiberhost is the largest beneficiary of EU-funded grants, but this is just the beginning of the investment process. They need to “earn money, and for that, we need to have a good take-up rate.” She added that they must work hard to encourage people to join the fiber network. Their analysis showed that there is a slowdown in activations after ~40 %. While early adopters (47%) are willing to pay a premium for fiber internet, a substantial portion of potential users remain hesitant, contributing to the overall challenge of achieving a high take-up rate. The remaining 53% of households exhibit characteristics of an older demographic (above fifty-five) with limited internet usage, often for undemanding tasks. Their price sensitivity and lower discretionary income present a formidable barrier to higher adoption rates. As a result, Fiberhost adopts a multifaceted strategy, encompassing high-level engagement with Internet Service Providers (ISPs), targeted sales promotions, and educational initiatives. This strategic flexibility recognizes the absence of a one-size-fits-all solution and emphasizes the need for nuanced approaches tailored to the diverse challenges within each territory.

Iciar echoed this sentiment but also highlighted a need to implement a connectivity plan, not just deploy fiber, but also to digitalize rural areas. Access to a broadband network in rural households is essential, and so is educating people on the benefits of accessing new technologies. Onivia is exploring synergies with other technologies like 5G or satellite to extend broadband connectivity into areas that are difficult to reach. Iciar mentioned that working with local authorities is key to reusing existing infrastructure and avoiding building and disturbing neighborhoods with work.

Demand Aggregation and Competition

Stephen pointed out that the most successful operators are already in the 60-70% take-up rates of premises passed in countries like Norway, which points to demand aggregation being an important factor in getting pre-commitments before you roll out. Howard concluded, “Competition is the key to ensuring that these targets are met because I don’t believe that incumbents alone will do it. They need to be driven, and driven by competition.” He added the introduction of ‘One Touch Switch’ adds another layer of competition into the UK market and presents an opportunity to break the stranglehold of the big retail providers, who still often tend to sell FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet), by moving a significant number of customers to alternate providers who are more likely to offer FTTP. This initiative is crucial, but what’s more important is the need to retain competition for everyone.

The journey towards Europe’s gigabit revolution is indeed multifaceted and involves various factors such as regulatory landscapes, diverse deployment strategies, financial dependencies, and the imperative of competition. Achieving the Digital Decade 2030 targets demands not just the availability of physical networks but also a concerted effort to address adoption challenges and ensure that the benefits of enhanced connectivity reach all corners of society. A shared commitment to realizing Europe’s digital potential is crucial, and a regulatory framework that fosters competition emerges as a common thread, underlining its pivotal role in driving investment, innovation, and equality. Moving forward, collaboration, adaptability, and a unified approach are essential to achieving Europe’s digital aspirations. From our side, we will continue to report what we see from Ookla® data in terms of users actually experiencing speeds.

See the full webinar recording here.

About the Author

Sylwia Kechiche

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Katie Jolly | January 21, 2021

New Year, Great Data: The Best Ookla Open Data Projects We’ve Seen So Far

When we announced Ookla® Open Datasets from Ookla For Good™ in October, we were hoping to see exciting projects that raise the bar on the conversation about internet speeds and accessibility — and you delivered. From analyses of internet inequity in the United States to measures of data affluence in India, today we’re highlighting four projects that really show what this data can do. We also have a new, simpler tutorial on how you can use this data for your own efforts to improve the state of networks worldwide.

Highlighting the digital divide in the U.S.

Jamie Saxon with the Center for Data and Computing at the University of Chicago married Ookla data on broadband performance with data from the American Community Survey to create interactive maps of the digital divide in 20 U.S. cities. These maps provide views into many variables that contribute to internet inequities.

Ookla_open_datasets_James_Saxon_0121-1

Building a data affluence map

Raj Bhagat P shows how different variables can be combined with this map of data affluence that combines data on internet speeds and device counts in India.

Ookla_open_datasets_Raj-Bhagat-P_0121-1

Internet speeds are beautiful

This map of fixed broadband speeds across Europe from Boris Mericskay shows that internet performance can be as visually stunning as a map of city lights.

Ookla_open_datasets_Boris-Mericskay_0121-1

Topi Tjunakov created a similar image of internet speeds in and around Japan.

Ookla_open_datasets_Topi-Tjunakov_0121-1

Use Ookla Open Datasets to make your own maps

This section will demonstrate a few possible ways to use Ookla Open Datasets using the United Kingdom as an example. The ideas can be adapted for any area around the world. This tutorial uses the R programming language, but there are also Python tutorials available in the Ookla Open Data GitHub repository.

library(tidyverse)
library(patchwork)
library(janitor)
library(ggrepel)
library(usethis)
library(lubridate)
library(colorspace)
library(scales)
library(kableExtra)
library(knitr)
library(sf)

# colors for plots
purple <- "#A244DA"
light_purple <- colorspace::lighten("#A244DA", 0.5)
green <- colorspace::desaturate("#2DE5D1", 0.2)
blue_gray <- "#464a62"
mid_gray <- "#ccd0dd"
light_gray <- "#f9f9fd"

# set some global theme defaults
theme_set(theme_minimal())
theme_update(text = element_text(family = "sans", color = "#464a62"))
theme_update(plot.title = element_text(hjust = 0.5, face = "bold"))
theme_update(plot.subtitle = element_text(hjust = 0.5))

Ookla Open Datasets include quarterly performance and test count data for both mobile networks and fixed broadband aggregated over all providers. The tests are binned into global zoom level 16 tiles which can be thought of as roughly a few football fields. As of today, all four quarters of 2020 are available and subsequent quarters will be added as they complete.

Administrative unit data

I chose to analyse the mobile data at the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 3 level (1:1 million). These administrative units are maintained by the European Union to allow for comparable analysis across member states. NUTS 3 areas mean:

In England, upper tier authorities and groups of unitary authorities and districts
In Wales, groups of Principal Areas
In Scotland, groups of Council Areas or Islands Areas
In Northern Ireland, groups of districts

To make a comparison to the U.S. administrative structure, these can be roughly thought of as the size of counties. Here is the code you’ll want to use to download the NUTS shapefiles from the Eurostat site. Once the zipfile is downloaded you will need to unzip it again in order to read it into your R environment:

# create a directory called “data”
dir.create("data")
use_zip("https://gisco-services.ec.europa.eu/distribution/v2/nuts/download/ref-nuts-2021-01m.shp.zip", destdir = "data")

uk_nuts_3 <- read_sf("data/ref-nuts-2021-01m.shp/NUTS_RG_01M_2021_3857_LEVL_3.shp/NUTS_RG_01M_2021_3857_LEVL_3.shp") %>%
  filter(CNTR_CODE == "UK") %>%
  st_transform(4326) %>%
  clean_names() %>%
  mutate(urbn_desc = case_when( # add more descriptive labels for urban variable
    urbn_type == 1 ~ "Urban",
    urbn_type == 2 ~ "Intermediate",
    urbn_type == 3 ~ "Rural"
  ),
  urbn_desc = factor(urbn_desc, levels = c("Urban", "Intermediate", "Rural")))

# contextual city data
uk_cities <- read_sf("https://opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/6996f03a1b364dbab4008d99380370ed_0.geojson") %>%
  clean_names() %>%
  filter(fips_cntry == "UK", pop_rank <= 5)

ggplot(uk_nuts_3) +
  geom_sf(color = mid_gray, fill = light_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  geom_text_repel(data = uk_cities, 
                           aes(label = city_name, geometry = geometry), 
                           family = "sans", 
                           color = blue_gray, 
                           size = 2.2, 
                           stat = "sf_coordinates",
                           min.segment.length = 2) +
  labs(title = "United Kingdom",
       subtitle = "NUTS 3 Areas") +
  theme(panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        axis.text = element_blank(),
        axis.title = element_blank())

plot_uk-1-1

Adding data from Ookla Open Datasets

You’ll want to crop the global dataset to the bounding box of the U.K. This will include some extra tiles (within the box but not within the country, i.e. some of western Ireland), but it makes the data much easier to work with later on.

uk_bbox <- uk_nuts_3 %>%
  st_union() %>% # otherwise would be calculating the bounding box of each individual area
  st_bbox()

Each of the quarters are stored in separate shapefiles. You can read them in one-by-one and crop them to the U.K. box in the same pipeline.

