Tag: Network Evolution

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 20, 2021

Starlink Expands but Q3 2021 Performance Flattens in Some Areas

Network Evolution


Satellite internet is making headlines across the globe as Starlink continues to launch service in new countries and Viasat plans to acquire Inmarsat. We’re here to check in on our ongoing series on satellite internet performance around the globe with fresh data from Q3 2021 to see if Starlink’s performance is holding up and how satellite internet compares to fixed broadband in 12 countries.

United States: Starlink fastest, speeds decreasing

Consumers in the U.S. looking to use satellite service to connect to the internet will find that performance was mostly flat when comparing Q3 2021 to Q2 2021. Starlink’s median download speed decreased from 97.23 Mbps during Q2 2021 to 87.25 Mbps in Q3 2021, which could be a function of adding more customers. HughesNet followed distantly at 19.30 Mbps (comparable to the 19.73 Mbps we saw in Q2 2021) and Viasat third at 18.75 Mbps (18.13 Mbps in Q2 2021). For comparison, the median download speed for all fixed broadband providers in the U.S. during Q3 2021 was 119.84 Mbps (115.22 Mbps in Q2 2021).

ookla_satellite-performance_us_1221-01-1

Starlink’s median upload speed of 13.54 Mbps (down from 13.89 Mbps in Q2 2021) was much closer to that on all fixed broadband (18.03 Mbps in Q3 2021 and 17.18 Mbps in Q2 2021). Viasat and HughesNet followed at 2.96 Mbps (3.38 Mbps in Q2 2021) and 2.54 Mbps (2.43 Mbps in Q2 2021), respectively.
As we saw last quarter, Starlink, which uses low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, was the only satellite internet provider with a median latency anywhere near that seen on fixed broadband in Q3 2021 (44 ms and 15 ms, respectively). Viasat and HughesNet, which both utilize higher “geosynchronous” orbits, had median latencies of 629 ms and 744 ms, respectively.

Starlink performance varies at the county level

We saw sufficient samples during Q3 2021 to analyze Starlink performance in 304 counties in the U.S. While there was about a 100 Mbps range in performance between the county with the fastest median download speed (Santa Fe County, New Mexico at 146.58 Mbps) and the county with the slowest median download speed (Drummond Township, Michigan at 46.63 Mbps), even the lower-end speeds are well above the FCC’s Baseline performance tier of at least a 25 Mbps download speed.

ookla_united_states_median_download_starlink_map_1221g-01-1

Satellite internet performance elsewhere in the world

We examined satellite internet performance in countries with an established market share to see how well their speeds compare to local fixed broadband. We’re excited to add analysis on satellite performance in Australia and Belgium this quarter.

Australia: Starlink outperformed Viasat and fixed broadband average

Starlink radically outperformed Viasat in Australia during Q3 2021 with a median download speed of 138.12 Mbps to Viasat’s 15.60 Mbps. Starlink also outpaced Viasat for median upload speed at 22.63 Mbps and 1.04 Mbps, respectively. Compared to the median download speed over all fixed broadband of 51.17 Mbps, Starlink could be an attractive alternative to traditional fixed broadband on all levels except latency where Starlink showed 42 ms vs. 10 ms for all fixed broadband combined.

ookla_satellite-performance_au_1221-01-1

Belgium: Starlink dramatically faster than fixed broadband

Starlink’s median download speed of 127.46 Mbps during Q3 2021 was dramatically faster than the country’s median download for all fixed broadband of 72.90 Mbps. At 16.73 Mbps, Starlink’s median upload speed was only slightly slower than the overall median of 17.98 Mbps. However, Starlink’s 49 ms latency was higher than the country’s average of 13 ms. Starlink was the only satellite internet provider with adequate samples to analyze in Belgium during Q3 2021.

