Sylwia Kechiche | June 27, 2022

Dtac and True Merger Talks Point to a Need to Address Unequal Footing in Thailand's 5G

The planned merger between True Corporation (“True”) and Total Access Communication (“dtac”) in Thailand is currently awaiting regulatory approval. The announcement of the merger or “amalgamation” as the involved companies like to call it, wasn’t unexpected as rumors around dtac’s owner Telenor’s plans to exit Thailand circulated for a while. Besides, Telenor hopes to merge its Malaysian operations and it sold its operations in Myanmar in March 2022. On November 20, 2021, True and dtac entered a non-binding memorandum of understanding to pursue the “amalgamation.” In April 2022, the two companies received the approval from their shareholders for the merger and to create a new listed company — NewCo — despite not knowing what the conditions or measures of the deal will be. In June 2022, a legal subcommittee of NBTC concluded that the telecom regulator has the power to approve or dissolve the planned merger. In this article we will assess the impact of the proposed merger on the Thai telecommunications market by examining its current state.

Key takeaways

Thailand’s 5G performed well compared to its regional counterparts due to a timely 5G network roll out and dedicated 5G spectrum availability.
Based on mobile performance, Thailand is a market dominated by one player — AIS. It had a lead in terms of 4G performance and that lead has been extended further with 5G. The third operator in the market, dtac, is not competitive on 5G due to its limited spectrum holdings (dtac’s 5G performance is equivalent to AIS’ 4G).
The merged operator, NewCo, could provide more robust competition to AIS while also having the scale to invest in 5G. While this will turn Thailand into a two-player market, examples of mergers and acquisitions in other countries suggest a number of measures will be most likely put in place: spectrum divestment, more capacity allocated to MVNOs, converged and innovative offerings, all of which can potentially offset its negative impact.

Thailand’s 5G performs well compared to its regional counterparts

5G deployment in Thailand is comparable in terms of 5G speeds and 5G Availability with more developed countries in the region such as Singapore, even though the country previously lagged behind its peers in assigning 3G and LTE spectrum.

In our recent article, we concluded that the country’s regulator, The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), has been instrumental in establishing Thailand as a leading 5G market in the region. In fact, Thailand was one of the first markets to launch 5G in the Asia-Pacific region, with AIS and TrueMove H both launching commercial 5G services in Q1 2020, shortly after the conclusion of the country’s 5G auction. The Thai government plays an active role in ensuring 5G can bring societal benefits, e.g., improving government services and extending healthcare access. Some of the campaigns include establishing a telemedicine center, setting up a 5G network for smart city management, developing a pilot project on digital farming in Songkhla Lake Basin, and using 5G connectivity for pandemic related measures as tourism was reopening in Phuket.

In Q1 2022, Speedtest Intelligence® data put Thailand on par with its regional peers such as Australia and China and ahead of the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand in terms of 5G Availability (the proportion of users on 5G-capable devices who spend a majority of their time on 5G networks).

In February 2020, NBTC assigned spectrum for 5G use across low (700 MHz), mid (2,600 MHz), and high (26 GHz) frequency bands. It also plans a further auction of mid-band spectrum in 2022 in the 3.5 GHz band, which was vacated in September 2021 by Thaicom, a satellite provider. All of the countries in the comparison above assigned spectrum in the mid-band frequency, which is the sweet spot for 5G in terms of coverage and capacity. In South Korea, which came first in terms of median 5G download speed, the government allocated a total of 2,680 MHz of spectrum including 280 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band and 2,400 MHz in the 28 GHz spectrum band. Korean provider KT is also using a standalone 5G network, a form of 5G that doesn’t rely on 4G LTE as the foundation of the 5G experience, which should provide faster speeds and lower latency than non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks. In fact, a few operators in the analyzed countries have launched 5G SA including China (all operators), Singapore (M1, Singtel, and Starhub), Australia (Telstra and Vodafone), Japan (Softbank), and Thailand (AIS).

AIS wins on 5G performance in Thailand, TrueMove H on 5G Availability

In Q1 2022, AIS came as the fastest operator in terms of 5G speeds, this was also the case in Q4 2021 as per our recent article. According to Speedtest Intelligence, AIS recorded a median 5G download speed of 261.19 Mbps and 5G upload speed of 40.57 Mbps during Q1 2022. AIS launched 5G NSA (non-standalone) in February 2020 using the 700 MHz, 2.6 GHz and 26 GHz bands, followed by 5G SA in July 2020 in cooperation with Huawei. AIS deployed 5G CA (New Radio Carrier Aggregation) by integrating its mid-band (2600 MHz) and low band (700 MHz) spectrum. This in turn gave a 1.7x boost to the operator’s data transmission capabilities. TrueMove H was second for 5G download speed, with a median of 197.79 Mbps and a 5G upload speed of 25.52 Mbps. The lack of mid-band spectrum limits dtac’s performance, which showed a median 5G download speed of 32.70 Mbps and 19.18 Mbps upload.

The ranking shifts when we compare 5G Availability – the percentage of users on 5G-capable devices that spend a majority of time with access to 5G networks. TrueMove H came first for 5G Availability at 37.9% during Q1 2022, a three percentage point improvement over Q4 2021. This was well above the rest of the Thai operators: AIS (18.7%), and dtac (7.9%). Based on our data AIS & TrueMove H had 5G Availability in all 77 provinces but TrueMove H 5G Availability was higher in most of the provinces as per Q1 2022.

This disparity we see between TrueMove H and AIS is largely down to the fact that AIS requires users to subscribe to a 5G tariff, as opposed to TrueMove H which allows greater access to 5G-enabled devices on its network. TrueMove H’s 5G Availability remains the highest via a combination of coverage and 5G handsets. The operator’s initial focus was to roll out 5G to most densely populated areas such as the Bangkok metropolitan area, in which over 90% of population is covered by 5G, followed by key locations. At the time of 5G network launch, TrueMove H offered 30 models of 5G smartphone under promotional prices, True 5G VR4K vision and True5G VR Headset, IoT equipment as well as gadgets. AIS rolled out a 5G network out to all 77 provinces, covering 78% of the population in Q1 2022, with a year end target of 85% population coverage.

At the same time, Thai operators continue to grow the number of 5G users, expanding the addressable market beyond early adopters; for example TrueMove H saw its 5G user base increase to 2.6 million in Q1 2022, AIS had 2.8 million 5G package subscribers and 3 million 5G handset on AIS network in Q1 2022.

Songkhla tops the charts for median 5G download speed

Every operator takes a unique approach to regional strategy, so we looked closely at 5G performance in select regions during Q1 2022. Songkhla came top when it comes to median 5G download speed (253.44 Mbps), but ranked last in 5G Availability (8.9%), which points to low network congestion due to a lower number of users.

We removed dtac from the operator level comparison due to the low sample size. AIS came top in almost all regions, apart from Khon Kaen. AIS’s fastest median 5G download speed (313.35 Mbps) was in Songkhla.

Bangkok has the highest 5G Availability

In Q1 2022, Bangkok had the highest 5G Availability (30.1%), Songkhla ranked last in 5G Availability (8.9%). Ookla 5G Map® shows 215 commercial 5G deployments in the Bangkok area. What’s more, because Bangkok is more affluent than the rest of the country, smartphone adoption, including 5G, is higher than in the rest of the country. Due to the pandemic, Thai operators have actually accelerated their 5G rollout, starting with hospitals in Bangkok. At the end of 2021, AIS reported that its 5G network covered more than 99% of the population in Bangkok compared to 76% across the whole country. At the end of Q1 2022, dtac’s 5G network covered 34 provinces, though we have excluded dtac from the above ranking due to low sample count. Dtac has been focusing on network expansion using the 700 MHz band, resulting in capacity and coverage uplift, yet it is still lagging behind competition in uptake. Dtac reported that it will prioritize 5G expansion by expanding coverage to all of Thailand’s 77 provinces within the Q3 2022.

4G Availability close enough, AIS in the lead for 4G speeds

The leaderboard for 4G LTE performance in Thailand looked very similar to the 5G one during Q1 2022. AIS was in the lead (31.16 Mbps for download/17.51 Mbps upload), followed by TrueMove H (23.38 Mbps for download/10.80 Mbps for upload), and dtac (13.57 Mbps for download/ 5.05 Mbps upload), there was a major difference, however, when 4G performance is considered separately to that on 5G. AIS’s median download speed on all technologies combined was almost eight times higher than dtac’s, but AIS’s median download speed on 4G was just double of dtac’s. Furthermore, there was no substantial difference in terms of 4G Availability – the percentage of users on all devices who spend the majority of their time connected to 4G technology both roaming and on-network – across Thai mobile networks.

Consolidation wave across Asia-Pacific could stifle competition

Merger and acquisitions activity is heating up across the Asia-Pacific region with deals on the table across a number of countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Thus far, only the merger between Indosat and Tri in Indonesia has received regulatory approval and been completed. This is true in Europe as well, as we discussed in our recent article, with recent examples including the agreed joint venture between MasMovil and Orange in Spain and Iliad’s recent bid for Vodafone Italy.

A number of studies have attempted to assess the impact of mergers. For instance, in 2017 GSMA analyzed the impact of the 2012 Hutchison/Orange merger in Austria (a 4-to-3 merger) on quality using difference-in-differences (DD) and synthetic control methods. The study concluded that the merger in Austria had a positive and statistically significant effect on quality outcomes. The U.K. telecom regulator, Ofcom, in its Economic Discussion Paper on Market structure, investment and quality in the mobile industry analyzed a number of M&A activities. It concluded that the results of merger-specific analysis are mixed, as there is no evidence that mergers have generated improvements in network quality to the benefit of consumers. Instead, there is some evidence that both investment and average download speeds declined following some of these mergers. Closer to Thailand, Indosat Ooredoo and Hutchison 3 Indonesia (Tri) merged into Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison (IOH) to create a number two player in Indonesia with 26.3% market share as of Q1 2022. It was conditioned upon a number of factors, though, around improved geographic reach and network performance.

However, there are rare examples of a market moving towards duopoly. In 2011, Philippines mobile market became a duopoly after PLDT acquired Digitel. The deal was studied by regulators for seven months, the main issue being the large amount of the country’s 3G spectrum that the merged operator would control. It eventually passed on condition that PLDT gave up the 10 MHz 3G license held by one of its subsidiaries. Almost a decade later, a third player entered the Philippines, which we will discuss in an upcoming article.

The shape of the Thai mobile market

If approved, M&A would bring more MVNOs to the market

With close to 100 million mobile connections, Thailand’s SIM penetration of the population is 140%, meaning that on average a mobile subscriber has 1.58 SIMs. The market is served by four operators: AIS, DTAC, TrueMove H and the government owned National Telecom (NT). NT was formed in January 2021 via a merger of Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) Telecom and TOT (Telephone Organization of Thailand).

AIS, whose backers include Singtel Group, led the market with 44.5% of all mobile subscriptions, equivalent to 44.6 million subscribers, at the end of March 2022. By contrast, TrueMove H held 33.4% of the market share (32.5 million subscribers), with dtac claiming a 19.8% market share with 19.9 million subscribers. According to industry estimates, NT had less than 3.5 million subscribers in Q1 2022, equating to 3.3% market share. Currently, MVNOs hold a miniscule market share of the Thai market, under 1% combined. NT is the sole operator hosting MVNOs in Thailand since MVNOs were introduced in 2009, despite the fact that all of operators licenses’ terms and conditions have a clause that a minimum 10% of their spectrum capacity should be allocated to MVNOs. Opening up the market to MVNOs is often one of the conditions for M&A to go ahead.

The topic of mergers is widely discussed in Thailand; there have been a number of concerns raised. Thai consumer advocates and academics voice their disapproval of the M&A, saying consumers will be at a disadvantage due to less competition in the market. For instance, the People’s Network Protecting Public Interest claimed that the market would become a de facto duopoly with foreseen price increases of 20-30% in the long term. NT Telecom, which is both a competitor and a minority stakeholder in dtac, disapproved of the True-dtac merger.

The discussion as to who should approve the merger was put to rest when a legal subcommittee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) concluded the telecom regulator has the power to approve or prohibit the planned merger. NBTC is still conducting studies on the impact of the merger, both short-term and long-term, as well setting up a number of independent committees to advise on the best course of action. Most recently, a panel that was tasked with determining whether the merger would have economic impact, M&A could reduce Thailand’s GDP growth by between 0.05% and 1.99%, and increase mobile prices by 2.03%-19.5% depending on the degree of collusion. Against this backdrop, it is hard to imagine that the merger would get a green light.

If the merger goes ahead, the newly combined entity will become the number one player in Thailand with a 52.2% market share, ahead of the current market leader, AIS. However, it takes time for the companies to merge their operations and it is most likely that in the short term both companies will use their separate brands while working out the go to market proposition. Also the companies’ execs at a recent seminar were at pains to assure that there will be no price hikes if the merger goes ahead, instead because of the economies of scale there will be more investment into the market resulting in more innovation and better customer experience.

If approved, M&A would change the spectrum landscape

As it stands right now, AIS has the largest amount of 5G spectrum — a total of 1,330 MHz — across low-, mid-, and high-frequency bands. In May 2022, AIS added a further 10 MHz of bandwidth on the 700 MHz spectrum from NT due to the deal with NT Telecom. With this deal, AIS will increase its bandwidth to 40 MHz from August 2022 onward, which should improve its 5G coverage.

AIS and TrueMove H deployed their initial 5G networks on the 2600 MHz spectrum, while dtac used frequencies in the 26 GHz band. All operators, except for NT, also deployed 5G in the 700 MHz spectrum band when it became available for use in early 2021, following the completion of broadcasting service migration. NT is yet to deploy 5G.

Thanks to the merger, dtac would have access to True’s mid-band spectrum, which should substantially improve its performance. Furthermore, there is another C-band spectrum auction planned in 2022 (3.4-3.7 GHz band). This should have a positive effect on the 5G download speeds as we have seen in the USA when since deployment in the C-band, Verizon’s 5G speeds have set it apart from AT&T.

However, it is common practice that operators that undergo mergers have to divest part of their spectrum as an M&A condition. For example, this was the case when Hutchison 3G acquired Orange in Austria, Hutchison 3G bought Telefonica in Ireland and Telefonica merged with E-Plus in Germany.

The benefits of scale are obvious

Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) bundling is offered by most operators in Thailand due to competitive pressures coming from TrueMove H and AIS. The merger could enable convergent offerings from dtac too, which is solely a mobile player, and would allow it to offer better service in terms of coverage and further expand its market share. According to Analysys Mason, FMC penetration will continue to increase in Thailand, and if the merger is blocked, dtac’s competitive standing will be further disadvantaged.

On the other hand, True Corporation has a portfolio of services:

TrueMove H — mobile operator, which also offers NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT).
TrueOnline — broadband internet and fixed-line. It is the largest fixed broadband provider with a 46.7% market share.
TrueVision — Pay TV, digital TV and content provider and an online game and influencer network; 3.5M subscribers.
True Digital Group — Digital media, data analytics, cybersecurity, IoT, integrated digital health, digital solutions and True Digital Academy.

The merged operator NewCo would remain at its core a telecommunication player but would extend its reach to support the digital transformation of Thailand, in line with Thailand 4.0 vision. The quoted benefits of the “amalgamation” include:

Improved 5G coverage with better network quality, reliability and speed.
More value-driven convergence or products and services thanks to access to a wider ecosystem of partners.
Utilization of consolidated infrastructure such as outlets to expand its outreach to deliver on Thailand 4.0 policy.
Greater opex and capex cost efficiencies when deploying 5G networks thanks to the benefit of scale. As a result improving the quality of telecom infrastructure and customer satisfaction.
Streamlined efficiencies will deliver better consumer experience and will enable NewCo to invest in future technologies and networks.
Positioning Thailand as a regional technology hub.

The NewCo will operate:

Telecom services and the sale and distribution of mobile devices via subsidiaries dtac, TriNet, and TrueMove H — using the 700 MHz, 850 MHz (under agreement with NT), 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2300 MHz (under agreement with NT) spectrum.
Broadband internet provider via TrueOnline.
Pay TV, digital TV, and content provider via TrueVisions.
Portfolio of digital services via True Digital Group, and new businesses through artificial intelligence, cloud technology, smart devices, smart cities, amongst others.
Venture capital investments, with the intention to raise VC funding of USD 100-200 million with partners to invest in promising digital startups.

The merged operator could provide more competition to AIS across all market segments, not only mobile. AIS Fiber, for instance, holds a 14% market share and differentiated its services with value added and bundling packages. NewCo would build on existing TrueOnline offering and could take a convergent offering to a new level, e.g. quadplay.