# download the data with the following code:

use_zip("https://ookla-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/shapefiles/performance/type=mobile/year=2020/quarter=1/2020-01-01_performance_mobile_tiles.zip", destdir = "data")
use_zip("https://ookla-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/shapefiles/performance/type=mobile/year=2020/quarter=2/2020-04-01_performance_mobile_tiles.zip", destdir = "data")
use_zip("https://ookla-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/shapefiles/performance/type=mobile/year=2020/quarter=3/2020-07-01_performance_mobile_tiles.zip", destdir = "data")
use_zip("https://ookla-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/shapefiles/performance/type=mobile/year=2020/quarter=4/2020-10-01_performance_mobile_tiles.zip", destdir = "data")

# and then read in those downloaded files
mobile_tiles_q1 <- read_sf("data/2020-01-01_performance_mobile_tiles/gps_mobile_tiles.shp") %>%
  st_crop(uk_bbox)
mobile_tiles_q2 <- read_sf("data/2020-04-01_performance_mobile_tiles/gps_mobile_tiles.shp") %>%
  st_crop(uk_bbox)
mobile_tiles_q3 <- read_sf("data/2020-07-01_performance_mobile_tiles/gps_mobile_tiles.shp") %>%
  st_crop(uk_bbox)
mobile_tiles_q4 <- read_sf("data/2020-10-01_performance_mobile_tiles/gps_mobile_tiles.shp") %>%
  st_crop(uk_bbox)

As you see, the tiles cover most of the area, with more tiles in more densely populated areas. (And note that you still have tiles included that are outside the boundary of the area but within the bounding box.)

ggplot(uk_nuts_3) +
  geom_sf(color = mid_gray, fill = light_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  geom_sf(data = mobile_tiles_q4, fill = purple, color = NA) +
  geom_text_repel(data = uk_cities, 
                           aes(label = city_name, geometry = geometry), 
                           family = "sans", 
                           color = blue_gray, 
                           size = 2.2, 
                           stat = "sf_coordinates",
                           min.segment.length = 2) +
  labs(title = "United Kingdom",
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Data Mobile Tiles, NUTS 3 Areas") +
  theme(panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        axis.text = element_blank(),
        axis.title = element_blank())

tile_map-1-3

Now that the cropped tiles are read in, you’ll use a spatial join to determine which NUTS 3 area each tile is in. In this step, I am also reprojecting the data to the British National Grid (meters). I’ve also added a variable to identify the time period (quarter).

tiles_q1_nuts <- uk_nuts_3 %>%
  st_transform(27700) %>% # British National Grid
  st_join(mobile_tiles_q1 %>% st_transform(27700), left = FALSE) %>%
  mutate(quarter_start = "2020-01-01")

tiles_q2_nuts <- uk_nuts_3 %>%
  st_transform(27700) %>%
  st_join(mobile_tiles_q2 %>% st_transform(27700), left = FALSE) %>%
  mutate(quarter_start = "2020-04-01")

tiles_q3_nuts <- uk_nuts_3 %>%
  st_transform(27700) %>%
  st_join(mobile_tiles_q3 %>% st_transform(27700), left = FALSE) %>%
  mutate(quarter_start = "2020-07-01")

tiles_q4_nuts <- uk_nuts_3 %>%
  st_transform(27700) %>%
  st_join(mobile_tiles_q4 %>% st_transform(27700), left = FALSE) %>%
  mutate(quarter_start = "2020-10-01")

In order to make the data easier to work with, combine the tiles into a long dataframe with each row representing one tile in one quarter. The geometry now represents the NUTS region, not the original tile shape.

tiles_all <- tiles_q1_nuts %>%
  rbind(tiles_q2_nuts) %>%
  rbind(tiles_q3_nuts) %>%
  rbind(tiles_q4_nuts) %>%
  mutate(quarter_start = ymd(quarter_start)) # convert to date format

With this dataframe, you can start to generate some aggregates. In this table you’ll include the tile count, test count, quarter and average download and upload speeds.

Exploratory data analysis

aggs_quarter <- tiles_all %>%
  st_set_geometry(NULL) %>%
  group_by(quarter_start) %>%
  summarise(tiles = n(),
            avg_d_mbps = weighted.mean(avg_d_kbps / 1000, tests), # I find Mbps easier to work with
            avg_u_mbps = weighted.mean(avg_u_kbps / 1000, tests),
            tests = sum(tests)) %>%
  ungroup()


knitr::kable(aggs_quarter) %>%
  kable_styling()

aggregates_table_kj

We can see from this table that both download and upload speeds increased throughout the year, with a small dip in upload speeds in Q2. Next, you’ll want to plot this data.

ggplot(aggs_quarter, aes(x = quarter_start)) +
  geom_point(aes(y = avg_d_mbps), color = purple) +
  geom_line(aes(y = avg_d_mbps), color = purple, lwd = 0.5) +
  geom_text(aes(y = avg_d_mbps - 2, label = round(avg_d_mbps, 1)), color = purple, size = 3, family = "sans") +
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-02-01"), y = 47, label = "Download speed", color = purple, size = 3, family = "sans") +
  geom_point(aes(y = avg_u_mbps), color = light_purple) +
  geom_line(aes(y = avg_u_mbps), color = light_purple, lwd = 0.5) +
  geom_text(aes(y = avg_u_mbps - 2, label = round(avg_u_mbps, 1)), color = light_purple, size = 3, family = "sans") +
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-02-05"), y = 14, label = "Upload speed", color = light_purple, size = 3, family = "sans") +
  labs(y = "", x = "Quarter start date",
       title = "Mobile Network Performance, U.K.",
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | 2020") +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1)) +
  scale_y_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", scale = 1, accuracy = 1)) +
  scale_x_date(date_labels = "%b %d")

line_up_down-1

Examining test counts

We also saw above that the number of tests decreased between Q1 and Q2 and then peaked in Q3 at a little over 700,000 before coming back down. The increase likely followed resulted from interest in network performance during COVID-19 when more people started working from home. This spike is even more obvious in chart form.

ggplot(aggs_quarter, aes(x = quarter_start)) +
  geom_point(aes(y = tests), color = purple) +
  geom_line(aes(y = tests), color = purple, lwd = 0.5) +
  geom_text(aes(y = tests - 6000, label = comma(tests), x= quarter_start + 5), size = 3, color = purple) +
  labs(y = "", x = "Quarter start date",
       title = "Mobile Test Count, U.K.",
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | 2020") +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray)) +
  scale_y_continuous(labels = comma) +
  scale_x_date(date_labels = "%b %d")

line_tests-1-1

Data distribution

Next, I wanted to check the distribution of average download speeds.

ggplot(tiles_all) + 
  geom_histogram(aes(x = avg_d_kbps / 1000, group = quarter_start), size = 0.3, color = light_gray, fill = green) + 
  scale_x_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", accuracy = 1)) +
  scale_y_continuous(labels = comma) +
  facet_grid(quarter_start ~ .) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(), 
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(), 
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray),
        strip.text.y = element_text(angle = 0, color = blue_gray)) + 
  labs(y = "", x = "", title = "Mobile Download Speed Distribution by Tile, U.K.", 
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | 2020")

histogram-1-1

The underlying distribution of average download speeds across the tiles has stayed fairly stable.