ookla_satellite-performance_be_1221-01

Brazil: Viasat close to national average

Viasat’s median download speed in Brazil improved to 66.32 Mbps during Q3 2021 (up from 60.30 Mbps in Q2 2021. This was close to the national median for fixed broadband of 71.50 Mbps. Viasat’s median upload speed (1.06 Mbps) was much slower, however, than that on fixed broadband (36.37 Mbps), and Viasat’s latency was much higher (615 ms vs 6 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_br_1221-01-1

Canada: Starlink performance relatively flat

Our previous article showed that Starlink’s median download speed exceeded that of fixed broadband in Canada during Q2 2021 (86.92 Mbps vs. 84.24 Mbps). In Q3 2021, Starlink’s median download speed decreased slightly to 84.55 Mbps while that over all fixed broadband increased to 90.67 Mbps. This is in line with what we expect to see on new technologies as additional users are added to a system. Starlink’s median upload speed was slower than fixed broadband (13.87 Mbps vs. 20.67 Mbps). Latency on Starlink was much higher (56 ms vs. 12 ms). Starlink is still a viable alternative to fixed broadband in Canada, especially for consumers without access to other options.

ookla_satellite-performance_ca_1221-01-1

Starlink faster than overall fixed broadband in 5 provinces

Starlink showed enough samples to analyze performance in nine out of 10 provinces in Canada during Q3 2021. Starlink’s Q3 2021 median download speed was faster than the median for all fixed broadband in five provinces: Manitoba (81.04 Mbps vs. 65.91 Mbps), Nova Scotia (109.60 Mbps vs. 99.82 Mbps), Prince Edward Island (118.02 Mbps vs. 46.86 Mbps), Quebec (92.59 Mbps vs. 72.07 Mbps) and Saskatchewan (97.67 Mbps vs. 57.59 Mbps). Download speeds were comparable between Starlink and overall fixed broadband in New Brunswick (104.56 Mbps vs. 104.28 Mbps), and overall fixed broadband was faster than Starlink in Alberta (92.65 Mbps vs. 82.48 Mbps), British Columbia (111.36 Mbps vs. 87.34 Mbps) and Ontario (86.26 Mbps vs. 79.54 Mbps).

ookla_canada_median_download_starlink_map_1221g-01

Chile: HughesNet slower than fixed broadband average

HughesNet was hard pressed to compete with Chile’s fixed broadband, which ranked fourth in the world during October 2021. HughesNet showed a 15.21 Mbps median download speed compared during Q3 2021 with the country’s fixed broadband average of 133.81 Mbps during the same period. Median upload speeds also showed a wide gap (3.50 Mbps for HughesNet to 62.18 Mbps on fixed broadband), and HughesNet’s latency was very high (626 ms vs. 8 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_cl_1221-01-1

Colombia: HughesNet slow but improving

HughesNet’s median download speed increased in Q3 2021 to 12.12 Mbps (up from 9.28 Mbps during Q2 2021), compared with Colombia’s 46.08 Mbps for fixed broadband overall (35.90 Mbps in Q2 2021). Median upload speed was also slower using the satellite internet provider (3.05 Mbps) than fixed broadband (10.50 Mbps), and latency was much higher on satellite (753 ms vs. 15 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_co_1221-01-1

France: Starlink speeds decreasing, remains faster than fixed broadband average

Starlink users in France saw a median download speed of 102.15 Mbps in Q3 2021 (down from 139.39 Mbps in Q2 2021, likely due to increased usage). Starlink’s download speed easily beat the country-wide median for fixed broadband of 75.47 Mbps (up from 70.81 Mbps in Q2 2021). Starlink’s upload speed during Q3 2021 was slower than the fixed broadband median (19.84 Mbps vs. 56.66 Mbps), and Starlink’s latency was higher (54 ms vs. 13 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_fr_1221-01