While we await the final decision on the merger, it is clear that dtac is falling behind its competitors when it comes to 5G performance. The recently announced National 5G Alliance aims to further promote the role of 5G in enabling digital transformation. We will monitor Thai operators’ performance and wait for the results for the upcoming mid-band spectrum auction to see whether this will close the performance gap. In the meantime, you can compare mobile performance across operators and countries using Speedtest Intelligence.

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.

About the Author

Sylwia Kechiche

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Isla McKetta | December 20, 2021

Growing and Slowing: The State of 5G Worldwide in 2021

5G continues to offer new and exciting ways of rethinking everything from streaming video to performing remote surgery. However, not everyone shares equally in these possibilities as many countries do not have access to 5G and even those that do, do not experience the same level of performance from their 5G connections. We examined Speedtest Intelligence® data from Q3 2021 Speedtest® results to see how 5G speeds have changed, where download speeds are the fastest at the country and capital level, where 5G deployments have increased and what worldwide 5G Availability looked like in Q3 2021. We also looked at countries that don’t yet have 5G to understand where consumers are seeing improvements in 4G access.

5G slowed down at the global level

Median-Speeds-Worldwide_1221-01

It’s common to see new mobile access technologies slow down as adoption scales, particularly early on in the tech cycle. Over the past year from Q3 2020 to Q3 2021, the median global 5G download speed fell to 166.13 Mbps, down from 206.22 Mbps in Q3 2020. Median upload speed over 5G also slowed to 21.08 Mbps (from 29.52 Mbps) during the same period.

More users are logging on to existing 5G networks, and we’re also at the stage in the evolution of 5G where countries that have historically had slower speeds are starting to offer 5G. In addition, the widespread use of dynamic spectrum sharing that has been used to boost early 5G coverage weighs on 5G download speeds. While the dip in speeds looks like a letdown, it’s more of a compromise to enable broader access. With additional spectrum and further deployments slated for 2022, we anticipate speeds will begin to pick up again.

South Korea had the fastest 5G in the world

ookla_5g-download_performance_countries_1221-01-1

South Korea had the fastest median download speed over 5G during Q3 2021, leading a top 10 list that included Norway, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Sweden, China, Taiwan and New Zealand. Sweden, China, Taiwan and New Zealand were new to the top 10 in 2021 while South Africa (whose 5G was brand new last year), Spain and Hungary fell out of the top 10.

5G expanded to 13 additional countries

According to the Ookla® 5G Map^™, there were 5G deployments in 112 countries as of November 30, 2021. That’s up from 99 countries on the same date a year ago. The total number of deployments increased dramatically during the same time period with 85,602 deployments on November 30, 2021 compared to 17,428 on November 30, 2020, highlighting the degree to which 5G networks scaled during the year. Note that there are often multiple deployments in a given city.

Seoul and Oslo lead world capitals for 5G

ookla_5g-download_performance_capitals_1221-01

Speedtest Intelligence data from Q3 2021 shows a wide range of median 5G speeds among global capitals. Seoul, South Korea and Oslo, Norway were in the lead with 530.83 Mbps and 513.08 Mbps, respectively; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Doha Qatar followed. Brasilia, Brazil had the slowest median download speed over 5G on our list, followed by Warsaw, Poland; Cape Town, South Africa and Rome, Italy. Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway had some of the the fastest median upload speeds over 5G at 56.26 Mbps and 49.95 Mbps, respectively, while Cape Town had the slowest at 14.53 Mbps.

The U.S. had the highest 5G Availability

The presence of 5G is only one indicator in a market, because even in markets where 5G has launched, coverage and adoption can be pretty low. We analyzed 5G Availability to see what percent of users on 5G-capable devices spent the majority of their time on 5G, both roaming and on-network during Q3 2021.

ookla_5g-availability_countries_1221-01

The United States had the highest 5G Availability at 49.2%, followed by the Netherlands (45.1%), South Korea (43.8%), Kuwait (35.5%) and Qatar (34.8%). Brazil had the lowest 5G Availability on our list at 0.8%, followed by Sweden (1.5%), South Africa (2.7%), New Zealand (2.9%) and Hungary (3.6%).

Not all 5G networks are created equal

Ookla Speedtest Intelligence data shows a growing disparity in the performance of 5G networks worldwide, even among the pioneer markets who were among the first to launch the new technology. We see leading markets such as South Korea, Norway, the UAE and China pulling well ahead of key European markets, the U.S. and Japan on 5G download speeds, creating what increasingly looks like two tiers of 5G markets.

ookla_5g-download_performance_1221-01

Part of the reason for this divergence is access to key 5G spectrum bands, with Verizon and AT&T in the U.S. for example, soon to deploy their C-band spectrum holdings for 5G use. However, what really seems to separate these markets is the level of 5G network densification. The number of people per 5G base station ranges from 319 in South Korea and 1,531 in China, to 4,224 in the EU and 6,590 in the US, according to the European 5G Observatory’s International Scoreboard during October 2021.

Despite the noise around 6G, 5G still has a long way to run

Median 5G mobile download speeds across these markets are respectable relative to the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) IMT-2020 target of 100 Mbps for user experienced download data rates. However, 5G Speedtest® results in each market demonstrate significant variability, with the bottom 10th percentile only recording speeds in excess of the IMT-2020 target in South Korea and Norway, and falling significantly short in many other markets, with Spain, Italy and the U.S. below 20 Mbps.

The story gets worse for upload speeds, where no market’s median speed broke the IMT-2020 recommended 50 Mbps, and where the bottom 10th percentile lay in single digits across the board. Operators are clearly prioritizing download speeds over upload, which makes sense given the asymmetric nature of demand, with most consumer applications requiring higher download speeds. However, as operators increasingly look to target the enterprise market with 5G connectivity and consumer demand for services such as video calling and mobile gaming continues to rise, operators will need to boost upload speeds.

ookla_5g-upload_performance_1221-01-1

Demand for mobile internet bandwidth continues to grow, up 43% year-on-year in Q3 2021 according to Ericsson’s latest mobility report. Looking ahead to 2022, operators will need to increase the capacity of their 5G networks to tackle this growing demand while driving network speeds to new heights. We’ve seen the impact the deployment of new spectrum can have on congested networks during 2021, with Reliance Jio witnessing a bump in 4G LTE performance and consumer sentiment following its acquisition of additional spectrum in India.

Where 5G still fails to reach

Speedtest Intelligence showed 70 countries in the world where more than 20% of samples were from 2G and 3G connections (combined) during Q3 2021 and met our statistical threshold to be included. These are mostly countries where 5G is still aspirational for a majority of the population. As excited as we are about the expansion of 5G, we do not want to see these countries left behind. Not only are 2G and 3G decades old, they are only sufficient for basic voice and texting, social media and navigation apps. To deliver rich media experiences or video calling, users need access to 4G or higher. Having so many consumers on 2G and 3G also prevents mobile operators from refarming that spectrum to make 4G and 5G networks more efficient.

Countries That Still Rely Heavily on 2G and 3G Connections

Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ | Q3 2021

Country	2G & 3G Samples
Central African Republic	89.9%
Palestine	84.7%
Yemen	72.4%
Turkmenistan	71.8%
Micronesia	56.3%
Madagascar	55.0%
Belarus	53.2%
Rwanda	51.7%
Kiribati	48.4%
Equatorial Guinea	47.6%
Afghanistan	44.4%
South Sudan	43.4%
Guyana	42.3%
Guinea	37.0%
Angola	36.8%
Cape Verde	35.9%
Tajikistan	35.6%
Zimbabwe	34.7%
Benin	34.4%
Togo	33.8%
Ghana	33.0%
Sierra Leone	31.7%
Antigua and Barbuda	30.2%
Vanuatu	30.1%
Lesotho	30.0%
Syria	29.6%
Moldova	29.4%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	28.9%
Mozambique	28.8%
Sudan	28.4%
Palau	28.3%
Grenada	28.1%
Tanzania	27.6%
Uganda	27.5%
Niger	27.5%
Gabon	27.5%
Haiti	27.4%
Suriname	27.4%
Tonga	27.3%
Liberia	27.0%
Namibia	26.7%
Swaziland	26.5%
The Gambia	26.3%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	26.3%
Dominica	26.3%
Somalia	26.1%
Cook Islands	26.0%
Zambia	25.9%
Barbados	25.7%
Armenia	25.5%
Algeria	25.4%
Papua New Guinea	25.2%
Jamaica	24.5%
Venezuela	24.2%
Ethiopia	24.1%
Uzbekistan	24.0%
El Salvador	23.5%
Honduras	23.1%
Nigeria	23.0%
Solomon Islands	22.8%
Caribbean Netherlands	22.7%
Botswana	22.3%
Anguilla	21.7%
Mauritania	20.6%
Saint Lucia	20.5%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	20.3%
Burundi	20.3%
Ecuador	20.2%
Ukraine	20.1%
Trinidad and Tobago	20.0%

We were pleased to see the following countries come off the list from last year, having dropped below the 20% threshold: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belize, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Iraq, Kenya, Laos, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Tunisia. While countries like Palestine, Suriname, Ethiopia, Haiti and Antigua and Barbuda are still on this list, they have improved the percentage of their samples on these outmoded technologies when compared to last year (dropping 10-15 points, respectively), 2G and 3G samples in Belarus increased 6.7 points when comparing Q3 2021 to Q3 2020.

We’re excited to see how performance levels will normalize as 5G expands to more and more countries and access improves. Keep track of how well your country is performing on Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index^™.

About the Author

Isla McKetta

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Mark Giles | June 2, 2022

Fixed Broadband Network Performance in Indonesia Falling Further Behind Regional Peers

Bahasa Indonesia

Key messages:

Fixed performance in Indonesia continues to lag behind regional peers. While Indonesian fixed broadband network performance continues to improve quarter over quarter, Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® shows that Indonesia lags behind many of its regional peers on key metrics such as median download speed and the penetration of more advanced routers supporting 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and this disparity is growing.
East and Central Java among the slowest performing Indonesian regions. Most regions of Indonesia achieve similar median download speeds. However there remain outliers: Bali was the top-performing region, and the more populous regions of East and Central Java continued to record some of the slowest performance in the market.
Faster speeds equal happier customers. Consumer sentiment towards fixed broadband providers in Indonesia, as measured by Ookla’s 5-Star Rating, tracks closely with network performance over the past year.
Competition ramps up in the Indonesian fixed broadband market. Speedtest Intelligence® sample data for Q3-Q4 2021 shows 306 ISPs active in the market. Of these, four major national network operators meet our threshold to be considered top providers (with a minimum of 3% of samples) — Telkom, First Media, MyRepublic, and Biznet. At a regional level, this list of top providers expands to ten, including CBN, MNC Play, StarNet, PT Global Media Data Prima, MTM Bali, and GlobalXtreme.
Biznet leads the market in fixed broadband network performance according to Speedtest Intelligence. Biznet is the leading operator both nationally and in many of Indonesia’s regions, achieving almost symmetrical download and upload speeds.

Singapore leads in fixed broadband network speeds in Southeast Asia

Indonesia ranks 114th on the Speedtest® Global Index^TM for median fixed download speeds, based on data for May 2022. According to Speedtest Intelligence, fixed broadband speeds in the country have increased over the past year, from a median download speed of 17.37 Mbps in March 2021 to 21.23 Mbps in March 2022. Fixed broadband upload speeds in the market have improved by a greater margin, from 4.95 Mbps in March 2021, to 9.73 Mbps in March 2022. However, as with its mobile market, and despite its improving trajectory, Indonesia’s fixed broadband performance continues to lag behind many of its regional peers.

Looking at performance across 2021 in Southeast Asian markets, Singapore and Thailand continue to maintain a sizable performance gap compared to their regional peers, with both achieving median fixed broadband download speeds in excess of 150 Mbps during Q4 2021. There was also clear separation in performance between Malaysia (75.91 Mbps), Vietnam (67.91 Mbps), and the Philippines (47.50 Mbps). Of the remaining four markets, Brunei and Laos achieved speeds of close to 30 Mbps, while Indonesia and Cambodia were the slowest fixed-line markets, recording median download speeds of 20.08 Mbps and 18.89 Mbps respectively.

median fixed broadband download speeds in ASEAN markets

We used data from Speedtest Intelligence to evaluate fixed broadband performance in Indonesia during Q3-Q4 2021. Our analysis examines fixed broadband speeds at the country and provider-level. We also examine Wi-Fi performance as a subset of total fixed broadband samples in order to assess the speed delivered to end-user devices and look at the share of samples that utilize routers that support 5 GHz over Wi-Fi.

Operators worldwide are increasingly offering home networking solutions in order to help improve Wi-Fi speeds and coverage within the home. In Indonesia, First Media, Biznet, and MyRepublic offer mesh networking solutions, while some ISPs also offer the option to upgrade to routers that support the 5 GHz band. This offers greater channel bandwidth and typically lower interference than Wi-Fi over the 2.4 GHz band, allowing for improved performance for high bandwidth activities such as gaming and streaming high definition video content.

Looking at the distribution of fixed Wi-Fi Speedtest samples run over 2.4 GHz versus 5 GHz Wi-Fi connections, regional leaders Singapore and Thailand are joined by Malaysia as the only markets on this list with a majority of samples recorded using 5 GHz. Indonesia again came last with 5 GHz connections accounting for only 22% of samples.

wi-fi band distribution in ASEAN markets

Biznet leading in Indonesia nationwide fixed broadband download speed

Our statistical methodology sets a minimum threshold of 3% of samples for an operator to be considered a top provider and part of our analysis. Using this methodology, Biznet was the fastest fixed broadband operator for both median download and upload speeds in Q3-Q4 2021, followed by My Republic. Biznet attained almost symmetrical results of 40.85 Mbps download and 39.29 Mbps upload, with My Republic achieving 34.27 Mbps download 21.93 Mbps upload. As of May 2022, Biznet’s fiber optic network extends to a total of more than 64,000 km, with its access network currently passing over 1.46 million households. In a bid to compete more aggressively with Telkom’s IndiHome service, Biznet launched an IPTV service in February 2020. The remaining two national ISPs, Telkom and First Media, lagged behind, achieving median download speeds of 18.91 Mbps and 16.54 Mbps respectively.

indonesian median fixed broadband speeds

Looking at the split of samples from 2.4 GHz versus 5 GHz Wi-Fi connections shows some divergence between the market leaders, Biznet and MyRepublic and First Media and Telkom. However, all four fixed broadband operators recorded in excess of 70% of tests using 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connections. If we look at Wi-Fi performance in Indonesia as a subset of total fixed broadband samples, then a similar picture emerges, with Biznet and My Republic outperforming both Telkom and First Media.

indonesian median wi-fi broadband speeds

wi-fi band distribution in indonesia

Consumer sentiment tracks network performance

There is a clear positive correlation between fixed network performance and consumer sentiment within the Indonesian fixed broadband market. Based on the mean of Speedtest 5-Star Ratings in the market, Biznet was the top-rated fixed operator in Q3-Q4 2021 with a score of 3.9, while First Media placed last with a score of 2.8.

consumer sentiment (ranking) for top isps in indonesia

Regional disparities in fixed broadband download speeds over Wi-Fi persist

Despite the Indonesian Broadband Plan’s goal to improve speeds across Indonesia, some regional disparities in median download and upload speeds persist. For a broad section of Indonesia’s regions, download speeds show little variation, ranging between 16 Mbps and 20 Mbps. There are however outliers. Tourist hotspot Bali, which has also emerged as a popular destination for digital nomad workers, and the Indonesian capital Jakarta occupied the top two positions nationally during Q3-Q4 2021, with download speeds of 22.77 Mbps and 21.92 Mbps respectively.