Mapping average speed

Making a quick map of the average download speed in each region across the U.K. is relatively simple.

# generate aggregates table
nuts_3_aggs <- tiles_all %>%
  group_by(quarter_start, nuts_id, nuts_name, urbn_desc, urbn_type) %>%
  summarise(tiles = n(),
            avg_d_mbps = weighted.mean(avg_d_kbps / 1000, tests), # I find Mbps easier to work with
            avg_u_mbps = weighted.mean(avg_u_kbps / 1000, tests),
            tests = sum(tests)) %>%
  ungroup()

ggplot(nuts_3_aggs %>% filter(quarter_start == "2020-10-01")) +
  geom_sf(aes(fill = avg_d_mbps), color = blue_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  scale_fill_stepsn(colors = RColorBrewer::brewer.pal(n = 5, name = "BuPu"), labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps"), n.breaks = 4, guide = guide_colorsteps(title = "")) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        legend.text = element_text(color = blue_gray),
        axis.text = element_blank()) +
  labs(title = "Mobile Download Speed, U.K.", subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | Q4 2020")

choropleth-1-1

As you can see, the areas around large cities have faster download speeds on average and the lowest average download speeds are typically in more rural areas.

Rural and urban analysis

People are often interested in the difference between mobile networks in urban and rural areas. The Eurostat NUTS data includes an urban indicator with three levels: rural, intermediate and urban. This typology is determined primarily by population density and proximity to a population center.

ggplot(uk_nuts_3) +
  geom_sf(aes(fill = urbn_desc), color = light_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  geom_text_repel(data = uk_cities, 
                           aes(label = city_name, geometry = geometry), 
                           family = "sans", 
                           color = "#1a1b2e", 
                           size = 2.2, 
                           stat = "sf_coordinates",
                           min.segment.length = 2) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green), name = "", guide = guide_legend(direction = "horizontal", label.position = "top", keywidth = 3, keyheight = 0.5)) +
  labs(title = "U.K., NUTS 3 Areas") +
  theme(panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        axis.text = element_blank(),
        axis.title = element_blank(),
        legend.position = "top")

rural_urban_reference-1

Data distribution overall and over time

When you aggregate by the urban indicator variable different patterns come up in the data.

# generate aggregates table
rural_urban_aggs <- tiles_all %>%
  st_set_geometry(NULL) %>%
  group_by(quarter_start, urbn_desc, urbn_type) %>%
  summarise(tiles = n(),
            avg_d_mbps = weighted.mean(avg_d_kbps / 1000, tests), # I find Mbps easier to work with
            avg_u_mbps = weighted.mean(avg_u_kbps / 1000, tests),
            tests = sum(tests)) %>%
  ungroup()

As you might expect, the download speeds during Q4 are faster in urban areas than in rural areas – with the intermediate ones somewhere in between. This pattern holds for other quarters as well.

ggplot(rural_urban_aggs %>% filter(quarter_start == "2020-10-01"), aes(x = avg_d_mbps, y = urbn_desc, fill = urbn_desc)) +
  geom_col(width = .3, show.legend = FALSE) +
  geom_jitter(data = nuts_3_aggs, aes(x = avg_d_mbps, y = urbn_desc, color = urbn_desc), size = 0.7) + 
  geom_text(aes(x = avg_d_mbps - 4, label = round(avg_d_mbps, 1)), family = "sans",  size = 3.5, color = blue_gray) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green)) +
  scale_color_manual(values = darken(c(purple, light_purple, green))) +
  scale_x_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", scale = 1, accuracy = 1)) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        legend.position = "none",
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray)) +
  labs(y = "", x = "", 
       title = "Mobile Download Speed Distribution by NUTS 3 Area, U.K.", 
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | 2020")

rural_urban_bar-1-2
Interestingly though, the patterns differ when you look at a time series plot. Urban mobile networks steadily improve, while the intermediate and rural areas saw slower average download speeds starting in Q2 before going back up after Q3. This is likely the result of increased pressure on the networks during stay-at-home orders (although this graph is not conclusive evidence of that).

ggplot(rural_urban_aggs) +
  geom_line(aes(x = quarter_start, y = avg_d_mbps, color = urbn_desc)) +
  geom_point(aes(x = quarter_start, y = avg_d_mbps, color = urbn_desc)) +
  # urban label
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-02-01"), y = 50, label = "Urban", color = purple, family = "sans", size = 3) +
  # intermediate label
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-02-15"), y = 35, label = "Intermediate", color = light_purple, family = "sans", size = 3) +
  # rural label
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-01-15"), y = 26, label = "Rural", color = green, family = "sans", size = 3) +
  scale_color_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green)) +
  scale_x_date(date_labels = "%b %d") +
  scale_y_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", scale = 1, accuracy = 1)) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        legend.position = "none",
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray)) +
  labs(y = "", x = "Quarter start date", 
       title = "Mobile Download Speed by NUTS 3 Urban-Rural Type, U.K.", 
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | 2020")

rural_urban_line-1-1

When you repeat the same plot but map the test count to the site of the point, you can see why the overall download speed increased steadily. The number of tests in urban areas is much higher than in intermediate and rural areas, thus pulling up the overall average.

ggplot(rural_urban_aggs) +
  geom_line(aes(x = quarter_start, y = avg_d_mbps, color = urbn_desc)) +
  geom_point(aes(x = quarter_start, y = avg_d_mbps, color = urbn_desc, size = tests)) +
  # urban label
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-02-01"), y = 50, label = "Urban", color = purple, family = "sans", size = 3) +
  # intermediate label
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-02-15"), y = 35, label = "Intermediate", color = light_purple, family = "sans", size = 3) +
  # rural label
  geom_text(data = NULL, x = ymd("2020-01-15"), y = 26, label = "Rural", color = green, family = "sans", size = 3) +
  scale_color_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green)) +
  scale_x_date(date_labels = "%b %d") +
  scale_y_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", scale = 1, accuracy = 1)) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        legend.position = "none",
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray)) +
  labs(y = "", x = "Quarter start date", 
       title = ("Mobile Download Speed by NUTS 3 Urban-Rural Type, U.K."), 
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | 2020",
       caption = "Circle size indicates test count")

rural_urban_line_size-1-1

Spotlighting regional variances

Parsing the data by specific geographies can reveal additional information.