Germany: Starlink faster than country average for fixed broadband

Starlink’s median download speed in Germany of 95.40 Mbps was much faster than the country median of 60.99 Mbps during Q3 2021. Starlink was slightly slower for upload speed than overall fixed broadband (17.63 Mbps vs. 21.05 Mbps) and Starlink showed a higher latency (45 ms vs. 15 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_de_1221-01-1

Mexico: Viasat faster than HughesNet for downloads

Viasat, with a median download speed of 14.94 Mbps during Q3 2021 (up from 13.95 Mbps in Q2 2021), was faster than HughesNet (10.64 Mbps in Q3 2021, down from 11.92 Mbps in Q2 2021) but slower than the country’s median for fixed broadband (33.14 Mbps in Q3 2021, 29.99 Mbps in Q2 2021). HughesNet was slightly faster than Viasat for upload speed during Q3 2021 (3.21 Mbps vs. 2.03 Mbps). While Viasat’s latency was high (675 ms vs 12 ms for fixed broadband), it was lower than HughesNet’s (748 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_mx_1221-01-1

New Zealand: Starlink slowed slightly, remained faster than fixed broadband average

Starlink’s Q3 2021 median download speed (120.10 Mbps, down from 127.02 Mbps in Q2 2021, likely due to increased usage) was much faster than New Zealand’s median fixed broadband download speed (84.98 in Q3 2021 up from 78.85 Mbps in Q2 2021). Starlink was slower than New Zealand’s overall fixed broadband for Q3 2021 upload speed (16.87 Mbps vs. 23.62 Mbps). While Starlink’s median latency improved from 101 ms in Q2 2021 to 81 ms in Q3 2021, it was still slower than New Zealand’s median for all fixed broadband of 7 ms during Q3 2021.

ookla_satellite-performance_nz_1221-01-1

United Kingdom: Starlink nearly twice as fast as fixed broadband average

Starlink showed a much faster median download speed in the U.K. during Q3 2021 (111.66 Mbps, up from 108.30 Mbps in Q2 2021) than the country’s median for fixed broadband (53.16 Mbps in Q3 2021, up from 50.14 Mbps in Q2 2021). Starlink’s upload speed was comparable to the median for all fixed broadband in the U.K. (16.02 Mbps vs. 15.77 Mbps), and the latency was pretty good, given the distance traveled (37 ms vs. 15 ms).

ookla_satellite-performance_uk_1221-01-1

We look forward to updating this data again next quarter with new locations as satellite internet continues to become a more viable option for many. If you’re using satellite internet, take a Speedtest to help us provide an accurate picture of real-world performance.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Isla McKetta

Ookla Research™ Articles
| November 30, 2022

Starlink Speeds Dipped Slightly During Q3 2022 as the Space Race Heats up

Network Evolution

Ookla® has exciting, fresh data from Q3 2022 for SpaceX’s Starlink, HughesNet, and Viasat in North and South America, as well as new Starlink markets we haven’t yet featured in our ongoing series on satellite internet. With accelerating competition on the horizon for 2023, we’ve been eager to see how Starlink continues to perform, especially as building new fiber connections continues to be costly around the world. 

This analysis includes results from five additional countries, two new providers, and expanded data for Starlink, HughesNet, and Viasat. We also examine how Starlink’s internet performance has changed over the past year in Canada, Chile, and the United States.

Starlink performance dipped once again during Q3 2022 (though only slightly)

Chart of Starlink perfromance in select North and South American countries

Perhaps a victim of their own success, Starlink download speeds dropped once again in Canada (at least 14%) and the U.S. (at least 17%) from Q2 to Q3 2022, while speeds remained roughly the same in Chile quarter over quarter. During the same period, fixed broadband performance raced ahead, improving at least 8% to 115.18 Mbps in Canada, at least 4% to 207.04 Mbps in Chile, and at least 8% to 164.13 Mbps in the U.S. 