At the other end of the scale, two of the country’s most populous regions, East and Central Java, scored some of the lowest median download speeds at 15.34 Mbps and 15.17 Mbps, respectively. Upload speeds across the market show much more variation, ranging from a high of 17.47 Mbps in Bali, to a low of 3.97 Mbps in Bengkulu.

median wi-fi broadband speeds by region in indonesia

Biznet leading in Jakarta Region for Wi-Fi download speeds

Biznet was the fastest fixed provider in the Indonesian capital Jakarta during Q3-Q4 2021, recording near symmetrical speeds for median download (42.59 Mbps) and upload (41.22 Mbps). It was followed by MyRepublic, with a download speed of 32.47 Mbps and upload of 25.46 Mbps, and CBN which also achieved symmetrical speeds at about 28 Mbps. Wi-Fi performance for the remaining three providers, First Media, Telkom, and MNC Play lagged behind, with First Media and Telkom recording upload speeds well below the competition, both below 10 Mbps.

median wi-fi broadband speeds in jakarta

One in three Speedtest samples for provider CBN utilized 5 GHz Wi-Fi, the largest share of any operator in Jakarta. Biznet, MyRepublic and First Media followed, while Telkom and MNC Play showed the lowest share of samples using 5 GHz Wi-Fi.

wi-fi band distribution in jakarta

MyRepublic leading in Banten Region fixed broadband download speed over Wi-Fi

In Banten, the westernmost province of the island of Java, Biznet was the fastest provider over Wi-Fi. Biznet has extended its reach in this region, and obtained sufficient samples (in excess of 3% of the market) to be included as a top provider in our analysis of Banten. Biznet recorded a median download speed of 42.73 Mbps and upload of 41.32 Mbps.

median wi-fi broadband speeds in banten

Biznet also led the region for use of 5 GHz Wi-Fi, at 29% of samples. MyRepublic followed with a download speed of 37.60 Mbps and upload of 23.84 Mbps, setting it apart from both Telkom and First Media.

wi-fi band distribution in banten

Biznet leading in West Java Region fixed broadband download speed over Wi-Fi

As the most populous region in Indonesia, West Java saw more providers meet the minimum statistical threshold to be included in our analysis. Biznet was once again the fastest provider over Wi-Fi, albeit with slower speeds than in its other coverage regions, at 36.18 Mbps for median download and 35.76 Mbps for upload speed. MyRepublic was the second placed operator for download speeds, recording 29.57 Mbps, followed by Telkom, StarNet, and First Media.

median wi-fi broadband speeds in west java

Providers in West Java generally recorded slower speeds than in other regions, and the distribution of Wi-Fi samples between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz also skewed further towards 2.4 GHz than elsewhere, with First Media, Telkom, and StarNet all recording approximately 85% of samples over 2.4 GHz.

wi-fi band distribution in west java

MyRepublic leading in Central Java Region Wi-Fi fixed broadband download speed

In Central Java, in contrast to most other Indonesian regions, MyRepublic outperformed Biznet on median Wi-Fi download speeds, recording 29.11 Mbps during Q3-Q4 2021. Biznet followed with 25.85 Mbps, but also recorded the fastest upload speed of 18.95 Mbps. Telkom followed with a download speed of 16.39 Mbps, while PT Global Media Data Prima lagged behind the rest of the region with a median download speed of 3.81 Mbps. It also recorded the lowest proportion of Wi-Fi samples using 5 GHz, at only 5%.

median wi-fi broadband speeds in central java

Biznet leading in East Java Region for Wi-Fi fixed broadband download speed

East Java saw a return to form for Biznet as the fastest performing provider over Wi-Fi, with a median download speed of 33.11 Mbps and upload speed 29.34 Mbps. It was closely followed in terms of download speeds by MyRepublic with 27.75 Mbps. Telkom and First Media came next with download speeds of 15.68 Mbps and 14.39 Mbps respectively, while their upload speeds lagged far behind their rivals.

median wi-fi broadband speeds in east java

Wi-Fi distribution showed a similar story, with Telkom and First Media scoring the lowest share of samples over 5 GHz, at 16% and 14%, respectively.

MTM Bali leading in Bali Region fixed broadband download speed over Wi-Fi

Bali was the most competitive region in this analysis in terms of top speeds among providers, with three providers all recording similar median download and upload speeds of close to 40 Mbps. We could not declare a statistical winner based on median Wi-Fi download speeds, with both MTM Bali and GlobalXtreme’s download speeds in the same range, although GlobalXtreme’s upload speeds were demonstrably faster.

median wi-fi broadband speeds in bali

GlobalXtreme also recorded the highest share of 5 GHz Wi-Fi samples, at 35% of total, far outpacing the competition, with the remaining operators achieving 20% or less.

wi-fi band distribution in Bali

Indonesian fixed broadband outlook

Fixed broadband penetration among Indonesian households remains low, at below 20% according to most estimates. Mobile internet remains the dominant access technology in the market, but the move to working and studying at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has driven more households to subscribe to fixed broadband services. Competition is ramping up in the market, with smaller players such as Biznet and MyRepublic actively rolling out networks and targeting gains from Telkom, which still maintains a majority market share of broadband connections. The recent news that Axiata Group and its Indonesian subsidiary XL Axiata have signed a non-binding agreement to acquire a majority share of Indonesian broadband provider LinkNet is further evidence that providers see strong opportunity for growth. We expect this will help accelerate network rollout and the provision of more sophisticated bundled broadband services in the market, which in turn will help drive up Indonesian fixed broadband speeds, particularly in the densely populated regions covered in this report.

Performa Jaringan Fixed Broadband di Indonesia Semakin Tertinggal dari Rekan-rekannya di Satu Kawasan

Pesan utama:

Performa jaringan fixed di Indonesia terus tertinggal dari rekan-rekannya di satu kawasan. Meskipun performa jaringan fixed broadband di Indonesia terus meningkat dari kuartal ke kuartal, Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® menunjukkan bahwa Indonesia tertinggal dari banyak rekannya di satu kawasan pada metrik utama seperti median kecepatan unduh dan penetrasi router yang lebih canggih yang mendukung Wi-Fi 5 GHz, dan perbedaan ini semakin besar.
Jawa Timur dan Jawa Tengah termasuk wilayah di Indonesia yang paling lambat performanya. Sebagian besar wilayah di Indonesia mencapai median kecepatan unduh yang sama. Namun masih ada beberapa pencilan (outlier): Bali adalah wilayah dengan performa terbaik, dan wilayah-wilayah di Jawa Timur dan Jawa Tengah yang penduduknya lebih padat terus mengalami performa yang paling lambat di pasar.
Dengan kecepatan yang lebih tinggi, pelanggan pun lebih bahagia. Sentimen konsumen terhadap penyedia jaringan fixed broadband di Indonesia, yang diukur dengan Peringkat Bintang 5 Ookla, berkaitan erat dengan performa jaringan selama setahun terakhir.
Persaingan kian sengit di pasar jaringan fixed broadband Indonesia. Data sampel Speedtest Intelligence® untuk K3-K4 2021 menunjukkan 306 ISP aktif di pasar. Dari jumlah tersebut, empat operator jaringan nasional utama memenuhi ambang batas kami untuk dianggap sebagai penyedia teratas (dengan minimal 3% sampel) – Telkom, First Media, MyRepublic, dan Biznet. Di tingkat regional, daftar penyedia teratas ini berkembang menjadi sepuluh, termasuk CBN, MNC Play, StarNet, PT Global Media Data Prima, MTM Bali, dan GlobalXtreme.
Biznet memimpin pasar dalam performa jaringan fixed broadband menurut Speedtest Intelligence. Biznet merupakan operator terkemuka, baik secara nasional maupun di banyak wilayah di Indonesia, dengan kecepatan unduh dan unggahnya yang hampir simetris.

Singapura memimpin dalam kecepatan jaringan fixed broadband di Asia Tenggara

Indonesia menempati peringkat ke-114 pada Speedtest® Global Index^TM untuk median kecepatan unduh tetap (fixed download), berdasarkan data Mei 2022. Menurut Speedtest Intelligence, kecepatan fixed broadband di negara ini telah meningkat selama setahun terakhir, dari median kecepatan unduh 17,37 Mbps pada Maret 2021 menjadi 21,23 Mbps pada Maret 2022. Kecepatan unggah fixed broadband di pasar telah meningkat dengan margin yang lebih besar, dari 4,95 Mbps pada Maret 2021, menjadi 9,73 Mbps pada Maret 2022. Namun, sebagaimana pasar selulernya, dan meskipun lintasannya membaik, performa fixed broadband Indonesia terus tertinggal dari banyak rekannya di satu kawasan

Mengamati performa selama tahun 2021 di pasar Asia Tenggara, kesenjangan performa yang cukup besar terus terjadi antara Singapura dan Thailand dibandingkan dengan rekan-rekan keduanya di satu kawasan, di mana keduanya mencapai median kecepatan unduh tetap (fixed download) lebih dari 150 Mbps selama K4 2021. Juga terjadi perbedaan performa antara Malaysia (75,91 Mbps), Vietnam (67,91 Mbps), dan Filipina (47,50 Mbps). Dari keempat pasar yang tersisa, Brunei dan Laos kecepatannya nyaris 30 Mbps, sementara Indonesia dan Kamboja menjadi pasar fixed-line yang paling lambat, dengan median kecepatan unduh masing-masing 20,08 Mbps dan 18,89 Mbps.

Kami menggunakan data dari Speedtest Intelligence untuk mengevaluasi performa fixed broadband di Indonesia selama K3-K4 2021. Analisis kami memeriksa kecepatan fixed broadband di tingkat negara dan penyedia. Kami juga memeriksa performa Wi-Fi sebagai subset dari total sampel fixed broadband untuk menilai kecepatan yang dikirimkan ke perangkat pengguna akhir dan melihat pangsa sampel yang menggunakan router yang mendukung 5 GHz melalui Wi-Fi.

Semakin banyak operator di seluruh dunia yang menawarkan solusi jaringan rumah untuk membantu meningkatkan kecepatan dan jangkauan Wi-Fi di dalam rumah. Di Indonesia, First Media, Biznet, dan MyRepublic menawarkan solusi jaringan mesh, sedangkan beberapa ISP juga menawarkan opsi untuk melakukan upgrade ke router yang mendukung jalur (band) 5 GHz. Dengan jalur ini, bandwidth saluran yang dihasilkan menjadi lebih besar dan gangguan yang ditimbulkan pun biasanya lebih rendah daripada Wi-Fi di jalur (band) 2,4 GHz, yang memungkinkan peningkatan performa untuk aktivitas bandwidth tinggi seperti bermain game dan streaming konten video definisi tinggi.

Mencermati distribusi sampel Speedtest untuk fixed Wi-Fi yang berjalan pada koneksi Wi-Fi 2,4 GHz versus koneksi Wi-Fi 5 GHz, pemimpin di kawasan ini, Singapura dan Thailand, berikut Malaysia, menjadi satu-satunya pasar di daftar ini yang mayoritas sampelnya tercatat menggunakan 5 GHz. Indonesia kembali berada di urutan terakhir dengan koneksi 5 GHz yang hanya menyumbang 22% sampel.

Biznet memimpin di Indonesia secara nasional pada kecepatan unduh fixed broadband

Metodologi statistik kami menetapkan ambang batas minimal 3% sampel bagi operator agar dapat dipertimbangkan sebagai penyedia teratas dan bagian dari analisis kami. Dengan menggunakan metodologi ini, Biznet menjadi operator fixed broadband tercepat untuk median kecepatan unduh dan unggah selama K3-K4 2021, disusul oleh My Republic. Biznet meraih hasil yang hampir simetris dari kecepatan unduh 40,85 Mbps dan kecepatan unggah 39,29 Mbps, sedangkan My Republic mencapai kecepatan unduh 34,27 Mbps dan kecepatan unggah 21,93 Mbps. Hingga Mei 2022, jaringan fiber optik Biznet meluas hingga mencapai total lebih dari 64.000 km, dengan jaringan aksesnya saat ini yang mencakup lebih dari 1,46 juta rumah tangga. Untuk bersaing lebih agresif dengan layanan IndiHome Telkom, Biznet meluncurkan layanan IPTV pada Februari 2020. Dua ISP nasional lainnya, Telkom dan First Media, tertinggal, yang masing-masing mencapai median kecepatan unduh 18,91 Mbps dan 16,54 Mbps.

Mencermati pemisahan sampel dari koneksi Wi-Fi 2,4 GHz versus koneksi Wi-Fi 5 GHz, terlihat adanya perbedaan antarpemimpin pasar, antara Biznet dan MyRepublic serta First Media dan Telkom. Namun, keempat operator fixed broadband tersebut mencatat lebih dari 70% tes menggunakan koneksi Wi-Fi 2,4 GHz. Jika kita mengamati performa Wi-Fi di Indonesia sebagai bagian dari total sampel fixed broadband, maka muncul gambar serupa, di mana Biznet dan My Republic mengungguli Telkom dan First Media.

Sentimen konsumen mengikuti jejak performa jaringan

Ada korelasi positif yang jelas antara performa jaringan tetap (fixed) dan sentimen konsumen di pasar fixed broadband Indonesia. Berdasarkan rata-rata (mean) Peringkat Bintang 5 Speedtest di pasar, Biznet menjadi operator tetap (fixed) dengan peringkat teratas di K3-K4 2021 dan skor 3,9, sedangkan First Media menempati posisi terakhir dengan skor 2,8.

Kesenjangan di tingkat regional dalam hal kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi tetap terjadi

Terlepas dari tujuan Rencana Broadband Indonesia untuk meningkatkan kecepatan di seluruh Indonesia, tetap terjadi sejumlah kesenjangan di tingkat regional dalam hal median kecepatan unduh dan unggah. Bagi sebagian besar wilayah di Indonesia, kecepatan unduh menunjukkan adanya sedikit variasi, berkisar antara 16 Mbps dan 20 Mbps. Namun terdapat beberapa pencilan (outlier). Bali, sebagai hotspot wisata dan berkembang menjadi tujuan populer bagi pekerja nomaden digital, dan Jakarta, sebagai ibukota Indonesia, menempati dua posisi teratas secara nasional selama K3-K4 2021, dengan kecepatan unduh masing-masing 22,77 Mbps dan 21,92 Mbps.

Sementara itu, dua wilayah terpadat di negeri ini, Jawa Timur dan Tengah, menghasilkan median kecepatan unduh terendah, masing-masing 15,34 Mbps dan 15,17 Mbps. Kecepatan unggah di seluruh pasar menunjukkan variasi yang lebih banyak, mulai dari tertinggi 17,47 Mbps di Bali, hingga terendah 3,97 Mbps di Bengkulu.

Biznet memimpin di wilayah Jakarta dalam kecepatan unduh Wi-Fi

Biznet adalah penyedia broadband fixed tercepat di Jakarta, ibukota Indonesia, selama K3-K4 2021, dengan kecepatan yang hampir simetris untuk median unduh (42,59 Mbps) dan unggah (41,22 Mbps). Disusul oleh MyRepublic, dengan kecepatan unduh 32,47 Mbps dan unggah 25,46 Mbps, serta CBN yang juga mencapai kecepatan simetris sekitar 28 Mbps. Performa Wi-Fi untuk tiga provider lainnya, First Media, Telkom, dan MNC Play justru tertinggal, di mana First Media dan Telkom mencapai kecepatan unggah jauh di bawah pesaing, keduanya kurang dari 10 Mbps.

Satu dari tiga sampel Speedtest untuk penyedia CBN menggunakan Wi-Fi 5 GHz, yang terbesar di antara seluruh operator di Jakarta. Biznet, MyRepublic, dan First Media menyusul, sementara Telkom dan MNC Play menunjukkan sampel terendah dengan menggunakan Wi-Fi 5 GHz.

MyRepublic memimpin di wilayah Banten dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Di Banten, provinsi paling barat di Pulau Jawa, Biznet menjadi penyedia tercepat melalui Wi-Fi. Biznet telah memperluas jangkauannya di wilayah ini, dan memperoleh sampel yang cukup (lebih dari 3% dari pasar) untuk dimasukkan sebagai penyedia teratas dalam analisis kami di Banten. Biznet mencatat median kecepatan unduh 42,73 Mbps dan unggah 41,32 Mbps.

Biznet juga memimpin di wilayah tersebut dalam penggunaan Wi-Fi 5 GHz, pada 29% sampel. MyRepublic mengekor dengan kecepatan unduh 37,60 Mbps dan unggah 23,84 Mbps, sehingga tampak berbeda dari Telkom dan First Media.

Biznet memimpin di wilayah Jawa Barat dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Sebagai wilayah terpadat di Indonesia, Jawa Barat memiliki lebih banyak penyedia yang memenuhi ambang batas statistik minimal untuk dimasukkan dalam analisis kami. Biznet sekali lagi menjadi penyedia tercepat yang menggunakan Wi-Fi, meskipun dengan kecepatan yang lebih lambat daripada di wilayah cakupan lainnya, pada 36,18 Mbps untuk median unduh dan 35,76 Mbps untuk kecepatan unggah. MyRepublic menjadi operator di urutan kedua untuk kecepatan unduh, mencatat 29,57 Mbps, diikuti oleh Telkom, StarNet, dan First Media.

Para penyedia jaringan di Jawa Barat umumnya meraih kecepatan yang lebih lambat daripada di daerah lain, dan distribusi sampel Wi-Fi antara 2,4 GHz dan 5 GHz juga condong lebih jauh ke arah 2,4 GHz daripada di tempat lain, di mana First Media, Telkom, dan StarNet semuanya merekam sekitar 85% sampel pada 2,4 GHz.