bottom_20_q4 <- nuts_3_aggs %>% 
  filter(quarter_start == "2020-10-01") %>% 
  top_n(n = -20, wt = avg_d_mbps) %>%
  mutate(nuts_name = fct_reorder(factor(nuts_name), -avg_d_mbps))

map <- ggplot() +
  geom_sf(data = uk_nuts_3, fill = light_gray, color = mid_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  geom_sf(data = bottom_20_q4, aes(fill = urbn_desc), color = mid_gray, lwd = 0.08, show.legend = FALSE) +
  geom_text_repel(data = uk_cities, 
                           aes(label = city_name, geometry = geometry), 
                           family = "sans", 
                           color = blue_gray, 
                           size = 2.2, 
                           stat = "sf_coordinates",
                           min.segment.length = 2) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green), name = "", guide = guide_legend(direction = "horizontal", label.position = "top", keywidth = 3, keyheight = 0.5)) +
  labs(title = NULL,
       subtitle = NULL) +
  theme(panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        axis.text = element_blank(),
        axis.title = element_blank(),
        legend.position = "top")

barplot <- ggplot(data = bottom_20_q4, aes(x = avg_d_mbps, y = nuts_name, fill = urbn_desc)) +
  geom_col(width = .5) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green), guide = guide_legend(direction = "horizontal", label.position = "top", keywidth = 3, keyheight = 0.5, title = NULL)) +
  scale_x_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", scale = 1, accuracy = 1)) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        legend.position = "top",
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray)) +
  labs(y = "", x = "", 
       title = ("Slowest 20 NUTS 3 Areas by Download Speed, U.K."), 
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | Q4 2020")

# use patchwork to put it all together
barplot + map

bottom_20-1-2
Among the 20 areas with the lowest average download speed in Q4 2020 there were three urban areas and six intermediate. The rest were rural.

top_20_q4 <- nuts_3_aggs %>% 
  filter(quarter_start == "2020-10-01") %>% 
  top_n(n = 20, wt = avg_d_mbps) %>%
  mutate(nuts_name = fct_reorder(factor(nuts_name), avg_d_mbps))

top_map <- ggplot() +
  geom_sf(data = uk_nuts_3, fill = light_gray, color = mid_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  geom_sf(data = top_20_q4, aes(fill = urbn_desc), color = mid_gray, lwd = 0.08, show.legend = FALSE) +
  geom_text_repel(data = uk_cities, 
                           aes(label = city_name, geometry = geometry), 
                           family = "sans", 
                           color = blue_gray, 
                           size = 2.2, 
                           stat = "sf_coordinates",
                           min.segment.length = 2) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green), name = "", guide = guide_legend(direction = "horizontal", label.position = "top", keywidth = 3, keyheight = 0.5)) +
  labs(title = NULL,
       subtitle = NULL) +
  theme(panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        axis.text = element_blank(),
        axis.title = element_blank(),
        legend.position = "top")

top_barplot <- ggplot(data = top_20_q4, aes(x = avg_d_mbps, y = nuts_name, fill = urbn_desc)) +
  geom_col(width = .5) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green), guide = guide_legend(direction = "horizontal", label.position = "top", keywidth = 3, keyheight = 0.5, title = NULL)) +
  scale_x_continuous(labels = label_number(suffix = " Mbps", scale = 1, accuracy = 1), breaks = c(50, 100)) +
  theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        axis.title.x = element_text(hjust=1),
        legend.position = "top",
        axis.text = element_text(color = blue_gray)) +
  labs(y = "", x = "", 
       title = "Fastest 20 NUTS 3 Areas by Mobile Download Speed, U.K.", 
       subtitle = "Ookla® Open Datasets | Q4 2020")

top_london <- ggplot() +
  geom_sf(data = uk_nuts_3 %>% filter(str_detect(fid, "UKI")), fill = light_gray, color = mid_gray, lwd = 0.08) +
  geom_sf(data = top_20_q4 %>% filter(str_detect(nuts_id, "UKI")), aes(fill = urbn_desc), color = mid_gray, lwd = 0.08, show.legend = FALSE) +
  geom_text_repel(data = uk_cities %>% filter(city_name == "London"), 
                           aes(label = city_name, geometry = geometry), 
                           family = "sans", 
                           color = "black", 
                           size = 2.2, 
                           stat = "sf_coordinates",
                           min.segment.length = 2) +
  scale_fill_manual(values = c(purple, light_purple, green), name = "", guide = guide_legend(direction = "horizontal", label.position = "top", keywidth = 3, keyheight = 0.5)) +
  labs(title = NULL,
       subtitle = NULL) +
  theme(panel.grid.major = element_blank(),
        panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
        axis.text = element_blank(),
        axis.title = element_blank(),
        legend.position = "top",
        panel.border = element_rect(colour = blue_gray, fill=NA, size=0.5))

top_map_comp <- top_map + inset_element(top_london, left = 0.6, bottom = 0.6, right = 1, top = 1)

top_barplot + top_map_comp

top_20-1-1
Meanwhile, all of the fastest 20 NUTS 3 areas were urban.

What else you can do with this data

Don’t forget there are also more tutorials with examples written in Python and R. Aside from what I showed here, you could do an interesting analysis looking at clustering patterns, sociodemographic variables and other types of administrative units like legislative or school districts.

We hope this tutorial will help you use Ookla’s open data for your own projects. Please tag us if you share your projects on social media using the hashtag #OoklaForGood so we can learn from your analyses.

About the Author

Katie Jolly

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Ookla Research™ Articles

Isla McKetta | March 14, 2019

Ditch the Lag: Cities with Great Gaming Culture and Low Ping

Yes, you can game from anywhere with an internet connection. But if you’re at all competitive, it’s nice to play from somewhere with low ping and fast internet speeds. Plus when you need to leave the house, it’s extra nice to know you’re also surrounded by gamer culture. We’ve examined February 2019 Speedtest results in 35 cities that are known for their esports events, gaming conferences, game companies and more to find out who has the advantage and ranked them based on their ping.

The top contenders

Eleven_Gaming_Cities_0219

First place Bucharest, Romania is home to super-low ping, a lightning fast download speed and a thriving gaming culture. From Bucharest Gaming Week (which includes the CS:GO Southeast Europe Championship and the FIFA National Tournament) to their numerous local game studios, Bucharest is a great place to be a gamer whether you’re online or out and about.

The next five gaming cities with the lowest pings are all in Asia. Hangzhou, China comes in second overall with a fast ping and world-class download speeds. This city is so devoted to its gamers that it opened a $280 million gaming “city” in 2018 and plans 14 new esports arenas before 2022. Coming in third, Chengdu, China has an equally low ping to our first two contenders and serves as one of two host locations in China for the Global Mobile Game Confederation (GMGC). Both Hangzhou and Chengdu are also franchise holders in the Overwatch League, giving local gaming fans something to cheer about. Fourth place Singapore, host of the 5th Annual GameStart Convention in October 2018, had only a slightly slower ping than the first four cities and the fastest download speed of any of the cities we considered.

South Korea is home to the fifth and sixth best cities for gamers. A satellite city of Seoul, Seongnam-si boasts the Pangyo Techno Valley (a.k.a. the Silicon Valley of Korea) and numerous game development companies. Perfect for a city with a 9 ms ping. Though Incheon’s ping was a little slower at 12 ms, gamers there can console themselves with the city’s gamer cred — the 2018 League of Legends World Championship was held in Incheon’s Munhak Stadium.

Coming in at number seven, Budapest, Hungary is an emerging game city, having hosted its first big esports event (the V4 Future Sports Festival) in 2018, but a 12 ms ping makes them a strong contender. More established Malmö, Sweden is number eight with a slightly slower average download speed but the city is headquarters to Massive Entertainment, creators of Tom Clancy’s The Division series, Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and many more.

Vancouver, Canada, North America’s only qualifier for the top gaming cities list, comes in at number nine with a 12 ms ping and many gaming companies including the Canadian arms of Nintendo of Canada and EA (Electronic Arts). We included both Shanghai, China and Moscow, Russia on the top gamer cities list as both had a 12 ms ping as well, though the internet speeds in Shanghai are superior. Shanghai will also host the International Dota 2 in 2019 while Moscow is known for Epicenter.