Over the past year, as we’ve seen more users flock to sign up for Starlink (reaching 400,000 users worldwide during Q2 2022), speeds have started to decrease. Without a doubt, Starlink often can be a life-changing service for consumers where connectivity is inadequate or nonexistent. Even as speeds slow, they still provide more than enough connectivity to do almost everything consumers normally need to do, including streaming 4K video and video messaging. The biggest thing you might have issues with is if you’re trying to play multiplayer online games — even being a low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite, latency still lags far behind low-latency fixed broadband connections.

Starlink upload speeds remained roughly unchanged in all three countries we surveyed during Q3 2022, improving marginally in Canada and Chile, and essentially staying the same in the U.S. 

Starlink remains a boon for rural U.S. consumers who can afford it

Map of Starlink expansion in U.S. counties

Over the past year, Starlink has proliferated across the U.S., going from having at least 10 unique users in 776 U.S. counties, or roughly 25% of all counties during Q2-Q3 2021 to 2,399 counties in Q2-Q3 2022, or roughly 75% of counties. That marks about a 200% increase year over year, indicating consumer confidence in the provider. 

Looking at only “nonmetro” counties as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, 336 counties showed at least 10 Starlink users in Q2-Q3 2021. That was about 17% of all nonmetro counties. In Q2-Q3 2022, that rose to 1359 counties, or about 69% of nonmetro counties, marking about a 300% increase year over year. 

Starlink in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands had the fastest satellite internet in North America

Chart of satellite performance compared to fixed broadband internet in North America

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that Starlink in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands had the fastest median download speed among satellite providers in North America at 85.88 Mbps and 85.57 Mbps during Q3 2022. Starlink in the Dominican Republic (72.01 Mbps), Canada (65.80 Mbps), Mexico (64.30 Mbps), and the U.S. (53.00 Mbps) followed. Starlink had faster median download speeds than all fixed broadband providers combined in all of these countries except Canada and the U.S., and Viasat outperformed fixed broadband in the Dominican Republic (22.92 Mbps). 

Viasat and HughesNet recorded their fastest median download speeds in Puerto Rico at 36.65 Mbps and 22.19 Mbps, respectively. Almost every satellite provider on our list reached speeds fast enough to stream high-quality video at around 20 Mbps, though latency still was much higher than fixed broadband internet.

For upload speeds, Starlink outperformed fixed broadband providers combined in the Dominican Republic (14.68 Mbps to 5.83 Mbps) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (12.59 Mbps to 8.37 Mbps). Fixed broadband providers in Canada had the fastest upload on our list at 29.29 Mbps.

Multi-server latency showed satellite internet’s limits, with the huge distances between satellite and receivers adding up to long lags — and every satellite provider with higher latencies than fixed broadband providers. However, the Dominican Republic and U.S. Virgin Islands still had higher fixed broadband multi-server latencies at 55.45 ms and 76.15 ms, respectively. Starlink in the U.S. had the lowest multi-server latency at 67.16 ms, followed by Canada (77.32 ms), and Mexico (96.42 ms), which were the only satellite options that had a multi-server latency under 100 ms.

Starlink in Brazil was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Chart of satellite performance compared to fixed broadband internet in South America

Brazilian satellite consumers weren’t lacking for fast internet options during Q3 2022, with Starlink blazing ahead among satellite providers in South America at 112.97 Mbps. Even Viasat notched a respectable median download speed of 45.15 Mbps. Starlink in Brazil was also the only satellite provider to outperform its country’s fixed broadband speeds, with ultrafast fixed broadband in Chile pulling ahead of Starlink 207.04 Mbps to 92.58 Mbps. Colombia was statistically too close to call in Q3 2022 with Starlink at 71.42 Mbps and fixed broadband at 83.76 Mbps. HughesNet trailed far behind with its fastest speed in Chile at 22.62 Mbps during Q3 2022.

For upload speeds, fixed broadband providers in every country we surveyed were faster than their satellite counterparts during Q3 2022. Starlink in Colombia had the fastest upload speed among satellite providers at 24.48 Mbps.