MyRepublic memimpin di wilayah Jawa Tengah dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Di Jawa Tengah, berbedar dari sebagian besar wilayah Indonesia lainnya, MyRepublic mengungguli Biznet pada median kecepatan unduh Wi-Fi, mencapai 29,11 Mbps selama K3-K4 2021. Biznet menyusul dengan kecepatan unggah 25,85 Mbps, namun sekaligus mencatat kecepatan unggah tercepat 18,95 Mbps. Telkom menyusul dengan kecepatan unduh 16,39 Mbps, sedangkan PT Global Media Data Prima jauh tertinggal dari wilayah lainnya dengan median kecepatan unduh 3,81 Mbps. Penyedia ini juga mencatat proporsi terendah sampel Wi-Fi menggunakan 5 GHz, hanya 5%.

Biznet memimpin di wilayah Jawa Timur dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Jawa Timur kembali hadir untuk Biznet sebagai penyedia dengan performa tercepat melalui Wi-Fi, dengan median kecepatan unduh 33,11 Mbps dan kecepatan unggah 29,34 Mbps. Selanjutnya diikuti oleh MyRepublic dalam hal kecepatan unduh dengan 27,75 Mbps. Telkom dan First Media berada di urutan berikutnya dengan kecepatan unduh masing-masing 15,68 Mbps dan 14,39 Mbps, sementara kecepatan unggah mereka tertinggal jauh di belakang saingan-saingan mereka.

Distribusi Wi-Fi menunjukkan hal yang senada, di mana Telkom dan First Media mencetak persentase sampel terendah pada 5 GHz, masing-masing sebesar 16% dan 14%.

MTM Bali memimpin di wilayah Bali dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Bali merupakan wilayah yang paling kompetitif pada analisis ini dalam hal kecepatan tertinggi di antara para penyedia, dengan tiga penyedia semuanya merekam median kecepatan unduh dan unggah serupa yang mendekati 40 Mbps. Kami tidak dapat menyatakan pemenang statistik berdasarkan median kecepatan unduh Wi-Fi, dengan kecepatan unduh MTM Bali dan GlobalXtreme dalam kisaran yang sama, meskipun kecepatan unggah GlobalXtreme terbukti lebih cepat.

GlobalXtreme juga mencatat persentase tertinggi dari sampel Wi-Fi 5 GHz, pada 35% dari total, jauh melampaui persaingan, dengan para operator yang lain mencapai 20% atau kurang.

Prospek fixed broadband di Indonesia

Penetrasi fixed broadband dalam lingkup rumah tangga di Indonesia tetap rendah, di bawah 20% menurut sebagian besar perkiraan. Internet seluler tetap menjadi teknologi akses yang dominan di pasar, tetapi peralihan ke opsi bekerja dan belajar di rumah sebagai akibat dari pandemi COVID-19 telah mendorong lebih banyak rumah tangga untuk berlangganan layanan fixed broadband. Persaingan semakin meningkat di pasar, di mana para pemain yang lebih kecil seperti Biznet dan MyRepublic aktif meluncurkan jaringan dan menargetkan keuntungan dari Telkom, yang masih mempertahankan pangsa pasar mayoritas koneksi broadband. Berita yang muncul baru-baru ini yang menyatakan bahwa Axiata Group dan anak perusahaannya di Indonesia, XL Axiata, telah menandatangani perjanjian yang tidak mengikat untuk mengakuisisi mayoritas saham penyedia broadband Indonesia, LinkNet, menjadi bukti lebih lanjut bahwa para penyedia melihat adanya peluang besar untuk pertumbuhan. Kami berharap hal ini akan membantu mempercepat peluncuran jaringan dan penyediaan layanan broadband bundel yang lebih canggih di pasar, yang pada gilirannya akan membantu meningkatkan kecepatan fixed broadband Indonesia, terutama di wilayah-wilayah padat penduduk yang diulas pada laporan ini.

About the Author

Mark Giles

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Isla McKetta | December 18, 2022

Stable and Expanding: The State of Worldwide 5G in 2022

5G is no longer a new technology, however, consumers in many countries are still waiting to see the full benefits of 5G (or even to connect to 5G at all). We examined Speedtest Intelligence® data from Q3 2022 Speedtest® results to see how 5G performance has changed since last year, where download speeds are the fastest at the country level, and how satellite technologies are offering additional options to connect. We also looked at countries that don’t yet have 5G to understand where consumers are seeing improvements in 4G LTE access.

5G speeds were stable at the global level

In 2021, we discussed how an expansion of 5G access led to a decline in overall speed at the global level. This year showed a stabilization in overall speed, even as 5G access broadened, with a median global 5G download speed of 168.27 Mbps in Q3 2022 as compared to 166.13 Mbps in Q3 2021. Median upload speed over 5G slowed slightly to 18.71 Mbps (from 21.08 Mbps) during the same period. According to the Ookla® 5G Map™, there were 127,509 5G deployments in 128 countries as of November 30, 2022, compared to 85,602 in 112 countries the year prior.

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates led countries for 5G speeds

South Korea and the U.A.E. had the fastest median download speed over 5G at 516.15 Mbps and 511.70 Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2022, leading a top 10 list that included Bulgaria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Kuwait, New Zealand, Bahrain, and Brazil. Bulgaria, Singapore, Bahrain, and Brazil were new to the top 10 in 2022, while Norway, Sweden, China, and Taiwan fell out of the top 10.

Satellite became more accessible but performance slowed

2022 saw a proliferation of fast, low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet from Starlink across the world. Q1 2022 saw Starlink speeds increase year over year in Canada and the U.S., with Starlink in Mexico having the fastest satellite internet in North America, Starlink in Lithuania the fastest in Europe, Starlink in Chile the fastest in South America, and Starlink in Australia the fastest in Oceania.

Q2 2022 saw Starlink speeds decrease in Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. from Q1 2022 as Starlink crossed the 400,000 user threshold across the world. Starlink in Puerto Rico debuted as the fastest satellite provider in North America. Starlink outperformed fixed broadband averages in 16 European countries. Starlink in Brazil had the fastest satellite speeds in South America. And Starlink in New Zealand was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania.

During Q3 2022, Starlink performance dipped once again from Q2 2022 in Canada and the U.S., while remaining about the same in Chile. Starlink in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands had the fastest satellite speeds in North America, while Starlink in Brazil again was the fastest satellite provider in South America.

With Viasat, HughesNet, and Project Kuiper set to launch huge LEO constellations in 2023, consumers around the world are poised to have more fast satellite internet options, particularly as the European Commission makes its own play for a constellation and Eutelsat and OneWeb potentially merging.

5G Availability points to on-going challenges

5G Availability measures the proportion of Speedtest users with 5G-capable handsets, who spend a majority of time connected to 5G networks. It’s therefore a function of 5G coverage and adoption. We see wide disparity in 5G Availability among markets worldwide, with for example the U.S. recording 54.3% in Q3 2022, well ahead of markets such as Sweden and the U.A.E., with 8.6% and 8.3% respectively.

Critical levers for mobile operators to increase 5G Availability include:

Increasing 5G coverage by deploying additional base stations
Obtaining access to, or refarming, sub-GHz spectrum, to help broaden 5G coverage, as sub-GHz spectrum has superior propagation properties than that of higher frequency spectrum bands.
Encouraging 5G adoption among users with 5G-capable handsets.

Speedtest Intelligence points to 5G adoption challenges in some markets, with 5G Availability dropping in Bulgaria, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the U.A.E. As more users acquire 5G-capable devices, operators need to balance their pricing models to ensure users have sufficient incentives to purchase a 5G tariff.

Where 5G continues to fail to reach

Speedtest Intelligence showed 29 countries in the world where more than 20% of samples were from 2G and 3G connections (combined) during Q3 2022 and met our statistical threshold to be included (down from 70 in Q3 2021). These are mostly countries where 5G is still aspirational for a majority of the population, which is being left behind technologically, having to rely on decades-old technologies that are only sufficient for basic voice and texting, social media, and navigation apps. We’re glad to see so many countries fall off this list, but having so many consumers on 2G and 3G also prevents mobile operators from making 4G and 5G networks more efficient. If operators and regulators are able to work to upgrade their users to 4G and higher, everyone will benefit.

Countries That Still Rely Heavily on 2G and 3G Connections

Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ | Q3 2021

Country	2G & 3G Samples
Central African Republic	76.2%
Turkmenistan	58.5%
Kiribati	51.6%
Micronesia	47.4%
Rwanda	41.1%
Belarus	39.7%
Equatorial Guinea	37.7%
Afghanistan	36.7%
Palestine	33.5%
Madagascar	27.5%
Sudan	27.4%
Lesotho	26.5%
South Sudan	26.3%
Benin	26.0%
Guinea	25.5%
Cape Verde	24.3%
Tonga	24.3%
Syria	23.4%
The Gambia	23.4%
Ghana	23.3%
Palau	22.9%
Niger	22.8%
Tajikistan	22.7%
Mozambique	22.4%
Guyana	21.8%
Togo	21.8%
Congo	21.1%
Moldova	20.8%
Saint Kitts and Nevis	20.0%

We were pleased to see the following countries come off the list from last year, having dropped below the 20% threshold: Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burundi, Caribbean Netherlands, Cook Islands, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. While countries like Belarus, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guyana, Madagascar, Palestine, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo, and Turkmenistan are still on this list, they have improved the percentage of their samples on these outmoded technologies when compared to last year by at least 10 points. Palestine improved by more than 50 points. 2G and 3G samples in Kiribati increased 3.2 points when comparing Q3 2022 to Q3 2021.

We’re glad to see performance levels normalize as 5G expands to more and more countries and access improves and we are optimistic that 2023 will bring further improvements. Keep track of how well your country is performing on Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index™ or track performance in thousands of cities worldwide with the Speedtest Performance Directory™.

About the Author

Isla McKetta

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Affandy Johan | July 24, 2023

5G in Asia Pacific: Deployment Momentum Continues

The Asia Pacific region has successfully implemented 5G technology despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, global economy, and geopolitical climate. South Korea, China, and Japan have led the way in 5G network deployment. With the continued rollout of 5G networks in other regional markets, Asia Pacific is on track to become the largest 5G market globally.

Key messages

Advanced Asia Pacific markets have taken the lead in the 5G rollout. Countries such as South Korea, Australia, and China, were among the first in the world to launch commercial 5G networks as more markets joined the ranks.
5G performance outranks Europe. Early adopters in the Asia Pacific region have outperformed major European markets in terms of 5G performance. This is mainly due to factors like early spectrum availability and supportive government policies.
5G Availability varies. The region experiences varying levels of 5G Availability and adoption due to factors like population density, device affordability, and tariffs.
Seoul and Kuala Lumpur are the top cities for 5G performance, boasting median download speeds of 533.95 Mbps and 523.44 Mbps, respectively.
5G helps to narrow the digital divide. 5G FWA is a viable alternative to traditional fixed broadband to narrow down the digital divide in the region

South Korea sets the pace as 5G networks expand across the region

Many of the more advanced markets in the Asia Pacific have been the frontrunners in terms of 5G rollout. South Korea was the first market in the world to deploy a nationwide 5G network in April 2019, followed by Australia, the Philippines, China, and New Zealand later that year. As predicted by GSMA Intelligence, the recent second wave of 5G rollouts in the region in countries such as Indonesia, India, and Malaysia will see Asia Pacific becoming one of the largest 5G markets in the world by 2025.

Allocation of spectrum resources is crucial

In our recent spectrum analysis, we discussed how important spectrum is for the performance and coverage of 5G. In general, regulators in the Asia Pacific region have been quick to allocate spectrum for 5G applications, and in many cases, operators have been able to secure substantial bandwidth in the key C-band.

The mid-band spectrum is the most frequently awarded spectrum band in the Asia Pacific region. It is the top choice for commercial 5G deployment because it balances 5G coverage and capacity. In some markets, 5G deployment uses low-band (sub 1 GHz) frequencies, allowing for wider outdoor 5G coverage and better penetration inside buildings in urban and suburban areas. However, this may come at the expense of the median download speed, which typically peaks at around 100 Mbps.

For some markets, 5G spectrum awards are subject to strict milestones and requirements. Operators in South Korea were required to have 22,500 base stations by the end of 2021, 45,000 by the end of 2023, and 150,000 base stations upon completion of their 3.5 GHz spectrum rollout. Additionally, within three years, there were required to install 15,000 base stations utilizing 28 GHz. However, a review by South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) found that all mobile operators met the minimum requirements for the 3.5GHz spectrum but not the 28GHz spectrum. Consequently, the ministry has withdrawn all operators’ spectrum licenses in the 28GHz band. In our recent mmWave analysis, we thoroughly covered the performance and progress inherent in that spectrum band.

Asia Pacific outpaced major European markets in terms of 5G performance

While Europe and the Asia Pacific markets share similarities such as large cultural diversity, customers with varying demographics, and mixed regulations and policies, our recent analysis of European 5G performance revealed that early 5G adopters in the Asia Pacific region performed better than some major European markets.

According to Speedtest Intelligence® H1 2023 data, several markets in the Asia Pacific region had faster median download performance compared to the top five European economies. Malaysia and South Korea led the pack with speeds of over 500 Mbps, with Malaysia reporting a median download performance of 512.10 Mbps, and South Korea at 503.99 Mbps – an impressive accomplishment for Malaysia, which launched 5G 3.5 years after South Korea and has caught up to them in performance. Both countries have notable differences in terms of their telecommunications landscapes. The Malaysian government went with a nationwide single wholesale network (SWN) approach as its 5G deployment plan. Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) was established in 2021 to construct and operate the 5G network infrastructure and provide 5G services to mobile network operators at wholesale prices. South Korea has long been at the forefront of mobile technology and boasts one of the highest internet penetration rates globally. As a result of its early commitment to 5G development, South Korea became the first market in the world to launch a commercial 5G network.

During the same period, Singapore, India, New Zealand, China, and Australia achieved a median 5G download speed exceeding 200 Mbps. In comparison, only France recorded speeds above 200 Mbps among the European countries mentioned, while Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, and Spain, recorded median download speeds below 150 Mbps.

5G Availability and adoption vary across the region

5G Availability (the percentage of users on 5G-capable devices that spend most of the time with access to 5G networks) varied widely across the Asia Pacific region during H1 2023. Factors such as access to low-band spectrum and affordability and availability of 5G devices influence each market’s reported 5G Availability. Analysis based on data from Speedtest Intelligence shows that Hong Kong stands out as the only country analyzed to have surpassed 40% 5G Availability, reaching 42.3% in H1 2023. Part of the reason is the city’s high population density, 5G coverage that reaches over 90% of the population, and a high 5G smartphone penetration rate, which Counterpoint Research reported as 78% in Q1 of 2023.

Despite Australia being 78 times larger than South Korea, and being one of the least densely populated countries, both countries reported similar 5G Availability rates, at around 36.6%. Counterpoint Research reported a 5G smartphone penetration rate of more than 80% for both countries, with South Korea at 88% and Australia at 82%. Across the European markets, France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K. ranged between 20%-30%. Similarly, Thailand also falls within this range at 26.8%.

Based on Q2 2023 data from GSMA Intelligence, South Korea, China, and Japan led in 5G adoption, measured as the percentage of 5G connections compared to total connections, higher than the selected European markets looked at in this report. South Korea had a total of 31.3 million 5G connections, which accounted for more than 48% of all mobile connections in the country, while China boasts over 700 million 5G connections, equivalent to 41% of connections. Other early adopters of 5G in the region, such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Australia, have all seen a considerable rise in their total 5G connections from the previous year. Japan experienced a 76% increase of 5G connections between Q2 2022 to Q2 2023, to 60.8 million connections. Hong Kong increased by 65% to 4.8 million, and Australia had 8.8 million connections, up by almost 40% during the same period of time.

Seoul and Kuala Lumpur are the top cities in the Asia Pacific region for 5G speeds.

Given that both Malaysia and South Korea are ahead in 5G performance among their peers, it is unsurprising that their capital cities came first as well in the ranking of selected cities. In H1 2023, Seoul had a median download speed of 533.95 Mbps, while Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, reported a median download speed of 523.44 Mbps. Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), Malaysia’s designated 5G wholesale provider, reported 90% 5G coverage of populated areas (COPA) throughout Kuala Lumpur at the end of 2022.

Despite being one of the latest markets to launch 5G, the Indian cities of Delhi and Mumbai performed well in the cities’ speeds ranking. Both cities reported median download speeds of over 300 Mbps in H1 2023, with Delhi at 357.43 Mbps and Mumbai at 319.45 Mbps. While Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, and Delhi have shown 5G performance comparable to or even exceeding those of well-established 5G markets in the region, their 5G networks are still relatively new. As a result, these cities have lower 5G Availability than others as anticipated.