The rest of the pack

Notably absent from the list above is most of the western hemisphere. Cities in North America were held back by their high pings. Cities in South America suffered from high pings and also slow internet speeds — something that esports leagues have complained is a barrier to investment.

Our full list of gaming cities provides wider geographical representation, even if the internet performance is not always as stellar. You’ll find Los Angeles in 27th place, behind Seattle, Boston and Las Vegas. And São Paulo, Brazil has the best showing in Latin America at 23rd.

**Internet Performance in 35 Cities with a Gaming Culture**
Speedtest Results | February 2019
City	Ping (ms)	Mean Download (Mbps)	Mean Upload (Mbps)
Bucharest, Romania	8	172.13	126.57
Hangzhou, China	8	125.93	29.54
Chengdu, China	8	101.92	33.80
Singapore	9	196.43	200.08
Seongnam-si, South Korea	9	155.25	114.83
Incheon, South Korea	12	139.84	102.91
Budapest, Hungary	12	132.72	54.46
Malmö, Sweden	12	126.28	105.67
Vancouver, Canada	12	117.55	50.23
Shanghai, China	12	75.14	30.06
Moscow, Russia	12	64.56	63.59
Oslo, Norway	13	115.46	69.03
Hong Kong, Hong Kong (SAR)	14	167.59	161.14
Zürich, Switzerland	14	144.36	109.39
Seattle, United States	15	138.50	79.88
Stockholm, Sweden	15	134.16	93.83
Auckland, New Zealand	15	92.05	53.30
Toronto, Canada	16	134.75	67.42
Boston, United States	17	152.42	60.87
Las Vegas, United States	17	141.69	41.22
Chennai, India	17	48.40	42.93
Cologne, Germany	18	63.77	18.36
São Paulo, Brazil	18	46.43	21.57
Jakarta, Indonesia	18	17.88	10.21
Mumbai, India	19	23.40	19.26
Paris, France	20	161.04	93.68
Los Angeles, United States	20	121.00	23.57
London, United Kingdom	20	63.58	23.18
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	20	36.50	13.33
Buenos Aires, Argentina	21	34.31	6.40
Katowice, Poland	22	83.99	20.91
Mexico City, Mexico	25	37.66	15.39
Sydney, Australia	25	34.20	9.61
Santiago, Chile	26	56.13	18.49
Tokyo, Japan	28	99.24	101.90

Of course, die-hard gamers will know that a low ping in your city won’t necessarily save you if you’re playing on a distant server.

What’s the ping like in your city? Take a Speedtest and see if your connection is hurting your gameplay.

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Isla McKetta

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Isla McKetta | November 15, 2023

Your Black Friday/Cyber Monday Guide to iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5 Performance

To upgrade or not to upgrade, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on the latest iPhone and Samsung devices on the horizon you may be asking yourself just that question. We analyzed data from Speedtest Intelligence® in 13 major markets to see how well the Apple iPhone 15 devices and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 and Flip5 models are performing in comparison to last year’s models over 5G to help you make an informed decision. For details on performance by Samsung Galaxy S23 models, read our analysis from earlier this year. We’re especially interested in seeing if technical improvements on iPhone 15 models including support for WiFi 6E drive better performance.

Data for iPhone models is provided for the period from September 22-October 20, 2023, while data for the Samsung models is for the period from August 11-October 20, 2023. Keep in mind that device data differs across markets due to a variety of factors, including: 5G investments by governments and mobile operators, different 5G spectrum allocations, and mobile 5G plans. As many of these devices are very new, the sample counts in some countries are still low so the statistical ranges of expected performance are wider for the newer devices than the older models.

Half of models surveyed worth the upgrade in Australia

In Australia, two out of four iPhone 15 models showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Speedtest Intelligence reveals the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max both had a 14% better download speed than their prior year counterparts. There was no statistical winner for the iPhone standard model or the iPhone Plus in Australia during this period.

The Galaxy Z Flip5 had a 30% better download speed than the Galaxy Z Flip4 during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period in Australia, while there was no statistical winner for the Galaxy Z Fold.

Recommendation: Depending on your model of choice, only half the devices surveyed merit an upgrade based on performance alone in Australia.

iPhones mostly worth the upgrade in Brazil

Three out of four iPhone 15 models in Brazil showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Speedtest Intelligence showed the iPhone 15 had a better download speed than the iPhone 14, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max having a 8% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the iPhone 15 Pro showing a 1% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro. There was no statistical winner for the iPhone Plus in Brazil during this period.

There was no statistical winner for 5G median download speed during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period for the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold in Brazil.

Recommendation: iPhone users in Brazil should consider an upgrade based on performance, while Samsung Galaxy fans only need to upgrade if they are looking for feature improvements.

All iPhones show improvement over prior models in Canada

All four iPhone 15 models in Canada showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Data from Speedtest Intelligence demonstrated the iPhone 15 had a better download speed than the iPhone 14, with the iPhone 15 Pro Max having a 26% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 Pro Plus showed a 12% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Plus, and the iPhone 15 Pro had an 8% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro.

The Galaxy Z Fold5 had a better download speed than the Galaxy Z Fold4 during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period in Canada, while there was no statistical winner for the Galaxy Z Flip.

Recommendation: iPhone users in Canada should consider an upgrade based on performance, while Samsung Galaxy fans should make a decision based on which model they’re considering.

Three iPhone models show decent improvement over prior versions in France

Three out of four iPhone 15 models in France showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Speedtest Intelligence reveals the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max both had 18% better download speeds than their respective prior year models. The iPhone 15 Pro had a 5% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro. There was no statistical winner for the iPhone Plus in France during this period.

There was no statistical winner for 5G median download speed during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period for the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold in France.

Recommendation: iPhone users in France should consider an upgrade based on performance, and Samsung Galaxy users only need to upgrade if they are looking for feature improvements.

Galaxy Z Fold5 shows some improvements in Germany

Two out of four iPhone 15 models showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents in Germany during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Speedtest Intelligence reveals slight improvements with the iPhone 15 Pro Max having a 6% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro having a 2% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro. There was no statistical winner for the iPhone standard model or the iPhone Plus in Germany during this period.

The Galaxy Z Fold5 had a 13% better download speed than the Galaxy Z Fold4 during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period in Germany, while there was no statistical winner for the Galaxy Z Flip.

Recommendation: Apple users won’t see major performance improvements from the new models, but the Galaxy Z Fold5 is worth the upgrade on performance alone.

India sees better performance on three iPhone models

Three out of four iPhone 15 models in India showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Speedtest Intelligence showed the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Plus had better speeds than their respective prior models. There was no statistical winner for the iPhone Pro Max in India during this period.

There was no statistical winner for 5G median download speed during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period for the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold in India.

Recommendation: Indian iPhone users should consider an upgrade based on performance, and Samsung Galaxy users only need to upgrade if they are looking for feature improvements.

No significant performance gains on new devices in the Philippines

Neither the iPhone 15 Pro nor the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a statistically better median download speed over 5G than their prior year models during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period in the Philippines. There were not enough samples to properly assess the performance of the other two iPhone models.

Likewise, there was no statistical winner for 5G median download speed during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period for the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold in the Philippines.

Recommendation: Filipino consumers looking to upgrade their phones to the latest models will have to look for reasons beyond performance.