Speedtest Intelligence reveals multi-server latency told a similar story, with every country’s fixed broadband providers having a lower multi-server latency than their satellite counterparts. However, Starlink in Brazil and Chile had the lowest satellite multi-server latencies at 52.21 ms and 52.32 ms, respectively, during Q3 2022. Viasat and HughesNet lowest latencies were far behind with Viasat in Brazil at 670.63 ms and HughesNet in Chile at 713.04 ms.

New Q3 2022 Starlink countries have mixed results

Chart of satellite performance compared to fixed broadband internet in select countries

Speedtest Intelligence data shows Starlink data in six new countries during Q3 2022, including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, Moldova, Norway, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Starlink in Estonia (93.48 Mbps), the U.S. Virgin Islands (85.57 Mbps), and the Dominican Republic (72.01 Mbps) were much faster options than fixed broadband providers in their respective countries during Q3 2022. Starlink in Norway (113.86 Mbps) and Colombia (71.42 Mbps) were statistically in the same range as fixed broadband providers in their respective countries during the same time period. Starlink in Moldova (53.11 Mbps) was much slower than all fixed broadband providers combined (105.65 Mbps), though for rural folks with fewer options, still provides a speedy connection.

In all six countries, Starlink underperformed all fixed broadband providers combined for upload speed during Q3 2022, lagging behind from 12.59 Mbps to 24.48 Mbps, while median fixed broadband upload speeds ranged from 30.66 Mbps to 93.80 Mbps.

Multi-server latency was generally much higher than fixed broadband, with Starlink in Colombia showing the lowest multi-server latency at 58.65 ms, followed by Norway (73.00 ms), Estonia (85.37 ms), Moldova (105.26 ms), the Dominican Republic (110.62 ms), and the U.S. Virgin Islands (113.12 ms). 

The great space race is on

There is no doubt a new space race for connectivity is being waged across the world. Competitors are pouring hundreds of millions and even billions into unlocking the celestial connectivity dilemma. Here are some major updates about what’s next for various different satellite competitors:

With the competition for satellite connectivity heating up and Starlink facing potentially more competition in the coming months, we’ll be keeping our eyes to the sky to see how connectivity is performing. We’ll continue our series next quarter with Q3-Q4 2022 data from Europe and Oceania and any new countries where Starlink launches, and be back with North and South America data in Q2 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.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite
U.S. Virgin Islands

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 20, 2022

Starlink Slowed in Q2, Competitors Mounting Challenges

Network Evolution

Ookla® has covered SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet for over a year now with our ongoing series on satellite internet performance. We’ve seen Starlink launch in new locations across the world, and while some speeds have shown signs of slowing down from their initial launches, the newly announced T-Mobile partnership with Starlink could extend the benefit of satellite connections to the mobile market.

Today, we have fresh data on satellite performance during Q2 2022 in Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America. This analysis includes results from eight additional countries, two new providers, and expanded data for Starlink, HughesNet, and Viasat. We also examine how Starlink’s internet performance has changed over the past year in Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Starlink speeds decreased in every country we surveyed over the past year as more users sign up for service

Chart of Starlink performances in select countries

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that median download speeds for Starlink fell across Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the U.K, and the U.S., dropping between 9% and 54% from Q2 2021 to Q2 2022 as more users signed up for the service. However, Starlink still reached a median download speed of at least 60 Mbps in North America during Q2 2022, which is more than enough for at least one connected device to do most everything on the internet including streaming video, downloading games, and chatting on video with friends and family.

Upload speeds also slowed on Starlink, with speeds decreasing across all of the countries we’ve tracked over the past year. Latency fared a little better with latency remaining relatively flat (though high when compared to fixed broadband) in most countries. New Zealand was the outlier, with latency dropping 23 ms. For most users, we still suspect these dips are still worthwhile for areas that have no service, slow service, or few affordable options for fast internet.