Metro Manila, with one-third of the population of the Philippines, had the lowest median download speed among all the cities in this report for H1 2023, with a speed of 135.51 Mbps. During the same period, Metro Manila reported a 5G availability rate of 35.7%, slightly lower than Seoul (35.9%) and Sydney (39.2%).

Breaking the digital divide with 5G FWA

The benefits of 5G go beyond the faster speeds compared to 4G. It also plays a role in bringing connectivity to underserved areas. Although developed markets in the Asia Pacific are leading in ultra-fast, fixed fiber broadband, there is still a portion of the region where internet connectivity is expensive, unavailable, or insufficient. Many people in these underserved regions rely on mobile devices to access the internet. According to GSMA Intelligence, mobile broadband networks are accessible to more than 96% of the population, making it the primary option for internet access in many households.

In some markets, mobile operators see 5G, particularly 5G fixed-wireless access (FWA) services, as a viable alternative to traditional fixed broadband. While FWA is not a new concept, the use of 5G technology is expected to accelerate its growth, especially in areas where it is not economically feasible to deploy high-speed fixed broadband networks. According to GSMA Intelligence, nearly three in five users who either have upgraded or plan to upgrade to 5G find the idea of using 5G for home broadband appealing. FWA is becoming one of the operators’ primary 5G use cases, providing an opportunity to increase revenue and monetize network investments and wireless spectrum.

The Asia-Pacific region is seeing a rise in the adoption of 5G FWA, with Southeast Asia leading the way. In 2019, Globe Telecom in the Philippines, became the first country in the region to launch FWA. Other regional operators, such as Telkomsel in Indonesia and AIS in Thailand, have also begun offering FWA services. In New Zealand, operators plan to provide FWA coverage to 90% of the population by the end of 2023.

While 5G FWA shows promising growth potential, operators need to ensure that as 5G adoption in the network increases, they have the capacity to support their FWA services and the spectrum to guarantee quality. When the demand for 5G FWA service grows, operators may have to look at utilizing the mmWave spectrum to maintain the quality of their FWA services while keeping network capacity intact.

We will keep a close eye on the progress and effectiveness of 5G implementation throughout the Asia Pacific region. If you are interested in benchmarking your performance or if you’d like to learn more about internet speeds and performance in other markets around the world, visit the Speedtest Global Index^™.

About the Author

Affandy Johan

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Affandy Johan | May 20, 2025

Easter Holiday Commute Highlights Progress and Gaps in Metro Manila Expressway Connectivity

Metro Manila continues to face severe traffic congestion, ranking first globally in the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index with an average travel time of 25 minutes and 30 seconds per 10 kilometers. Although it dropped to 15th in 2024, Manila remains one of the most congested capital cities in Southeast Asia. To ease mobility challenges, authorities have expanded the expressway network across and around the metro area. As these road corridors grow in importance, reliable mobile connectivity has become essential for navigation, communication, and access to digital services while on the move. This report examines mobile network performance along major expressways during the peak Easter holiday weekend to assess how well current infrastructure supports user demand in real-world conditions.

Key Takeaways

Mobile coverage across Metro Manila’s expressways was generally strong, with most routes recording average RSRP better than -90 dBm. Metro Manila Skyway led in both signal strength (-84.67 dBm) and quality (-11.12 dB RSRQ), showing consistent performance. However, CAVITEX-Parañaque stood out for weaker coverage, with an average RSRP of -98.92 dBm and the lowest 10th percentile at -113 dBm.
Most Metro Manila expressways provided widespread 5G coverage, with users spending more than 70% of their travel time on 5G across most routes. NLEX-McArthur Highway Link led with 87% 5G time, while service gaps were rare except in CAVITEX-Parañaque.

Linking Mobility and Connectivity on Metro Manila Expressways

The growing reliance on expressways for daily travel across Manila and its surrounding areas highlights the critical need for strong mobile connectivity along these major corridors. Reliable mobile access supports navigation, communication, ride-hailing, and emergency services. Coverage gaps or network interruptions can disrupt travel experiences and impact road efficiency. To address this, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), under its High Standard Highway Network Development Plan, has introduced policies to accelerate the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure along expressways.

Using Ookla’s coverage scans data across all mobile network operators, we analyzed mobile performance and quality of experience along 12 key expressways across Metro Manila during the Easter holiday (April 18th to 20th) weekend. The selected expressways include:

C-5 Expressway
CAVITEX-C-5 South Link Expressway
CAVITEX-Parañaque
Manila-Taguig Expressway
Metro Manila Skyway
NAIA Expressway
NLEX-CAITEX Port Expressway
NLEX-Harbor Link
NLEX-McArthur Highway Link
NLEX-Mindanao Ave Link
NLEX-SLEX Connector
South Metro Manila Skyway

These expressways form the core of Metro Manila’s road network, connecting major residential, commercial, and industrial areas. They link key cities such as Quezon City, Manila, Taguig, Parañaque, Pasay, and Makati, while extending to neighboring provinces like Bulacan and Cavite. They serve high volumes of daily commuters and provide critical access to airports, seaports, business districts, and suburban developments.

Easter Traffic Patterns Highlight Peak Mobile Usage on Southern Expressways

Using data from Speedtest® background samples, we combined hourly sample counts from all mobile operators over the three days to smooth out irregularities and highlight consistent usage patterns. The chart shows the total number of Speedtest samples collected per hour across 12 major Metro Manila expressways during April 18 to 20, 2025 (Easter weekend).

Data reveals a clear daily pattern: sample volumes were lowest between 00:00 and 05:00, began rising mid-morning, and peaked between 14:00 and 19:00. This reflects typical daytime travel behavior during a long holiday period, where road activity intensifies as people travel for leisure, family gatherings, and regional trips. C-5 Expressway, Metro Manila Skyway, and South Metro Manila Skyway recorded the highest sample volumes during peak times. These routes connect key residential and commercial areas across the capital and serve as primary arteries for southbound travel. In contrast, routes such as NLEX-Harbor Link and NLEX-McArthur Highway Link recorded lower sample volumes, indicating either lighter traffic flow or lower available samples.

The spike in usage along major southern routes reflects a well-established trend during Holy Week in the Philippines, with heavy outbound travel toward provinces like Batangas and Laguna. This year, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) reinforced expectations of increased traffic by announcing a comprehensive traffic management plan for the 2025 Holy Week, including deployment of additional personnel, traffic rerouting schemes, and coordination with toll operators to ease congestion. The observation aligns with past advisories from the MMDA, the Department of Transportation, and local news reports, all highlighting recurring congestion on southern expressways during this period.

Expressway Network Shows Broad Mobile Coverage, With Targeted Enhancements Needed

To evaluate mobile coverage during the Easter weekend, we analyzed average Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) across these major expressways in Metro Manila. These metrics reflect the strength and quality of mobile signals experienced by users while traveling. An RSRP value that exceeds -90 dBm indicates superior coverage. If the signal strength is between -90 dBm and -100 dBm, then network coverage is considered good. Below this range, expect slower download speeds and potential network disconnections. RSRQ is a metric used to evaluate the quality of the reference signal received by a device. A value of -10 dB or higher indicates excellent network quality while a value between -10 dB and -15 dB is considered good. An RSRQ value lower than -15 dB is poor or indicates no signal at all.

Map of RSRP Plots for All Technologies Combined Over Easter Weekend in Manila Philippines, April 18-20, 2025

Map of RSRQ Plots for All Technologies Combined Over Easter Weekend in Manila Philippines, April 18-20, 2025

Most expressways recorded strong overall signal strength, with average RSRP values better than -90 dBm. Metro Manila Skyway delivered the best average signal at -84.67 dBm, followed by South Metro Manila Skyway, and NLEX-McArthur Highway Link. In contrast, CAVITEX-Parañaque and CAVITEX-C5 South Link reported weaker average RSRP near -99 dBm, suggesting reduced signal consistency in these areas. CAVITEX-Parañaque also reported a much weaker signal strength in the lower 10% with RSRP value of -113 dBM, indicating poor coverage zones where users are likely to experience slow speeds or connection drops. Meanwhile, in areas with good coverage, the top 10% of samples reported excellent signal levels, with RSRP values above -75 dBm on most expressways.

Chart of Average, Lower 10%, and Top 10% RSRP for All Technologies Combined Easter Weekend in Manila Philippines, April 18-20, 2025

Chart of Average, Lower 10%, and Top 10% RSRQ for All Technologies Combined Easter Weekend in Manila Philippines, April 18-20, 2025

Signal quality remained stable across most expressways, with all reporting average RSRQ values within the “good” range of -10 to -15 dB. Metro Manila Skyway recorded the best average signal quality at -11.12 dB, followed by South Metro Manila Skyway and NLEX-McArthur Highway Link. The data indicates that expressways with stronger signal strength also tend to maintain better quality, likely due to more consistent tower spacing and better interference management, while weaker areas may benefit from improved handover and tuning.

Easter Weekend travel backed by widespread 5G coverage

We analyzed the share of time mobile users spent connected to different network technologies while traveling along these expressways during the holiday weekend, to reflect the percentage of time users were on 5G, 4G, older 2G/3G technologies, or had no service while traveling.

Proportion Of Time Spent By Commuters On Different Technologies
Speedtest Intelligence® | April 18th – 20th, 2025

The data indicate that 5G coverage is widespread on most major expressways in Metro Manila. NLEX-McArthur Highway Link reported the highest 5G usage, with users spending 87% of their time connected to 5G. Metro Manila Skyway followed at 80.2%, along with NAIA Expressway at 78.1% and NLEX-Harbor Link at 76.5%. Most other expressways also showed strong 5G usage, with shares ranging between 63% and 72.5%. Only three routes—C-5 Expressway, NLEX-Mindanao Ave Link, and CAVITEX-Parañaque, recorded lower 5G shares, but still had over half of total usage on 5G.

There is still a degree of dependence on 4G, possibly due to less consistent 5G coverage. CAVITEX-Parañaque registered the highest 4G usage at 32.1% of user time, closely followed by CAVITEX-C-5 South Link Expressway at 30.9%. Notably, older 2G or 3G technologies still saw significant usage on certain expressways, specifically NLEX-Mindanao Ave Link at 12.5% and NLEX-SLEX Connector at 12.4%. On most Manila expressways, mobile users experienced very little time without service, with almost all routes showing less than 1% of no service. An exception was CAVITEX-Parañaque, which had the highest service gap at 11.8%.

The results suggest 5G is now the dominant mobile technology on most expressways, offering strong baseline availability for users in motion. However, variation in 5G usage and isolated no-service zones point to areas where further densification and optimization are needed. Routes with higher 4G or fallback use could benefit from additional 5G site deployments or improvements in signal consistency, especially in dense or complex urban corridors.

Expressway 5G signal strength reflects operator network scale

Analysis of 5G signal strength across Metro Manila’s major expressways during the Easter weekend showed varied performance among mobile operators. Smart recorded the strongest average RSRP values on 7 out of 12 expressways, including key corridors such as Manila-Taguig Expressway with an RSRP value of -81.46 dBm, NLEX-Mindanao Ave Link at -79.86 dBm, and NAIA Expressway at -79.40 dBm.

Chart of Mobile Operators 5G RSRP Over Easter Weekend in Manila, Philippines, April 18-20, 2025

Chart of Mobile Operators 5G RSRQ Over Easter Weekend in Manila, Philippines, April 18-20, 2025

Globe delivered competitive performance on four expressways, including C-5 Expressway with an RSRP value of -83.95 dBm and NLEX-McArthur Highway Link at -81.69 dBm. DITO recorded weaker signal strength across all corridors, with no expressway exceeding an RSRP value stronger than -84.60 dBm. The differences observed across operators reflect their respective network scales, cell site density, and deployment stages. In terms of signal quality, Smart and Globe also showed good average RSRQ across most expressways.

Smart and Globe both operate large, nationwide 5G networks, while DITO—launched in 2021—is still expanding its coverage, focusing on select urban areas. Smart’s performance likely reflects its continued investment in 5G infrastructure, especially in high-mobility urban zones. As of late 2024, Smart’s parent company, PLDT, confirmed upgrades to its 5G network capacity and coverage through expanded cell site deployment, particularly in Metro Manila and major transit corridors.

5G Availability highlight room for growth in Metro Manila

Ookla’s 5G Availability data from Speedtest Intelligence® represents the percentage of 5G-active devices that spend the majority of their time connected to 5G networks. While the findings show strong 5G signal strength and quality along Metro Manila’s expressways, the city’s overall 5G Availability suggests there is still room to expand 5G coverage across the whole city area.

5G Availability (%) In Select Southeast Asian Capital Cities
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2025

Q1 2025 5G availability data places Metro Manila in the middle of the pack among Southeast Asia’s capital cities. As of Q1 2025, 5G users in Metro Manila spent 40.8% of their time connected to 5G networks. This figure trails Bangkok (70.8%) and Singapore (66.3%)—two cities with more mature 5G rollouts and denser site deployments. However, Metro Manila maintains a lead over Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory (39.3%) and is significantly ahead of Jakarta (10.8%), where 5G deployment is still in progress.

We will continue to monitor network coverage and performance in major cities across Asia Pacific and provide updates on infrastructure readiness along key expressways and transportation routes. For more information about Ookla’s network intelligence and management solutions, please contact us.

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Affandy Johan

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Dave Andersen | April 14, 2024

Early 5G Results for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Family: How do New S24 Models Stack up to Previous Generations and iPhone 15’s on 5G?

Consumers around the world eagerly awaited Samsung’s release of the latest line of its flagship Galaxy S series of smartphones on February 1, 2024. Was the wait worth it? In this article, we analyze how the Samsung Galaxy S24 family measures up against its predecessors in terms of 5G speed and latency during its first several weeks on the market (February 1 – March 24, 2024).

With new chipsets and technologies alongside plenty of other cool new features in Galaxy S24 devices, we examined early results from Speedtest® users in 15 select countries around the world to see whether the Galaxy S24 lineup — comprising the S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra models — outpaced Samsung’s earlier S22 and S23 families for 5G performance. Additionally, we’ve compared the 5G speeds and latency of Apple’s iPhone 15 family — including the iPhone 15, 15 Pro, and 15 Pro Max — against Samsung’s offerings.

It’s important to note that device performance metrics can vary significantly from one country to another. Factors such as government and mobile operator investments in 5G infrastructure, spectrum allocations, and the extent of 5G network deployment all contribute to these variations.

Key takeaways:

The Samsung Galaxy S24 family showed a statistically significant lead for median 5G download speeds in seven out of 15 countries in this study. On the other hand, the Apple iPhone 15 family posted the fastest 5G speeds in only one country. It’s worth noting, however, that speed differences between Galaxy S24 devices and iPhone 15’s were relatively minor in some of the countries analyzed (see the charts below for details).
The S24 family recorded the lowest median 5G multi-server latency in 10 of 15 countries, whereas iPhone 15 devices offered the highest median 5G latency in 10 markets.
Samsung Galaxy S22 models unsurprisingly offered the slowest median 5G download speeds in eight countries, while the Galaxy S23 family was slowest in four countries.
Devices in the Galaxy S24 family experienced the fastest median 5G upload speed in 13 of the 15 countries examined for this analysis. However, upload speeds were much slower than 5G download speeds, ranging from 11.83 Mbps to Mbps to 66.52 Mbps, with median 5G upload speeds of 50 Mbps or better found in only three countries (South Korea, Qatar, and the U.A.E.).

To learn more about what speeds mean in real-world terms, check out our article looking at how much speed users need for a variety of daily mobile activities.

Take me straight to the data!

Asia Pacific | Middle East & Africa | Europe | North America

New chipsets and modems in the Galaxy S24 family

Everyone wants to know if the newest technology is worth the upgrade when they’re investing in an expensive new smartphone. Each device within the Galaxy S24 family has various upgrades (including new AI features), but when it comes to features that impact speed and latency performance, here’s a look at the chipsets and modems for each line of smarthpones in our study:

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra models use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset globally, while the S24 and S24+ use it only in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States. The Samsung Exynos 2400 is used elsewhere for the S24 & S24+.
The Galaxy S23 series uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 worldwide, while Samsung S22 models use an Exynos 2200 chipset in Europe and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 elsewhere.
Galaxy S24 devices utilize the Snapdragon X75 5G modem, S23 models have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem, while S22 models have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 modem.
Apple iPhone 15 models use Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset, while iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models use the A 17 Pro chip. All devices in the Apple iPhone 15 family utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X70 5G modem.

Do you own one of these devices? See how your speeds compare by taking a quick Speedtest. And to learn more about mobile and fixed broadband performance in cities and regions across the world, visit the Speedtest Performance Directory^™, where you’ll find ISP recommendations, insights on mobile and fixed broadband performance, and more.