Galaxy Z Fold5 sees performance improvement in South Korea

Mobile speeds in South Korea are already fast with a top 10 performance on the Speedtest Global Index™ as of September 2023. New phones may not push performance boosts, though, as Speedtest Intelligence data did not show significant increases in median download speed over 5G for the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max in South Korea during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 16% better upload speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. There were not enough samples to properly assess the performance of the other two iPhone models.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Fold5 had a 10% better download speed than the Galaxy Z Fold4 during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period in South Korea, while there was no statistical winner for the Galaxy Z Flip.

Recommendation: If South Korean consumers are looking for better performance, upgrading from the Galaxy Z Fold4 to the Galaxy Z Fold5 is worth looking into.

Spain sees major increases in iPhone speed

Three iPhone 15 models in Spain showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period, and the improvements in performance were mostly greater than we saw in other countries, with the exception of the United States. Speedtest Intelligence reveals the iPhone 15 Pro had a 40% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 36% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and the iPhone 15 had an 11% better download speed than the iPhone 14. There were not enough samples to properly assess the performance of the iPhone Plus.

There were not enough samples to evaluate the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period in Spain.

Recommendation: Spanish iPhone fans should definitely upgrade their devices while Samsung users can hold off for now.

Unbeatable performance in U.A.E. makes upgrades unnecessary

While Speedtest Intelligence data did not show significant increases in median download speed over 5G for the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period, performance likely isn’t a concern in the United Arab Emirates, whose blisteringly fast download speeds topped the Speedtest Global Index™ in September 2023. There were not enough samples to properly assess the performance of the other two iPhone models.

Similarly, there was no statistical winner for 5G median download speed during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period for the Galaxy Z Fold in the U.A.E., and there were not enough samples to evaluate the Galaxy Z Flip.

Recommendation: Consumers in the U.A.E. should upgrade if they are looking for the new features on the new phone models, but upgrades for performance are unnecessary.

iPhone upgrades are the way to go in the U.K.

All four iPhone 15 models in the United Kingdom showed median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period. Speedtest Intelligence reveals the iPhone 15 had a 16% better download speed than the iPhone 14, the iPhone 15 Pro had a 14% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 10% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and iPhone 15 Plus has a 4% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Plus.

There was no statistical winner for 5G median download speed during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period for the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold in the U.K.

Recommendation: iPhone users in the U.K. should see performance improvements that make upgrading to the latest models worthwhile. Samsung Galaxy users only need to upgrade if they are looking for new features.

U.S. consumers see some of the highest improvements when upgrading to new iPhone models

Not only did all four iPhone 15 models in the United States show median 5G download speeds that were significantly faster than their iPhone 14 equivalents during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period, the improvements in performance were greater than we saw in most other countries, with the exception of Spain. Speedtest Intelligence showed the iPhone 15 Plus had a 54% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 15 had a 45% better download speed than the iPhone 14, iPhone 15 Pro Max had a 27% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and iPhone 15 Pro has a 25% better download speed than the iPhone 14 Pro.

Samsung users also saw increased median download speeds over 5G when using the newer models during the August 11-October 20, 2023 period in the U.S. The Galaxy Z Flip5 had a 15% better download speed than the Galaxy Z Flip4, and the Galaxy Z Fold5 had a 10% better download speed than the Galaxy Z Fold4.

Recommendation: Upgrades for all this holiday season!

No performance boost on iPhone 15 Pro Max in Vietnam

The iPhone 15 Pro Max did not have a statistically better median download speed over 5G than the iPhone 14 Pro Max during the September 22-October 20, 2023 period in Vietnam. There were not enough samples to properly assess the performance of the other three iPhone models. Likewise, there were not enough samples to evaluate the Galaxy Z Flip or the Galaxy Z Fold.

Recommendation: Vietnamese consumers don’t need to upgrade to newer models on performance alone.

Ookla will continue evaluating device performance

We’re excited by the number of countries where mobile device performance increased with the new models and even more excited by the countries where performance is so fast that consumers can look to new modes of connectivity. Even if your country didn’t see the speed boosts you were hoping for, don’t hold back on upgrading if you want to treat yourself or a loved one based on any other number of reasons. Remember to download the iOS or Android Speedtest® app on any new devices to make sure your mobile operator is delivering the speeds you expect.

About the Author

Isla McKetta

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Sylwia Kechiche | October 23, 2023

A Reality Check on the Progress toward a Gigabit Society

The European Commission has set forth an ambitious goal of achieving a Digital Decade 2030 strategy, also known as the Digital Compass. The aim is to expedite the digital transformation of Member States by 2030. One of the primary objectives of this strategy is to improve digital connectivity, which will be measured through specific targets such as 100 Mbps services by 2025 and gigabit coverage to all EU households by 2030. In this article, we will discuss the progress made so far, the disparities in user experience, and the challenges that need to be addressed to achieve Europe’s connectivity goals.

Key messages

Digital Decade Ambition: The ambitious goals of the EU’s Digital Decade strategy are indeed lofty. Broadband services might promise speeds in excess of 1 Gbps, but the reality is that users rarely experience that level of speed. However, while the gap between advertised speeds and actual speeds for gigabit services is wide, speeds approaching 100 Mbps are far more common.
Median Download Speeds and Infrastructure Development: Several European countries are making substantial progress in offering high-speed broadband. Denmark, Spain, France, and Romania have notably fast median download speeds, primarily due to their fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) infrastructure investments. The type of broadband technology used in those countries (and others) significantly influences the gap between download and upload speeds, with fiber-based networks showing more balanced speeds.
AltNets Drive Fiber Adoption: Alternative network providers (AltNets) play a vital role in accelerating fiber adoption and addressing challenges mainstream ISPs face. Their role varies across countries and regions.
Take-up rates remain a challenge: With the completion of fiber rollout in several countries, the focus has now shifted towards promoting fiber subscriptions. However, there are challenges that persist, such as consumer reluctance and the need for incentives. A survey conducted in rural France revealed that 42% of the respondents found their current internet sufficient, while 37% said that they would be encouraged to upgrade if offered incentives.

You can also register for our November 8 webinar, where a panel of industry experts will discuss how Europe can accelerate the expansion of gigabit-capable infrastructure. Register now.

On the road to 100 Mbps

The European Commission aims to ensure that all European households, businesses, and public institutions should have access to “high internet speeds” of at least 100 Mbps by year-end 2025. The EU is showing progress in terms of achieving that target. According to Broadband Coverage in Europe 2022, 86.6% of EU households were within 100 Mbps + coverage, meaning they had access to broadband services capable of providing at least 100 Mbps download speeds.

While having networks available does not automatically equate to real penetration or adoption rates, it is an important prerequisite. Physical accessibility to network services is a vital first step before actual usage, which is influenced by factors such as affordability, awareness, and the perceived need for the service.

According to the Digital Economy and Society Index DESI 2023 dashboard for the Digital Decade, 55.08% of EU households had already subscribed to fixed broadband services with internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps. While this rate of subscribers is significant and an indicator of the EC’s ongoing progress, the region is still far from achieving its goal of universal, 100 Mbps coverage by 2025. Some countries like Spain, Sweden, and Romania, where over 80% of households subscribe to broadband exceeding 100 Mbps, have already made significant progress in terms of fiber coverage.

However, in those countries, there is a significant gap between what households subscribe to and what we see from Ookla® data in terms of users actually experiencing speeds above 100 Mbps. Netherlands, France, and Germany are the outliers where we see more users having “high internet speeds” compared to the speeds advertised in their broadband subscription package. This is particularly interesting because Germany still heavily relies on VDSL for high-speed access technologies. Still, there is a significant amount of work to be done before countries can deliver on their strategies to achieve the 100 Mbps target.