Starlink in Puerto Rico was the fastest satellite provider in North America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in North America

Starlink in Puerto Rico had the fastest satellite internet in North America during Q2 2022 with a median download speed of 112.22 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Mexico (80.17 Mbps), Canada (75.73 Mbps), and the U.S. (62.53 Mbps). Starlink in Puerto Rico and Mexico was faster than their countries’ fixed broadband providers combined (74.80 Mbps and 45.50 Mbps, respectively), while fixed broadband in the U.S. (150.12 Mbps) and Canada (106.41 Mbps) was faster than each country’s satellite providers.

In every country except Mexico, fixed broadband upload speeds were faster than satellite speeds. Starlink in Mexico edged out fixed broadband providers 14.48 Mbps to 12.20 Mbps. Latency was higher for every satellite provider compared to fixed broadband. Starlink in the U.S. had the lowest median latency among satellite providers at 48 ms.

Starlink outperformed fixed broadband average in 16 European countries

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Europe

Speedtest Intelligence shows Starlink was fast in Europe during Q2 2022, outperforming fixed broadband median download speed in 16 countries and reached download speeds over 100 Mbps in 10 countries. In contrast, fixed broadband only achieved median download speeds over 100 Mbps in six countries: Romania, Spain, Portugal, France, Hungary, and the Netherlands during Q2 2022. Starlink was fastest for median download speed in Portugal at 123.01 Mbps, the Netherlands (122.43 Mbps), Austria (112.01 Mbps), France (110.98 Mbps), and Belgium (110.40 Mbps). Romania and Spain were the only countries to have fixed broadband beat Starlink for fastest median download speed, achieving 131.41 Mbps and 127.19 Mbps, respectively.

For upload, Starlink in Greece and Austria was the only satellite provider to achieve faster upload speeds than all fixed broadband providers combined at 19.34 Mbps to 5.14 Mbps, and to 17.14 Mbps to 15.90 Mbps, respectively. Fixed broadband providers in Spain (99.21 Mbps), Romania (94.23 Mbps), Sweden (92.77 Mbps), France (88.22 Mbps), Lithuania (83.54 Mbps), and Portugal (73.13 Mbps) all recorded median upload speeds greater than 70 Mbps, with the closest satellite provider being Starlink in Portugal at 28.52 Mbps.

All satellite providers fell far behind fixed broadband providers in the whole of Europe for latency during Q2 2022. Starlink in Spain and the United Kingdom recorded the lowest satellite latencies at 37 ms and 39 ms, respectively — still a far cry from the closest fixed broadband latency, which was 14 ms in Germany, Greece, and Italy.

Starlink in Brazil was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in South America

Our analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data found Starlink in Brazil was the fastest satellite provider in South America with a median download speed of 128.38 Mbps during Q2 2022, followed by Starlink in Chile at 94.79 Mbps. Chilean fixed broadband internet was still much faster for those who could get access to it. The Speedtest Global Index™ found Chile had the second fastest fixed broadband internet in the world with a median download speed of 211.43 Mbps during August 2022. Starlink in Brazil was the only satellite provider to be faster than its country’s fixed broadband providers combined.

Like last quarter, South American fixed broadband providers surpassed satellite providers in each respective upload speeds during Q2 2022. All satellite providers had a higher median latency than fixed broadband, though Starlink in Brazil and Chile had latencies of 38 ms.

Starlink in New Zealand was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania 

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Oceania

Starlink’s fastest median download speed in Oceania was in New Zealand at 105.99 Mbps, though this still fell short of fixed broadband providers in the country. Starlink in Australia was faster than fixed broadband providers by a wide margin at 102.76 Mbps to 51.46 Mbps during Q2 2022. Starlink outperformed fixed broadband providers in new-to-our-list Tonga 45.25 Mbps to 22.32 Mbps. 