Digging into the Data: Where does the Samsung Galaxy S24 Family Lead its S22, S23, and iPhone 15 Counterparts Around the Globe?

Early findings from Speedtest Intelligence® reveal that the latest Galaxy S24 family outperformed its predecessors — especially S22 models — in terms of 5G speed across several of the countries we analyzed. While differences in speed between devices were minimal in some countries, S24 models showed significant speed advantages over previous generation Samsung devices in markets like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and others.

Does that mean users in those locations should upgrade immediately? Not necessarily. The decision to upgrade depends on various factors, from price to features to performance and more. However, if speed is your primary concern, the Galaxy S24 series is a compelling option, especially for consumers currently utilizing devices from the Galaxy S22 lineup, which is now over two years old.

Read on to see our complete analysis of all 15 countries in this study or select a region below to dig into more localized results.

Asia Pacific | Middle East & Africa | Europe | North America

Asia Pacific

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Hong Kong

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in India

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Indonesia

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Japan

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Philippines

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in South Korea

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Thailand

Consumers in Hong Kong who want new features might want to upgrade

Speedtest Intelligence data revealed strong performance for all device families in Hong Kong, with the new Galaxy S24 family performing particularly well, boasting a median 5G download speed of 165.74 Mbps and the lowest median 5G multi-server latency in the market at 21.74 ms. However, the S24’s median 5G download speed was statistically comparable to that of its older Samsung and iPhone 15 peers, making the choice to upgrade currently more about new features than about performance.

Bottom line: With strong — and similar — 5G download speeds across all device families in Japan, upgrading to a new Galaxy device isn’t a must just yet, unless you want to enjoy the S24 family’s new features.

5G speeds were fast across the board in India, where the Samsung Galaxy 24 family held a slight edge

In the early days following the release of the Galaxy S24 series in India, the latest Samsung models led for both 5G download speeds and 5G multi-server latency. While 5G speeds impressed across all device families in India — all notched speeds of at least 273.78 Mbps — Galaxy S24 models posted the top median 5G download speed at 302.43 Mbps and the lowest median 5G multi-server latency at 41.56 ms. On the other hand, Galaxy S22 devices showed the slowest — but still impressive — speeds in India at 273.78 Mbps, while the Samsung Galaxy S23 was just a tick behind at 279.93 Mbps. The iPhone 15 family, meanwhile, clocked in with a median 5G download speed of 285.78 Mbps.

Bottom line: Consumers in India currently using S22 devices might want to upgrade to an S24 model, given the nearly 30 Mbps speed advantage the new devices provided in this study. However, with excellent 5G speeds across all device families and similar speeds for devices in the S22, S23, and iPhone 15 families, users might not feel a huge difference in their 5G experience from one device to another.

Samsung Galaxy enthusiasts in Indonesia needn’t rush to upgrade to an S24 device — yet

In contrast with what our results showed in most countries, the iPhone 15 family emerged as the leader in Indonesia with a median 5G download speed of 80.49 Mbps. All three Samsung Galaxy families trailed with speeds ranging from 55.61 Mbps for the S24 family to 69.24 Mbps for S23 models. While the iPhone 15 family’s 5G speed was nearly 25 Mbps faster than that of S24 devices, it’s worth noting that the difference among all three Samsung Galaxy models was only about 14 Mbps, and our results revealed no statistical difference in median 5G download speeds between the S22 and S23 families.

Bottom line: Despite the iPhone 15 providing the top speeds in the market, the Galaxy S24 could hold greater long-term potential for consumers in Indonesia, especially when compared to older Samsung models. Equipped with a newer processor and modem, the S24 could see quicker speeds over time as Indonesia’s 5G networks evolve. In the meantime, users shouldn’t experience notable disparities in speed or latency among all three Samsung device families analyzed.

No clear advantage to upgrading to a new Galaxy S24 in Japan

People in Japan who upgraded to a Galaxy S24 device likely haven’t seen a performance boost just yet. While all four device families performed similarly well in Japan, there was no statistical difference in the median 5G download speeds offered by all three Galaxy families, with speeds ranging from 110.48 Mbps to 118.93 Mbps across all three Galaxy devices. The iPhone 15 lineup also had a strong speed at 125.48 Mbps.

Bottom line: With generally similar median 5G download speeds across all device families in Japan, users who are considering upgrading to a new Galaxy smartphone might want to wait. While we anticipate the S24’s speeds to surpass those of its predecessors over time, 5G speeds in the market were quite close across all three Galaxy device families in the early days of the S24’s release.

For users in the Philippines who want the fastest 5G, Galaxy S22 users may want to upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy S24 users in the Philippines might have noticed a modest improvement to their 5G speeds compared to those on older S23 and S22 models since they upgraded, as the Galaxy S24 family’s median 5G download speed of 157.38 Mbps was about 20 Mbps faster than that of Galaxy S22’s (137.68 Mbps) and a little over 15 Mbps faster than the Galaxy S23 family (140.06 Mbps). Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 family’s median 5G download speed of 120.04 Mbps trailed all three Samsung Galaxy families in the market.

Bottom line: For users in the Philippines seeking the fastest possible 5G experience, upgrading to an S24 device is worth considering. However, it’s worth noting that the differences in speed between devices wasn’t as stark as that in some other countries, and upgrading likely isn’t for everyone just yet.

Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15 much faster on 5G in South Korea than S22 devices

In South Korea, home to the first widespread 5G launch in the world, our results reflected outstanding 5G speeds, with the iPhone 15 and Samsung Galaxy S24 families posting similar median 5G download speeds of 598.64 Mbps and 590.28 Mbps, respectively. The S22 family, meanwhile, offered the “slowest” 5G speeds in South Korea, posting an excellent median 5G download speed of 475.42 Mbps, while Galaxy S23 devices came in at 511.82 Mbps.

Bottom line: 5G users in South Korea can expect remarkable 5G speeds across the board, regardless of their device. However, Samsung Galaxy loyalists who currently use S22 models might want to consider moving to an S24 model, given that the S24 family was over 100 Mbps faster than Galaxy S22’s, while also offering the top median 5G upload speed in the market at 55.22 Mbps. For users who prioritize the fastest 5G experience, Galaxy S24’s and iPhone 15’s are both worth a look.

Samsung Galaxy S24 family provides top 5G download speeds in Thailand

In Thailand, Speedtest Intelligence showed that the Galaxy S24 family delivered the fastest median 5G download speed in the market at 171.27 Mbps. That speed marks a notable improvement of roughly 35 Mbps over the S22’s 132.60 Mbps and the S23’s 135.55 Mbps. The Galaxy S24 family also offered the lowest median 5G multi-server latency in Thailand at 32.46 ms. The iPhone 15 family provided the second-fastest median 5G download speed in the market at 147.53 Mbps.

Bottom line: If you’re thinking of upgrading from an S22 or S23 device, our findings suggest that the Galaxy S24 might be the right choice. With faster 5G speeds compared to previous generations, coupled with low latency, smartphones in the Galaxy S24 family should allow for quick content downloads and smooth connectivity overall.

Middle East and Africa

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Nigeria

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Qatar

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in U.A.E.

Excellent 5G speeds in Nigeria, but too soon to tell if you should upgrade for performance

In Nigeria, 5G speeds were impressive overall, from the Galaxy S23 family’s median 5G download speed of 281.67 Mbps to the new Galaxy S24’s speed of 383.97 Mbps. However, in these early days of the S24 lineup’s release, we are still waiting to see how things stabilize in the market before we can make a firm recommendation on whether to upgrade.

Bottom line: For users who like to have the latest gear and/or want the new features offered by the S24 lineup, upgrading is certainly worth considering. But with fast 5G speeds in general, users on any of the device families we looked at should see a quick download experience in general.

Samsung Galaxy S24 by far the fastest 5G in Qatar

Home to some of the fastest 5G speeds in the world, Qatar showcased impressive median 5G download speeds across all three device families analyzed. The Galaxy S24 family led the pack with a jaw-dropping median 5G download speed of 971.49 Mbps and the top median 5G upload speed in the market at 66.52 Mbps. The Galaxy S22 and S23 families trailed, albeit with great median 5G download speeds of 675.06 Mbps and 758.49 Mbps, respectively. The iPhone 15 family also had a strong showing in Qatar, posting a median 5G download speed of 788.97 Mbps.

Bottom line: Consumers in Qatar with older Galaxy S22 or S23 devices might want to make the switch, given that the S24 family’s remarkable median 5G download speed of nearly 1 Gbps was much faster than those of either the Galaxy S23 or especially S22 families.

Galaxy S24 a good option for Samsung fans in the U.A.E.

In the U.A.E., which is home to outstanding 5G speeds in general, the Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 15 families delivered the top median 5G download speeds in the market at 828.11 Mbps and 819.48 Mbps, respectively. When compared to its earlier generation Samsung predecessors, the S24 family held a commanding speed advantage, boasting speeds that were at least 170 Mbps higher than those of either the S22 (639.33 Mbps) or S23 (657.79 Mbps) families.

Bottom line: With median 5G download speeds ranging from 639.33 Mbps to 828.11 Mbps, consumers in the U.A.E. will likely enjoy fantastic speeds regardless of device model. However, for current S22 or S23 users hoping to boost their speeds, the Galaxy S24 family stands out as a good choice.

Europe

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in France

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Spain

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in the U.K.

Galaxy 24 family clocked 5G speeds over 80 Mbps faster than those on S22 devices in France

In France, the Galaxy S24 family was the frontrunner, delivering the fastest median 5G download speed among all device families in the market at 292.15 Mbps. That marks a significant improvement of over 80 Mbps compared to the S22 family’s speed of 211.32 Mbps, along with a jump of more than 60 Mbps compared to the S23’s speed of 229.78 Mbps. Meanwhile, iPhone 15 users experienced the second-fastest median 5G download speed in the market at 257.15 Mbps, with 5G latency nearly identical to that of the S22 and S23 families.

Bottom line: For consumers currently using an S23 or especially an S22 model, upgrading to an S24 device is worth considering. Our results in France showed that the latest Samsung lineup delivered a superior 5G speed experience over older Galaxy models, especially those in the Galaxy S22 family.

Galaxy S24’s a good choice over S22 models in Spain

All four device families in Spain provided good 5G speeds, ranging from the S22’s median 5G download speed of 141.33 Mbps to the S24 family’s speed of 179.34 Mbps. While speeds recorded on S24, S23, and iPhone 15 devices were statistically similar, the difference in speed between the S24 and S22 was much starker, with the S24 nearly 40 Mbps faster than the S22.

Bottom line: The decision to upgrade should be more straightforward for S22 users in Spain compared to those with S23 or iPhone 15 models, as the S24’s median 5G download speed of 179.34 Mbps was almost 40 Mbps faster than that of the S22 family.

Samsung Galaxy S24 likely worth an upgrade from S22 in the U.K.

In the U.K., Samsung Galaxy S24 models were the fastest in the market, with the S24’s median 5G download speed of 156.71 Mbps offering a speed gain of nearly 40 Mbps compared to the Galaxy S22 family. Galaxy S24 models also posted faster speeds than both the Galaxy S23 and iPhone 15 families, but the difference was less stark than it was with the S22 family, with Galaxy S22 models clocking in at 120.49 Mbps, Galaxy S23’s at 133.49 Mbps, and iPhone 15’s at 138.07 Mbps.

Bottom line: U.K. consumers using either S22 or S23 models may want to look into upgrading to the S24 to enjoy faster speeds. That’s especially true for S22 users, given that the S24’s median 5G download speed was nearly 40 Mbps faster than that of S22 devices.

North America

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in Mexico

Chart of Samsung Galaxy S24 Family vs. Its Earlier Counterparts in the United States

No major 5G speed boost for users in Mexico who upgraded to a Galaxy S24

5G speeds in Mexico were impressive, with all device families posting median 5G download speeds of 176.53 Mbps or better. While Speedtest users of the Galaxy S24 family experienced the fastest median 5G download speed in the market at 197.42 Mbps, that speed marked only a modest improvement compared to Galaxy S22 devices (186.51 Mbps) and iPhone 15 models (193.73 Mbps). The Galaxy S23 family showed the slowest 5G speed in the market at 176.53 Mbps, coming in about 20 Mbps slower than Galaxy S24 models

Bottom line: For users eager to embrace the new features offered by Galaxy S24 devices or move on from S23 devices, an upgrade might be worthwhile. However, with fast 5G speeds across all device families in Mexico and only about 20 Mbps separating all four device families in our study, users likely won’t see a major change in their 5G experience by upgrading.

Galaxy S22 users in the U.S. could get faster 5G with the S24 family.

5G speeds in the U.S. had an impressive showing across the board, with median 5G download speeds of at least 232.46 Mbps across all device families. The Samsung Galaxy S24 family led the way with an excellent median 5G download speed of 306.90 Mbps and the lowest median 5G multi-server latency at 45.71 ms. Users of the Galaxy S24 family enjoyed speeds roughly 75 Mbps faster than those on S22 models (232.46 Mbps) and approximately 65 Mbps faster than those on S23 devices (241.60 Mbps). Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 family also offered a strong performance, with a median 5G download speed of 272.99 Mbps.

Bottom line: Users of older Samsung device models in the United States may want to switch to one of the newer models to capitalize on the faster 5G speeds offered by S24 devices, though speeds were strong for all device families in this study.

Ookla will continue monitoring how devices are performing

We’ll continue to check in on device performance as new models enter the market, so stay tuned for further insights into mobile and fixed broadband performance in countries around the world.

If you’ve recently made the switch to an S24 device, make sure you’re getting the speeds you need by downloading the iOS or Android Speedtest® app.

About the Author

Dave Andersen

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Karim Yaici | July 29, 2024

Faster Speeds and the Promise of New Use Cases is Driving 5G SA Adoption

The deployment of 5G networks is progressing as demand for faster and more reliable connectivity continues to grow. The standalone (SA) deployment model marks a significant milestone in the evolution of 5G, aiming to offer lower latency, increased bandwidth, and improved reliability compared to earlier network configurations. In this article, we use Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data to track 5G SA deployments since Q2 2023, 5G SA service adoption, and examine its impact on network performance. We also highlight key regions and countries that made notable advancements in 5G SA infrastructure.

Key Takeaways:

India, the U.S., and Southeast Asia are at the forefront of 5G SA adoption. T-Mobile and SK Telekom were among the first to launch 5G SA in 2020, while Chinese operators and Jio in India lead in terms of active 5G SA users. Europe somewhat lags, with operators still hesitant due to the relatively low ROI on existing 5G investments and unclear business cases for 5G SA. However, Europe has the highest number of operators planning to launch it.
The U.A.E. and South Korea lead the world in 5G SA performance. 5G SA download speeds reached 879.89 Mbps and 729.89 Mbps, respectively. Their 5G SA upload speeds were also impressive, at 70.93 Mbps and 77.65 Mbps, respectively. This performance is a result of significant advancements made by local operators in deploying 5G SA and testing advanced features such as network slicing and mobile edge computing (MEC).
The change in speed of 5G SA varied widely between countries over a year. Speedtest Intelligence data shows that 5G SA performance declined in many countries between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024, primarily driven by increased user base and network traffic. Conversely, markets such as Canada and the U.S. improved their performance thanks to access to additional spectrum.

5G SA deployments are expected to increase this year as adoption gains momentum and ecosystem matures

Most existing 5G deployments use the non-standalone (NSA) model which uses the 4G core network. This model is faster to roll out, requires less investment, and maximizes existing network assets. Unlike 5G NSA, 5G SA uses a dedicated 5G core network, unlocking the full capabilities of 5G with better speed, latency, support for large numbers of devices, and more agile service creation. It also enables new features such as network slicing where an operator can dedicate a network segment to specific customers or use cases. Furthermore, the core network functions provided by a cloud-native architecture enable more scalability and automation than physical or virtualized architectures. However, this comes with higher infrastructure complexity, investment as well as staff training costs. Many operators use NSA as a stepping stone towards SA, with a few exceptions, such as DISH in the U.S. and Jio in India, which adopted SA from the outset. Other scenarios for deploying 5G SA include an overlay for a public 5G NSA network or as a private network for enterprise use cases.

The Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) identified 130 operators that had invested in public 5G SA networks as of the end of June 2024. 5G SA represented more than 37% of the 614 operators known to have invested in 5G either through trials or deployments. The GSA reported 1,535 commercially available devices, including handsets and fixed wireless access (FWA) customer premises equipment (CPEs), that support 5G SA, demonstrating the growing maturity of the device ecosystem.

However, only 11 new 5G SA deployments in nine countries were recorded (out of 46 new 5G networks launched in 32 countries) in 2023, according to Analysys Mason, showing a slowdown in deployments. We expect the pace of 5G SA launches to accelerate in 2024 and beyond supported by the growing device ecosystem and commercial appetite for new 5G use cases.