The EC’s goal of gigabit connectivity is certainly one of the driving forces behind the rollout of fiber networks in the region. So far, progress is mixed across the region in terms of fiber network rollouts and adoption. As we have discussed, regulatory incentives propel the move to fiber. For example, Romania has one of the highest Fiber to the Home/ Building (FTTP/B) penetration rates across the region — nearly 97.7% of households — which is partially driven by government-backed fixed infrastructure projects such as RoNet, and the special attention given to rural and disadvantaged areas. Portugal, which already scored high on fiber coverage, plans to launch an international public tender by the end of 2023 for a project to cover all underserved areas with fiber-optic networks to boost fiber penetration further.

The reality of gigabit speeds

The European Commission’s Digital Decade 2030 strategy seeks to extend gigabit (1 Gbps) connectivity to every European Union household by 2030. To track the progress of these objectives, the DESI plays a crucial role in tracking EC’s progress. Only 56% of households in the EU have access to the necessary fiber networks for gigabit connectivity, and the take-up rate (proportion of households that subscribe to fiber) is even lower. According to the DESI 2023 dashboard for the Digital Decade, 13.76% of households in the European Union have subscribed to fixed broadband with at least 1 Gbps as of 2022. Nevertheless, there is a significant disparity in these percentages across different EU nations. For instance, only five countries surpassed the EU value – France leading with 39.94%, Hungary second at 29.81%, followed by Romania at 23.35%, Denmark at 18.66%, and Spain at 14.57%.

Looking at this data one might believe that many European households have access to Gigabit internet speeds. However, the reality is different as not all of them genuinely experience such high speeds. In fact, the proportion of Speedtest® users registering median download speeds of at least 1 Gbps in many countries is quite low. For example, France only had 1.42%, Hungary at 0.54%, Romania at 0.1%, Denmark at 0.03%, and Spain at 0.27%.

The significant gap between expectations and reality underscores the importance of not only rolling out gigabit-capable networks but also stimulating demand for those services. Service providers also need to pay attention to home networking equipment. Our research has shown that in markets where legacy broadband technology (such as DSL or coax cable) is being replaced by advanced cable and fiber connections, Wi-Fi performance can lag behind ethernet. Wi-Fi speeds typically range from 30-40% of ethernet, indicating a need to accelerate the adoption of more advanced Wi-Fi technologies and optimize the home network environment.

Median download and upload disparities

Median speeds are a standard metric for measuring performance, but there’s more to the story for the end-user experience. Access technology, be it DSL, cable, or fiber, as well as customer premises equipment and end-user devices, significantly influence the user experience. In our recent article, we highlighted how the persistent use of legacy and underperforming Wi-Fi standards in home networks can hamper efforts to provide the best network experience to customers despite progress in terms of fiber rollout and adoption.

According to Speedtest Intelligence® in Q3 2023, across Europe, Denmark had the fastest median download speed for fixed broadband (196.43 Mbps), followed by Spain (176.08 Mbps), France (170.51 Mbps), and Romania (166.39 Mbps). Notably, several of those countries have a substantial gap between median download and upload speeds. The type of broadband technology implemented can heavily influence the divergence between download and upload performance. Nations still reliant on DSL and cable often exhibit lower median upload speeds and a wider gap between upload and download speeds. On one hand, the UK and Germany lag behind other countries in broadband infrastructure upgrades due to their reliance on copper-based technologies and cable networks and are at the tail end of the ranking.

On the other hand, Sweden, with a 63% Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) penetration rate in 2022, has the narrowest gap between download and upload speeds. Forward-thinking broadband infrastructure and significant municipal involvement have positioned Sweden to reach the EC’s goals in the coming years. France, Spain, Denmark, Romania, and Portugal are also making significant progress toward achieving full-fiber coverage, with France expecting a full-fiber rollout by 2025. As fiber broadband adoption increases, the gap between download and upload speeds will narrow, mainly because fiber subscriptions are typically offered with symmetrical speeds, where users would experience the same level of speed for both download and upload usage.

However, even when we look at “the best-connected” Speedtest users (those seeing speeds in the top 10th percentile of our results), there’s a wide range of performance. Download speeds ranged between 417.23 Mbps and 844.04 Mbps, while the range for upload speeds was even wider, with median upload speeds ranging from 57.11 Mbps to 599.39 Mbps.

When looking at speeds at the 10th percentile, only four countries topped 700 Mbps. France led with a top speed of 844.08 Mbps, followed by Hungary at 765.85 Mbps, Denmark at 734.91 Mbps, and Romania at 704.04 Mbps. Notably, three of these countries (Romania, France, and Denmark) also lead in the top 10% of upload speeds, with all three exceeding 500 Mbps.

While for most countries included in this analysis, top speeds are at least a few hundred Mbps apart, there are a few exceptions. Spain shined bright, with the top 10% of its download and upload speeds closely matched at 611.17 Mbps and 609.17 Mbps, respectively.

Beyond median speeds

To delve deeper into the performance and reliability of internet services across different countries, it can be helpful to look at the expected speed range, i.e., the range of speeds that the majority of users experience. This middle 50% of speeds are captured by the interquartile range, with the lower value of the range, or lower quartile, indicating the bottom 25% of speeds and the upper value of the range, or upper quartile, indicating the top 25% of speeds. Examining Speedtest Intelligence data from Q3 2023, the lower quartile download speed across European countries ranged from 28.15 Mbps to 81.48 Mbps (in other words,, 25% of downloads were below that speed), while upper quartile speeds clocked in between 166.16 Mbps and 441.38 Mbps (i.e., 25% of downloads were above this speed).

Role of AltNets

According to the FTTH Council Europe, alternative operators (AltNets) are playing a significant role in the adoption of fiber in the EU39 region. The EU39 region comprises the EU27, the UK, Iceland, Israel, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, and 4 CIS other countries. In 2021, around 56% of FTTH/B initiatives were led by AltNets, which marks a shift from 2011 when alternative ISPs had a 71% share, and incumbents accounted for only 21% of initiatives.

We looked at data from Omdia to determine whether there is a correlation between the number of active ISPs and the speed of the transition to fiber networks measured by FTTH share of all connections. The relationship is not straightforward and varies significantly depending on each country’s competitive landscape and government initiatives.

Across a number of countries fiber accounts for the majority of subscriptions – Spain comes on top with 81.8%, followed by Romania (81.7%), Sweden (77.5%), and Portugal (62.4%). Spain is a good example of a market that has been migrating to fiber away from copper ahead of the incumbent Telefonica turning off its legacy fixed network in 2024. Furthermore, Spain’s National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) has simplified its ‘MARCo offer’, making it easier for alternative operators to access Telefonica’s infrastructure to launch their own fiber optic services.

It is worth noting that countries like the UK and Poland, which have many ISPs, are also leading the way in AltNet-driven fiber initiatives. In our previous article looking at the impact of AltNets in the UK, we concluded that AltNets played an important role. In fact, AltNets provided the top speeds in London, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester, as well as across a number of counties. Public funding has helped facilitate the emergence of fiber ISPs in rural areas where fiber deployment is not commercially viable. Other AltNets like Hyperoptic are already well established, deploying and operating an FTTP network in high-density areas, which connects existing and new multi-dwelling buildings.

Take-up rates come with challenges

As fiber rollout nears completion in some countries, the focus shifts to selling fiber subscriptions to households that are within fiber network coverage. Sweden leads with an 80.1% consumer take-up rate (proportion of households that subscribed to and are actively using fiber-optic broadband services), but Spain, Norway, and France also boast high rates above 70%.