New Zealand’s fixed broadband dominated for the fastest median upload speed in Oceania at 87.29 Mbps during Q2 2022, while Australia’s fixed broadband fell far behind with an upload speed of 17.86 Mbps. Both speeds were still faster than Starlink’s median upload speeds in New Zealand and Australia (12.31 Mbps and 10.45 Mbps, respectively). Tonga didn’t have a statistical winner for fastest upload speed, but Starlink reached 19.26 Mbps and fixed broadband 18.11 Mbps. Fixed broadband also had a lower median latency than Starlink during Q1 2022, which clocked in at 49 ms in Australia, 78 ms in New Zealand, and 98 ms in Tonga.

Biggest questions lie ahead, but competition will be good for consumers

Satellite connectivity is coming to mobile, with Starlink’s new partnership with T-Mobile and new mobile devices becoming satellite enabled. This will cause ripples across North America, which is a net positive for consumers who live in areas with low mobile and fixed broadband connectivity. Connecting with the world won’t be a question of how anymore, it will be a question of how good your experience is. That’s hopefully a win-win for consumers, especially as more providers vie for the fastest and best satellite experience — a true global space race.

Starlink isn’t stopping there — they’re trying to get into airplanes, cruise ships, and cars. But they’re not the only satellite provider making moves; Viasat is launching its Viasat-3 fleet, OneWeb is combining business with Eutelsat, and Amazon is sending 3,236 Project Kuiper satellites into orbit. We’ll be here monitoring the skies in our ongoing satellite series. Take a Speedtest® to help us provide an accurate and more complete picture of real-world performance. And if we’re missing data on your satellite network, send us a screenshot of your speed on Twitter or Facebook.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 28, 2022

Here’s How Fast Starlink Has Gotten Over the Past Year

Network Evolution

It’s been a year since we first examined SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet, which launched its public beta in November 2020. Today we’re updating our ongoing series on satellite internet performance with data from Q1 2022 in Europe, Oceania, North America, and South America, including results from 10 additional countries. We’re also examining how Starlink’s internet performance has changed over the past year in the United States and Canada.

Starlink speeds increased nearly 58% in Canada and 38% in the U.S. over the past year

chart of Starlink and fixed broadband performance in Canada and the United States

Speedtest Intelligence® reveals that median download speeds for Starlink dramatically increased from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022 in the U.S. and Canada, as did speeds for all fixed broadband providers combined. In the U.S., Starlink median download speeds improved roughly 38% from 65.72 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 90.55 Mbps in Q1 2022. In Canada, Starlink’s download speed leapt ahead nearly 58% from 61.84 Mbps to 97.40 Mbps during the same time period.

However, Speedtest Intelligence also showed that upload speeds for Starlink decreased at least 33% in the U.S. (16.29 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 9.33 Mbps in Q1 2022) and at least 36% in Canada (16.69 Mbps to 10.70 Mbps) during the same time period. Median latency on Starlink marginally increased from 40 ms to 43 ms in the U.S. and from 51 ms to 55 ms in Canada during the past year. For many Starlink users, we suspect these changes are negligible.

Starlink in Mexico was the fastest satellite provider in North America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in North America

Starlink in Mexico had the fastest satellite internet in North America during Q1 2022 with a median download speed of 105.91 Mbps, followed by Starlink in Canada (97.40 Mbps) and the U.S. (90.55 Mbps). Mexico’s fixed broadband download speed (40.07 Mbps) was much slower than Starlink, while Starlink download speeds were slower than fixed broadband for all providers combined in the U.S. (144.22 Mbps) and Canada (106.86 Mbps). Puerto Rico, new to our list, showed HughesNet had the fastest satellite internet on the island territory at 20.54 Mbps, though fixed broadband was much faster at 68.88 Mbps.