To identify where 5G SA access has been activated and the network expanded between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024, we used Speedtest Intelligence® data to identify devices that connect to 5G SA. The maps below confirm that the number of 5G SA samples increased year-on-year and that coverage has expanded beyond urban centers. However, mobile subscribers in most of Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and Latin America have yet to experience 5G SA.

Speedtest Samples That Use 5G Standalone

In the following sections, we examine the year-on-year changes in 5G SA performance across different regions and identify which countries are leading in the Developed Asia Pacific, the Americas, Emerging Asia Pacific, and Europe.

The developed Asia-Pacific (DVAP) region is at the forefront of 5G SA launches

Operators in this region boast 5G SA networks, with launches happening as early as 2020. Strong government support, operators’ technology leadership, and a high consumer appetite for high-speed internet services drove this rapid adoption.

South Korea is considered a pioneer in the adoption and deployment of 5G technology, with SK Telecom deploying one of the first 5G SA services in H1 2020, and supporting advanced features such as network slicing and mobile edge computing (MEC). Speedtest Intelligence data shows that the country led the region in download and upload speeds in Q2 2024. South Korea has one of the highest median speeds among the countries analyzed at 729.89 Mbps (download) and 77.65 Mbps (upload). The other top-performing country is the U.A.E with a median download speed of 879.89 Mbps and a median upload speed of 70.93 Mbps.

All three service providers in Singapore commercialized 5G SA services, covering more than 95% of the country. Users experienced excellent download speed with a median value of 481.96 Mbps. However, Singapore lagged in upload speed with a median value of 32.09 Mbps.

Macau and Japan are second and third in the region with median download speeds of 404.22 Mbps and 272.73 Mbps, respectively. Mainland China followed with a median speed of 236.95 Mbps. Policies and initiatives such as network-sharing agreements and government subsidies supported 5G growth.

In Australia, TPG Telecom launched its 5G SA network in November 2021, following Telstra’s announcement in May 2020. However, the country lagged behind its regional peers with median download speeds and upload speeds of 146.68 Mbps and 17.69 Mbps, respectively.

The performance of most reviewed DVAP countries remained largely stable or slightly declined between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024. The only two exceptions are South Korea and Australia where performance improved by 12% and 18%, respectively. The most substantial declines were observed in upload speeds, while South Korea stood out with a 17% boost in performance.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Developed Asia Pacific
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Developed Asia Pacific

T-Mobile and DISH Push 5G SA Coverage in the U.S.

In the U.S., T-Mobile launched its 5G Standalone (SA) network over 600 MHz spectrum in August 2020, becoming one of the first operators in the world to do so. This was followed by a faster service over 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum in November 2022 which helped the operator to maintain its national lead in 5G performance. On the other hand, Verizon extensively tested 5G SA in 2023 but so far has been slow to deploy a nationwide SA network. DISH, another notable 5G SA operator, pioneered a cloud-native Open RAN-based 5G SA network in June 2023 and expanded coverage to 73% of the population by the end of that year. In Canada, Rogers Wireless launched the first 5G SA at the beginning of 2021, a year after introducing 5G NSA.

In Brazil, the median download and upload speeds reached 474.65 Mbps and 32.36 Mbps in Q2 2024, respectively, exceeding those in Canada and the U.S. The main operators in Brazil, Claro, Telefonica (Vivo), and TIM have launched 5G SA over the 3.5 GHz band, making the service available to a large proportion of the population.

While download and upload speed improved in Canada and the U.S. between Q2 2023 and Q2 2024, according to Speedtest Intelligence, it declined in Brazil. The deployment of C-band has likely helped to increase download speed in both Canada and the U.S.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in the Americas
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in the Americas

India leads in the Emerging Asian Pacific (EMAP) region with fast expansion to 5G SA network

India is at the forefront of the Emerging Asian Pacific region’s rapid 5G Standalone (SA) network expansion. However, according to Ookla’s Speedtest data for Q2 2024, the Philippines surpasses both India and Thailand with a median 5G SA download speed of 375.40 Mbps. Globe, the first mobile operator to introduce 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) in the Philippines, expanded its 5G outdoor coverage to 97.44% of the capital by the end of H1 2023. The company also launched 5G SA private networks in 2023, along with network slicing.

India follows closely behind the Philippines, with a median download speed of just under 300 Mbps. Jio has been a leader in enhancing 5G SA coverage since its launch in October 2022, while Bharti Airtel initially opted for NSA, with plans to transition to full 5G SA.

Jio’s rapid coverage expansion and high throughput are supported by its access to mid-band (3.5 GHz) and low-band (700 MHz) frequencies. Additionally, all new 5G handsets released in India are SA-compatible, boosting the adoption of 5G SA services, and more than 90% of them support carrier aggregation and Voice over New Radio (VoNR).

Thailand lags behind in median download speed for Q2 2024 but outperforms India and the Philippines in upload speed. It was among the first countries in the region to introduce 5G services, with operators quickly expanding coverage to reach over 80% of the population. AIS, the leading operator in Thailand, launched 5G NSA services in February 2020 using 700 MHz, 2.6 GHz, and 26 GHz bandwidths, followed by 5G SA in July 2020. The operator enabled VoNR in 2021.

Unlike the DVAP region, countries in EMAP have experienced a more substantial decline in 5G SA network performance compared to Q2 2023. The rapid coverage expansion and adoption have likely increased the load on 5G SA infrastructure, putting pressure on the operators to scale up network capacity in the future to at least maintain a similar performance level.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Emerging Asia Pacific
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Emerging Asia Pacific

Europe is home to the highest number of operators looking to deploy 5G SA

A growing number of European operators are offering or planning to offer 5G SA, driven by a maturing device ecosystem. However, many remain hesitant due to cost and the need to demonstrate clear business cases for 5G SA. GSMA Intelligence reports that Europe has the highest number of planned 5G SA launches, with 45 operators planning to deploy it as of Q1 2024.

Elisa in Finland was one of the first operators in the region to launch 5G SA in November 2021. Other notable examples of SA implementations include Vodafone in Germany (April 2021) and the UK (June 2023), Bouygues Telecom (2022) in France, Three in Austria, Wind Tre in Italy (both in 2022), Orange and Telefónica in Spain, and TDC Denmark in 2023.

The recent 5G SA launch in Spain may explain why that country saw such high speeds, with Speedtest Intelligence reporting download and upload speeds of 614.91 Mbps and 56.93 Mbps, respectively, in Q2 2023. However, Spain experienced a significant drop in performance in 2024, with speeds falling to 427.64 Mbps (download) and 30.55 Mbps (upload). Despite this decline, Spain continued to outperform the UK and Germany.

5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Europe
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
5G Standalone Network Performance, Select Countries in Europe

While 5G SA deployments appear to have slowed in 2023 compared to previous years, we expect momentum to increase from 2024 due to rising enterprise demand for private networks and interest in network slicing, as well as consumer demand for immersive gaming and VR applications. The ecosystem’s maturity and the availability of more network equipment and devices supporting 5G SA will also stimulate the market. According to the GSA, 21% of operators worldwide investing in 5G have included 5G SA in their plans.

Interestingly, the growing popularity and adoption of 5G SA have impacted its performance, with many markets seeing some degradation compared to 2023, according to Speedtest Intelligence. Nonetheless, 5G SA still offers a markedly faster download speed than 5G NSA. Beyond speed, 5G SA promises new capabilities, such as network slicing, that have started to emerge in the most advanced markets but will take time to become a reality for most consumers and enterprises worldwide.

We will continue to track the deployments of 5G SA and monitor their impact on network global performance. For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, please contact us.

About the Author

Karim Yaici

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Josh Fomon | May 8, 2023

New Speedtest Data Shows Starlink Users Love Their Provider

Satellite internet competition is heating up and Ookla® has exciting, fresh data from Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 for HughesNet, SpaceX’s Starlink, and Viasat in North America, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as new Starlink markets we haven’t yet featured in our ongoing satellite internet series.

This analysis includes Starlink Net Promoter Score (NPS) for metro and nonmetro internet connections in the United States, year-over-year data for Starlink in Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the U.S., and Starlink results from three new countries (Philippines, Nigeria, and Peru).

Starlink users in metro and nonmetro areas love Starlink, fixed broadband users dislike their internet service providers

Using Speedtest Intelligence®, we examined NPS ratings by Starlink users and all fixed broadband providers combined for “metropolitan” and “nonmetropolitan” counties as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. NPS based on Speedtest® user responses after being asked how likely they are to recommend their provider to friends or family on a 0 to 10 scale. NPS ratings are categorized into Detractors (score 0-6), Passives (score 7-8), and Promoters (score 9-10), and is calculated as (% Promoters – % Detractors) x 100. Any NPS score above 0 indicates that a provider’s audience is more loyal than not.

As you see above, the difference in NPS between Starlink and all fixed broadband providers combined is stark: both metro and nonmetro Starlink far outperformed metro and nonmetro ISPs combined for NPS. Metro Starlink had a score of 31.94 compared to -23.62 for all metro fixed broadband providers combined, despite Starlink having a median download speed of 65.29 Mbps compared to 203.93 Mbps for all metro fixed broadband providers combined. Nonmetro Starlink had an even higher NPS at 42.21 compared to nonmetro ISPs at -21.27 — that’s especially notable given that Starlink’s median download speed was much closer to the median nonmetro fixed broadband speed at 72.18 Mbps to 100.41 Mbps.

Clearly, Starlink provides a much loved option for more rural, nonmetro users who often don’t have many good — if any — internet options. And the message is loud and clear: Starlink users are more than willing to recommend the service and love the internet they are getting.

Starlink speeds increased in Canada and the U.S. over the past two quarters, but are mixed year-over-year

As Starlink continues to become an increasingly popular and beloved option for users, especially those in more rural areas, steady increases in speeds in two large markets like Canada and the U.S. bode well for the internet provider. These increases come as major upgrades to Starlink’s satellite array are beginning, with Starlink having just launched 46 nextgen satellites on April 27, so we wouldn’t be surprised if speeds keep climbing across the globe.

In North America, all of the countries we surveyed saw slower median download and upload speeds during Q1 2023 than Q1 2022. However, Canada saw just about a 3 Mbps decrease in download speed from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023, with about a 28 Mbps increase over the past two quarters. The U.S., where Starlink has many more users, saw about a 24 Mbps decrease year-over-year for median download speeds, but at least a 13 Mbps increase during Q4 2022 and Q1 2023. Mexico, which saw 100+ Mbps median download speeds during Q1 2022, saw a roughly 49 Mbps dip year-over-year as more users signed up for the service; however, speeds leveled slightly with only an overall dip of about 8 Mbps during the past two quarters.

In South America, Chilean Starlink speeds slowed about 22 Mbps from Q1 2022 to Q1 2023, however, speeds only slowed about 8 Mbps over the past two quarters. Chile has continually ranked in the top four for fastest fixed broadband speeds on the Speedtest Global Index™ for over a year now.

Starlink in Canada blazed ahead as the fastest satellite provider in mainland North America

Speedtest Intelligence reveals that Starlink in Canada had the fastest download speed among satellite providers in mainland North America at 93.97 Mbps. That was about 40% faster than the runner-up, which was Starlink in the U.S. at 66.59 Mbps. Starlink in Mexico was next at 56.42 Mbps, and was faster than all fixed broadband providers in Mexico combined at 50.46 Mbps.

Viasat in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. made noticeable performance leaps over download speed from Q3 2022 when we last measured North American satellite providers. Canada went from 24.36 Mbps in Q3 2022 to 48.24 Mbps in Q1 2023, the U.S. from 28.07 Mbps to 36.47 Mbps, and Mexico from 16.14 Mbps to 24.06 Mbps. Hughesnet trailed over download speed in the U.S. (16.32 Mbps) and in Mexico (12.98 Mbps).

For upload speeds, all satellite providers trailed fixed broadband speeds in their respective countries, with Starlink in Canada achieving the fastest satellite upload speed at 9.60 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Mexico (8.47 Mbps) and the U.S. (7.74 Mbps). Viasat and HughesNet trailed behind.

Multi-server latency showed the stark difference of satellite internet’s real limitations, with the huge distances between satellite and users adding up to longer lag times than fixed broadband. Starlink had the only latencies under 100 ms among satellite providers, with Starlink in the U.S. having the lowest latency at 62 ms, followed by Canada (70 ms) and Mexico (97 ms). Viasat and HughesNet, which have farther geosynchronous orbits (GEO) than Starlink’s low-earth orbit (LEO), had much higher latencies.

Starlink in Chile raced ahead as the fastest satellite provider in South America

Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America during Q1 2023, edging out Starlink in Peru by about 5% with a median download speed at 84.62 Mbps to 77.17 Mbps. No satellite provider outperformed all fixed broadband providers combined in Q1 2023, but Starlink in Colombia and Brazil both reached median download speeds above 70 Mbps at 73.51 Mbps and 70.92 Mbps, respectively. HughesNet in Chile broke 20 Mbps at 21.01 Mbps, while Viasat in Brazil only reached 14.41 Mbps.

Satellites were outperformed by fixed broadband over upload speed in South America during Q1 2023, but Starlink had median upload speeds that ranged from 13.90 Mbps to 22.08 Mbps, the fastest being in Peru. HughesNet ranged from 2.12 Mbps to 3.21 Mbps, and Viasat in Brazil was at 1.42 Mbps.

Starlink’s multi-server latency dipped below 60 ms in three South American markets during Q1 2023: Peru (48 ms), Chile (54 ms), and Colombia (55 ms). Brazil followed at 75 ms, which was the next lowest. Viasat and HughesNet trailed far behind.

Starlink in Jamaica was the fastest Caribbean satellite provider

Speedtest Intelligence reveals that Starlink in Jamaica was the fastest satellite provider in the Caribbean at 83.79 Mbps during Q1 2023. Starlink was faster than all fixed broadband providers in Jamaica, and both Starlink and Viasat were faster than all providers combined in the Dominican Republic during Q1 2023. Starlink reached median download speeds of over 50 Mbps during Q1 2023 in Jamaica (83.79 Mbps), Puerto Rico (74.61 Mbps), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (57.08 Mbps), while it fell just short of that benchmark in the Dominican Republic (46.24 Mbps). Viasat had median download speeds of 37.07 Mbps and 33.37 Mbps in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, respectively, during Q1 2023, while HughesNet had a median download speed of 23.74 Mbps in Puerto Rico during Q1 2023.

Upload speeds showed a bit more parity between satellite providers with only Starlink in Jamaica rising above 10 Mbps with a median upload speed of 13.45 Mbps during Q1 2023. Starlink had median upload speeds ranging from 6.65 Mbps to 13.45 Mbps, HughesNet had a median upload speed at 3.78 Mbps in Puerto Rico, and Viasat had upload speeds of 1.02 Mbps and 1.03 Mbps in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, respectively, during Q1 2023.

For multi-server latency, Caribbean satellite users saw higher multi-server latencies than mainland North and South America with only Starlink in Jamaica breaking under 100 ms. While fast speeds for remote users are always going to be appreciated, multi-server latencies of over 100 ms do make some internet uses much harder to do well like live gaming and video conferencing.

New Q1 2023 Starlink countries show promising initial results

Speedtest Intelligence data shows new Starlink data in three countries during Q1 2023, including Nigeria, Peru, and the Philippines, where Starlink is still a nascent provider with limited market share. Median download speeds for new Starlink countries were: 110.78 Mbps in the Philippines, 77.17 Mbps in Peru, and 61.75 Mbps in Nigeria during Q1 2023.

Starlink had slower upload speeds than all fixed broadband providers combined in all of the new countries except Nigeria, which was too close to call at 11.17 Mbps to 10.70 Mbps. Starlink had a much higher latency than fixed broadband providers in the Philippines (162 ms) in Q1 2023, though it came very close in Nigeria 57 ms to 46 ms.

It should be noted that satellite constellations have limited network bandwidth capacity, which may affect the consumer experience as more users sign up for the service. Starlink’s reach within these markets will also be limited by the cost of equipment (CPE) in particular, which ranges from PEN 1,750 ($470) in Peru, to PHP 29,320 ($530) in the Philippines and NGN 268,584 ($590) in Nigeria (prices correct at time of publication).

The 2023 space revolution is off to a huge start

Here are some major updates about what’s next for various different satellite competitors:

Amazon’s Project Kuiper showcases low-cost customer satellite terminals

After Amazon’s Project Kuiper 3,236 satellite LEO constellation was greenlit by the FCC, Amazon swiftly moved to showcase its consumer terminals in March. These new terminals have different tiered models, which are promised to deliver 100 Mbps and 400 Mbps models for consumers and businesses, and 1 Gbps models for “enterprise, government, and telecommunications applications that require even more bandwidth.” Furthermore, Amazon is getting into the chipset business and producing their own 5G modem chip, which will feature in each terminal.