Sweden was the country that pioneered the open access model for fiber networks to drive competition and contributed to the country’s high fiber broadband penetration rates. Fiberhost, a Polish open-access network provider, is a significant beneficiary of EU funds, with 99% of funding for building the country’s fiber network in white spot areas (areas with limited or no access to high-speed internet).

There also has been notable progress in the wholesale networks market in Europe, some of which look to connect remote and rural areas. The Italian wholesale operator, Open Fiber, is partially funded by the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with the goal of connecting the grey areas (where no other operator has plans to develop an NGA network) to gigabit speeds.

However, challenges persist in convincing consumers to switch to full fiber, even in countries with high take-up rates. For instance, a joint venture by Orange conducted a survey in rural areas of France to understand why households with FTTH access hadn’t upgraded to fiber services. The study revealed that 42% found their current internet sufficient, while 37% said incentives would encourage them to upgrade. Incentives and other initiatives are being implemented to migrate customers onto fiber networks in many countries in the region and across the world.

Future Initiatives and Investments

Fiber offers superior internet speeds, lower latency, enhanced security, and environmental sustainability – a noteworthy upgrade from copper networks and also a path forward for some cable operators (instead of DOCSIS 4.0). AltNets are making strides in driving fiber deployment across Europe, pushing toward the EC’s ambitious goals of achieving a gigabit society.

Despite progress, obstacles remain in convincing consumers to fully transition to fiber services. Comprehending consumer behavior, promoting fiber benefits, and inspiring initiatives will all play significant roles in this endeavor. Likewise, continued investments must be made to keep Europe on track to attain its connectivity targets

For more insightful updates on Europe’s fiber connectivity status, look forward to the Network X event in October 2023. It’ll offer a live pulse on the latest developments in fiber connectivity. We will continue to follow European countries’ progress toward Gigabit society and monitor its impact on fixed broadband speeds. If you’d like to learn more about internet speeds and speed performance in other markets around the world, visit the Speedtest Global Index™.

You can also register for our upcoming webinar, “Accelerating Europe’s Gigabit Revolution” on Wednesday, November 8 at 9 a.m. CET (GMT+1). A panel of industry experts will come together to discuss how Gigabit Society fits into Europe’s digital transformation strategy and propose strategies to ensure digital access for all. A recording will be provided for registrants who can’t join the live presentation. Register now.

About the Author

Sylwia Kechiche

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Reimagining In-Building Cellular

Ookla Joins Ericsson's Leading Telecommunications Open RApp System

Belgium Falls Behind EU Peers, Faces 5G Regulatory Challenges

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Lees in het Vlaams | Lire en français

The Netherlands leads among Belgium’s regional trading partners for fastest mobile

Switzerland and Spain set the European standard with fixed broadband speeds over 100.00 Mbps

BASE, Telenet and Proximus outpaced Orange for mobile

Telenet had the fastest fixed broadband speed

Flanders had faster mobile download speeds than Brussels and the Walloon region

Four Flemish provinces had mobile download speeds over 50 Mbps

There was a wide divide between Flanders and the Walloon region on fixed broadband

Limburg was fastest province for fixed broadband

4G LTE Signal Level and Quality varied by provider near the European Quarter in Brussels

Tight competition for best 4G LTE RSRP in Brussels

BASE/Telenet had the best RSRQ in Brussels’ European Quarter

Belgium has opportunities for fast 5G, but consumers won’t benefit until operators and regulators make 5G easier to implement

België loopt achter op EU-collega’s en wordt geconfronteerd met uitdagingen inzake 5G-regelgeving

Nederland is koploper onder de regionale handelspartners van België voor snelste mobiel netwerk

Zwitserland en Spanje zetten de Europese standaard met vaste breedbandsnelheden van meer dan 100,00 Mbps

BASE, Telenet en Proximus overtroffen Orange voor mobiel

Telenet had de snelste vaste breedbandsnelheid

Vlaanderen had hogere mobiele downloadsnelheden dan Brussel en het Waalse Gewest

Vier Vlaamse provincies hadden mobiele downloadsnelheden van meer dan 50 Mbps

Er was een grote kloof tussen Vlaanderen en Wallonië wat vaste breedband betreft

Limburg was snelste provincie voor vaste breedband

4G LTE-signaalniveau en -kwaliteit per aanbieder in de buurt van de Europese wijk in Brussel

Scherpe concurrentie voor beste 4G LTE RSRP in Brussel

BASE/Telenet had de beste RSRQ in de Brusselse Europese Wijk

België heeft kansen voor snelle 5G, maar consumenten zullen er niet van profiteren zolang operatoren en regulatoren 5G niet gemakkelijker om te implementeren maken

La Belgique a du retard par rapport à ses pairs de l’UE et doit faire face à des défis réglementaires en matière de 5G

Les Pays-Bas sont en tête des partenaires commerciaux régionaux de la Belgique pour la téléphonie mobile la plus rapide

La Suisse et l’Espagne établissent la norme européenne avec des vitesses de haut débit fixe supérieures à 100,00 Mbps!

BASE, Telenet et Proximus dépassent Orange pour le mobile

Telenet a le haut débit fixe le plus rapide

Les vitesses de téléchargement mobile sont plus rapides en Flandre qu’à Bruxelles et en Wallonie

Quatre provinces flamandes affichent des vitesses de téléchargement mobile supérieures à 50 Mbps

Un large fossé sépare la Flandre de la région wallonne en matière de haut débit fixe

Le Limbourg est la province la plus rapide pour le haut débit fixe

Niveau et qualité du signal 4G LTE selon le fournisseur près du quartier européen de Bruxelles

Une concurrence serrée pour le meilleur RSRP 4G LTE à Bruxelles

BASE/Telenet avait le meilleur RSRQ dans le quartier européen de Bruxelles

La Belgique a des opportunités pour la 5G rapide, mais les consommateurs n’en profiteront pas tant que les opérateurs et les régulateurs ne faciliteront pas la mise en œuvre de la 5G

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Josh Fomon

Details on the Fastest 5G Mobile Devices (Just in Time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday)

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Fastest 5G devices in Brazil

5 devices vie for fastest 5G in China

New iPhones top fastest 5G devices in Germany

Sony Xperia and Samsung Galaxy 20 among fastest 5G devices in Japan

Many options for fastest 5G devices in the Philippines

Tight competition for fastest 5G devices in South Africa

Dead heat on fastest 5G devices in Thailand

iPhone dominates fastest 5G devices in the United Kingdom

Fastest 5G devices in the United States are new iPhones

Older iPhones keeping up with fastest 5G devices in Vietnam

Ookla will continue evaluating device performance

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Early Testing Shows How Fast the New Samsung Galaxy S23 Models Are

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Key takeaways:

Key improvements to the new Galaxy S23 models

All Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S22 models

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S22 base models

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+ models

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. S22 Ultra models

Samsung Galaxy S23 performance in the world’s largest mobile device markets

Brazilian S22 and S23 users saw seriously fast 5G speeds (even though 5G Availability remains low)

Chinese S23 users haven’t quite seen an improved 5G experience over S22 users

French S23 users saw promising 5G results, S22 users might want to wait to upgrade

German Samsung Galaxy S22 users should feel confident upgrading to S23 models

Samsung Galaxy S23 users in Italy saw mixed 5G results after launch

Samsung Galaxy S23 showed 5G potential in the Philippines

Polish Samsung S23 models had a promising debut over 5G

Samsung S23 models in South Africa don’t live up to the hype just yet

Highlights from the Speedtest Global Index^TM