Viasat launched its Viasat-3 arrays

On April 30, 2023, Viasat launched the first of three long-awaited Viasat-3 arrays, which aims to provide 1 Terabit per second (Tbps) of network capacity on each satellite, double that of the entire operating fleet. Add two more satellites and Viasat could raise the throughput up to 500-600% of its current network capacity. That could allow its users to experience 100+ Mbps connections — a huge improvement for many consumers. We’ll be eagerly anticipating results in the coming quarters.

Eutelsat, OneWeb, and Intelsat are making big moves

While the merger of Eutelsat and OneWeb has yet to be fully completed, both satellite operators inked major deals with Intelsat to add more global satellite capacity. Furthermore, OneWeb launched an additional 36 LEO satellites into orbit in late March 2023, providing additional options for many of its resellers.

European Union greenlights multi-orbit constellation

The European Union has approved its multi-orbit, €6 billion constellation plan, which includes GEO, MEO, and LEO arrays, and will offer connectivity to all EU citizens. The project will support EU connectivity priorities including the economy, environment, security and defense, and is hoping to launch in 2024, and be fully operational by 2027.

HughesNet aiming to launch Jupiter 3 array in Q2 2023

Incumbent satellite internet provider HughesNet has revealed its new Jupiter 3 array, which is designed to offer 500 Gbps over Ka-band and will allow HughesNet to provide consumers offerings of 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps. While the array still doesn’t have an official launch, the Jupiter 3 array is “doubling the size of the Hughes JUPITER fleet over North and South America.”

Ookla will continue monitoring new satellite internet developments

As 2023 continues to shape up as a pivotal year for satellite internet providers, we’ll be watching the sky to make sure providers are providing the connectivity consumers need. We’ll continue our series next quarter with Q1 and Q2 2023 data from Asia, Europe, Oceania, and any new countries where Starlink launches, and be back with Africa, North America, and South America data in Q4 2023. In the meantime, be sure to download the Speedtest® app for Windows and Mac computers or for iOS or Android for devices and see how your satellite internet stacks up to our findings.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on May 10 with clarifying details and an updated chart.

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Josh Fomon

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Affandy Johan | July 22, 2024

Fiber In The Philippines Is Improving And Catching Up With Its Regional Peers

Fixed broadband speeds in the Philippines are gradually improving. This is attributed to the combined efforts of ISPs and government agencies to expand coverage and promote the transition from legacy fixed-line technologies to faster fiber connections. However, the distribution of fixed network infrastructure across the country is uneven, and there is still room for further improvement and adoption.

Key Takeaways

Fixed performance in the Philippines is improving but still lags behind some neighbors. While the Philippines’ fixed broadband network performance continues to improve quarter over quarter, Ookla® Speedtest Intelligence® shows the Philippines’ speed of 94.42 Mbps in Q2 2024 was behind some of its Southeast Asian peers’ median download speeds, such as Singapore (284.93 Mbps), Thailand (231.01 Mbps), Vietnam (135.00 Mbps), and Malaysia (132.72 Mbps).
The five fastest regions in the Philippines were in Luzon Island, highlighting the unequal distribution of fixed network infrastructure. In Q2 2024, Luzon Island had the regions with the top five fastest fixed performance in the Philippines, all reporting download and upload speeds surpassing 90 Mbps. Calabarzon had the fastest fixed median download speed of 99.55 Mbps, while the Eastern Visayas region had the lowest median fixed download speed of 38.43 Mbps.
An increase of Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellite-based connection is an interesting development and may make this satellite service a viable home broadband alternative. Speedtest samples for Starlink in the Philippines have significantly increased over the past year. However, Starlink’s performance lags behind that of fixed broadband, with median download speeds half of fixed download speeds for all operators, at 48.14 Mbps compared to 94.42 Mbps. Upload speeds were also significantly lower, at 12.63 Mbps compared to 94.13 Mbps reported by all fixed broadband operators.

Philippines’ fixed performance continues to trail behind neighboring counterparts

Broadband subscriptions in Southeast Asia substantially surged during the pandemic, reflecting the increased demand for connectivity. Although 92% of the total broadband subscriptions are mobile, there are efforts in the region to bolster fixed broadband access. Government initiatives in the region have led to improvements in fixed broadband performance. However, there is still a disparity in broadband performance among regional counterparts.

Looking at performance in Q2 2024 in select Southeast Asian markets, Singapore and Thailand maintained a significant performance lead compared to other countries in the region, achieving median fixed broadband download speeds in excess of 200 Mbps during Q2 2024. Malaysia and Vietnam demonstrated similar performance, both achieving median fixed download speeds of 132.72 Mbps and 135.00 Mbps, respectively, surpassing the Philippines’ speed of 94.42 Mbps in Q2 2024. Of the remaining selected markets, Brunei had a speed of 77.50 Mbps, trailing behind the Philippines, while Indonesia, which shares geographical similarities with the Philippines as both are archipelagos composed of thousands of islands, reported the slowest fixed-line market, recording a median download speed of 31.42 Mbps during the same period.

Fixed Median Download Speed Across Select Southeast Asian Countries
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2024

Mobile internet is the primary means of access in the Philippines, with only 33% of households having fixed broadband, which is significantly lower than the ASEAN average of 41%. Additionally, the annual charge for fixed broadband accounts for 11% of the per capita gross national income (GNI), which is twice as much as the ASEAN average, making it unaffordable for some of the lower-income population.

Accelerated fiber deployments result in a 50% improvement in broadband speeds

The Philippines was the fastest growing economy across Southeast Asia in 2023. With the improving GDP, there is more disposable income for people to afford connectivity solutions and increased demand for better broadband connectivity in the country. As a result, the fixed broadband market in the Philippines has undergone significant transformations in recent years, marked by a notable shift towards fiber networks and the implementation of 5G fixed wireless access. Both governmental initiatives and efforts by leading ISPs have resulted in substantial investments aimed at expanding and modernizing infrastructure throughout the archipelago.

According to GlobalData in 2022, DSL lines accounted for 37% of total fixed broadband subscriptions in the Philippines. This is expected to gradually decrease and be replaced by fiber, with projections indicating that fiber will constitute over 36% of all fixed broadband lines by 2027.

One key government project aimed at enhancing internet infrastructure is the National Broadband Plan (NBP). Through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Philippine government has rolled out the NBP, which seeks to bridge the digital divide by establishing a nationwide fiber broadband network and wireless technology to provide faster and more affordable internet access to all Filipinos.

As part of NBF, the government recently launched the first phase of its National Fiber Backbone (NFP) project. Targeted to be completed by 2026, the NFB project aims to enhance connectivity and government operational efficiency while extending internet access in Regions I, III, and NCR.

Besides government-led initiatives, ISPs such as Converge ICT, Globe Telecom, and PLDT are investing in and expanding their networks and upgrading their technologies. These efforts aim to offer faster internet speeds to their customers and enhance internet connectivity in both urban and rural areas.

PLDT started deploying fiber in 2015 and as of the end of 2023 it reached 17.3 million households with fiber.. Similarly, Converge ICT, the incumbent fixed broadband player, added 900,000 new homes to its fiber footprint in 2023 and ended the year with nearly 16 million homes passed.

Network performance in the Philippines has improved over the past two years. Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data indicates a steady increase in median fixed download and upload speeds across the Philippines for all fixed providers combined between Q2 2022 and Q2 2024. During this period, the median fixed download speed rose by 51% from 62.51 Mbps to 94.42 Mbps. Since most ISPs offer symmetric speeds, the median fixed upload speed also showed an upward trend, increasing from 58.65 Mbps in Q2 2022 to 94.13 Mbps in Q2 2024.

Median Fixed DL and UL Performance in the Philippines
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2022 – Q2 2024

Regions in Luzon Island dominates fixed broadband performance, underscoring disparities across the country

Despite various efforts to enhance fixed performance throughout the Philippines, there are persistent regional disparities in median download and upload speeds due to the uneven distribution of fixed network infrastructure. Based on Speedtest Intelligence® data from Q2 2024, Luzon Island stands out for its fixed internet performance, with the five fastest regions situated on the island, recording download and upload speeds surpassing 90 Mbps. Given Luzon’s economic significance and high population density, it is where the majority of the country’s investment in high-speed broadband infrastructure is concentrated, especially in the capital, Metro Manila, as well as nearby provinces, and central Luzon.

Calabarzon, the region with the largest population of 16 million, had the fastest fixed median download speed of 99.55 Mbps in Q2 2024. The region has the second-highest percentage of households with access to fixed broadband network, at 23.4%, after Metro Manila (NCR), which had the highest share, at 26.4%. At the other end of the scale, the Eastern Visayas region (Region VIII), occupying the eastern section of Visayas Island, scored the lowest median fixed download speed at 38.43 Mbps.

Fixed Wireless Access and satellite broadband as an alternative to bridge the digital gap

The Philippines’ geographical layout, consisting of over 7,000 islands, is challenging for fiber deployment. Due to the archipelago’s structure, ISPs may be reluctant to invest in fiber deployment as accessing remote parts can be difficult. In many low-density and low ARPU areas, fixed networks are neither cost-effective nor logistically viable. To this end, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) and Satellite Communication (SatCom) are becoming attractive options for tapping into these underserved and remote populations.

FWA provides the fastest and most flexible broadband option in areas where fixed broadband is unavailable, especially since the Philippines is a predominantly mobile market. 4G FWA has been available in the Philippines for some time and MNOs use FWA to increase broadband adoption in areas with low fixed broadband coverage. As 5G coverage expands nationwide, it brings significant performance improvements, positioning FWA as a strong competitor to the existing fixed alternatives, such as fiber-to-the-home (FTTH).

The Philippines was the first country in Southeast Asia to experience commercial 5G FWA connectivity. In 2019, Globe launched its first commercially available 5G FWA service called Globe At Home AirFiber 5G. This service offers speeds of up to 100 Mbps and generous data allocations of up to 2 terabytes (TB), starting at around P1,899 (USD$36) per month. Smart Communications launched its prepaid Home Wi-Fi 5G called Smart Bro Home Wi-Fi 5G at the end of 2021.

At its peak, an estimated 4.3 million users in the Philippines access broadband through FWA. Interestingly, the FWA growth rate has declined in the last two years, as reported by ABI Research. In early 2023, Globe Telecom reported a subscriber base of 1.2 million for its fixed wireless services, a decrease from 2.4 million the previous year. Likewise, PLDT reported a 45% decline in FWA subscriptions at the end of 2023 compared to the beginning of the year. This decrease in FWA numbers was partly due to the increased availability of fiber broadband access nationwide. Both providers noted a rise in fixed fiber broadband subscriptions, which is understandable given that fiber provides more reliable connectivity than FWA.

There has also been a significant increase in satellite-based connectivity to provide internet access in areas not covered by traditional terrestrial networks. Based on Speedtest samples, Starlink’s LEO service is providing the majority of satellite internet connectivity in the country. Starlink service in the Philippines launched in early 2023. Based on the comparison between Q2 2024 and Q2 2023, there has been a substantial increase in Starlink Speedtest samples in the Philippines, growing by 228.5% over the past year, and this number is expected to increase further. According ABI Research, the Philippines is projected to become the largest Southeast Asian market for satellite broadband, with 909,000 subscriptions by 2028.

Speedtest Intelligence data indicates that Starlink underperformed compared to all fixed broadband operators combined. Starlink’s Q2 2024 median download speeds were almost half of the median fixed download for all operators, at 48.14 Mbps compared to 94.42 Mbps. Starlink’s median fixed upload speeds, at 12.63 Mbps, significantly lagged behind the 94.13 Mbps provided by fixed broadband operators, which provides symmetrical upload and download speeds.

Multi-server latency tends to be higher for satellite providers, with the significant distances between satellites and receivers resulting in long delays. For Q2 2024, Starlink’s multi-server latency was double that of all fixed operators combined, at 50 ms compared to 25 ms for the latter.

Starlink Performance Against All ISPs Combined
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2024

Besides Starlink’s performance challenges, the equipment and subscription costs are higher than terrestrial broadband options, making it inaccessible for some users. However, it provides a viable alternative, especially in locations without access to fixed broadband or with slower DSL connections.

It’s clear that the regulatory bodies and ISPs in the Philippines are committed to advancing broadband connectivity by implementing various strategies aimed at deploying fiber, promoting its adoption, and offering wireless broadband as an alternative to increase competition. These efforts have led to notable improvements in fiber accessibility and fixed broadband speed over the past two years. However, a significant gap in fixed broadband performance remains compared to some neighboring countries in the region.

Establishing a closer private-public partnership is imperative to meet the increasing demand for better fixed broadband and narrow the gap with neighboring countries. This, in turn, will drive the development of robust fiber networks and promote greater availability of higher-speed broadband services while encouraging existing customers to upgrade to faster speeds. We’ll continue to monitor the progress of the Philippines’s fixed broadband market and provide updates on the state of fixed broadband connectivity across other Southeast Asian markets. If you are interested in Ookla’s solutions and services for network intelligence and management, get in touch.

About the Author

Affandy Johan

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Reimagining In-Building Cellular

Ookla Joins Ericsson's Leading Telecommunications Open RApp System

Dtac and True Merger Talks Point to a Need to Address Unequal Footing in Thailand's 5G

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Key takeaways

Thailand’s 5G performs well compared to its regional counterparts

AIS wins on 5G performance in Thailand, TrueMove H on 5G Availability

Songkhla tops the charts for median 5G download speed

Bangkok has the highest 5G Availability

4G Availability close enough, AIS in the lead for 4G speeds

Consolidation wave across Asia-Pacific could stifle competition

The shape of the Thai mobile market

If approved, M&A would bring more MVNOs to the market

If approved, M&A would change the spectrum landscape

The benefits of scale are obvious

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Sylwia Kechiche

Growing and Slowing: The State of 5G Worldwide in 2021

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5G slowed down at the global level

South Korea had the fastest 5G in the world

5G expanded to 13 additional countries

Seoul and Oslo lead world capitals for 5G

The U.S. had the highest 5G Availability

Not all 5G networks are created equal

Despite the noise around 6G, 5G still has a long way to run

Where 5G still fails to reach

Countries That Still Rely Heavily on 2G and 3G Connections

Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ | Q3 2021

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Isla McKetta

Fixed Broadband Network Performance in Indonesia Falling Further Behind Regional Peers

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Bahasa Indonesia

Key messages:

Singapore leads in fixed broadband network speeds in Southeast Asia

Biznet leading in Indonesia nationwide fixed broadband download speed

Consumer sentiment tracks network performance

Regional disparities in fixed broadband download speeds over Wi-Fi persist

Biznet leading in Jakarta Region for Wi-Fi download speeds

MyRepublic leading in Banten Region fixed broadband download speed over Wi-Fi

Biznet leading in West Java Region fixed broadband download speed over Wi-Fi

MyRepublic leading in Central Java Region Wi-Fi fixed broadband download speed

Biznet leading in East Java Region for Wi-Fi fixed broadband download speed

MTM Bali leading in Bali Region fixed broadband download speed over Wi-Fi

Indonesian fixed broadband outlook

Performa Jaringan Fixed Broadband di Indonesia Semakin Tertinggal dari Rekan-rekannya di Satu Kawasan

Pesan utama:

Singapura memimpin dalam kecepatan jaringan fixed broadband di Asia Tenggara

Biznet memimpin di Indonesia secara nasional pada kecepatan unduh fixed broadband

Sentimen konsumen mengikuti jejak performa jaringan

Kesenjangan di tingkat regional dalam hal kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi tetap terjadi

Biznet memimpin di wilayah Jakarta dalam kecepatan unduh Wi-Fi

MyRepublic memimpin di wilayah Banten dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Biznet memimpin di wilayah Jawa Barat dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

MyRepublic memimpin di wilayah Jawa Tengah dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Biznet memimpin di wilayah Jawa Timur dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

MTM Bali memimpin di wilayah Bali dalam kecepatan unduh fixed broadband melalui Wi-Fi

Prospek fixed broadband di Indonesia

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Mark Giles

Stable and Expanding: The State of Worldwide 5G in 2022

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5G speeds were stable at the global level

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates led countries for 5G speeds

Satellite became more accessible but performance slowed

5G Availability points to on-going challenges

Where 5G continues to fail to reach

Countries That Still Rely Heavily on 2G and 3G Connections

Speedtest IntelligenceⓇ | Q3 2021

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Isla McKetta

5G in Asia Pacific: Deployment Momentum Continues

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Key messages