Starlink in Lithuania was the fastest satellite provider in Europe

Chart of satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Europe

Speedtest Intelligence showed that Starlink blazed ahead in Europe during Q1 2022, with Starlink achieving a 100+ Mbps median download speed in every country where it was commercially available. In contrast, fixed broadband only achieved median download speeds over 100 Mbps in Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands during Q1 2022. Starlink was fastest for download speed in Lithuania at 160.08 Mbps, followed by Belgium (147.85 Mbps), Slovakia (146.25 Mbps), Croatia (136.00 Mbps), and Austria (132.61 Mbps). Spain was the only country to have its fixed broadband beat Starlink for fastest median download speed, achieving 131.99 Mbps to Starlink’s 108.43 Mbps within the country.

For upload, fixed broadband providers in Spain (100.65 Mbps), France (86.02 Mbps), Portugal (74.42 Mbps), and Lithuania (73.95 Mbps) all recorded median speeds greater than 70 Mbps, while the closest satellite provider, Starlink in Portugal, trailed at 32.05 Mbps.

All satellite providers fell far behind fixed broadband providers in the whole of Europe for latency during Q1 2022, with Starlink in Spain and the United Kingdom recording the highest satellite latencies at 35 ms and 36 ms, respectively — a far cry from the lowest fixed broadband latency, which was 15 ms in the U.K.

Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in South America

Our analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data found Starlink in Chile was the fastest satellite provider in South America with a median download speed of 110.49 Mbps during Q1 2022. Although Chilean fixed broadband internet was much faster for those who could get access to it. In fact, during May 2022, the Speedtest Global Index™ found Chile had the second fastest fixed broadband internet in the world with a median download speed of 206.97 Mbps, just a hair shy of Singapore’s first place speed of 209.21 Mbps. 

No South American satellite provider surpassed its country’s fixed broadband download or upload speeds during Q1 2022. Viasat in Brazil had a noteworthy median download speed of 62.07 Mbps, though still fell short of the country’s fixed broadband speed of 90.20 Mbps. All satellite providers had a higher median latency than fixed broadband, though Starlink in Chile had a latency of 38 ms.

Starlink in Australia was the fastest satellite provider in Oceania

Chart of Satellite performance versus fixed broadband internet in Oceania

Starlink raced ahead in Oceania, recording faster median download speeds than fixed broadband in both Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, Starlink had a median download speed of 124.31 Mbps, much faster than Australian fixed broadband at 50.87 Mbps for download during Q1 2022. The comparison in New Zealand was much closer with Starlink’s median download speed at 118.70 Mbps and fixed broadband at 116.83 Mbps during Q1 2022.

New Zealand’s fixed broadband dominated for the fastest median upload speed in Oceania at 84.34 Mbps during Q1 2022, while Australia’s fixed broadband fell far behind with an upload speed at 17.85 Mbps. Both speeds were still faster than Starlink’s median upload speeds in New Zealand and Australia (13.09 Mbps and 11.71 Mbps, respectively). Fixed broadband also had a faster median latency than Starlink during Q1 2022, which clocked in at 47 ms in Australia and 78 ms in New Zealand.

Consumers are flocking to Starlink, but competitors are close behind

As we’ve continued to see over the past year, Starlink’s low-earth orbit satellites (LEOs) provide a life-changing service for consumers in rural areas that might not otherwise have access to high-speed internet. However, more companies are looking to compete with Starlink and launch their own LEO constellations, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which recently received FCC permission to test their own satellite service and is slated to launch later this year, and Viasat which is set to merge with Inmarsat and launch new constellations by 2023.

We’ll continue to monitor the skies in our ongoing satellite series, but if you’re using satellite internet, take a Speedtest® to help us provide an accurate and more complete picture of real-world performance.

Editor’s note: This article was amended on June 28 to clarify percentage increases in the U.S. and Canada and to update the percent change for upload for Canada.

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.

Network Evolution
Satellite

About the Author

Josh Fomon

Ookla Research™ Articles
| March 30, 2020

Inside Japan’s Unique Approach to 5G

Network Evolution

日本語で読む

Japan has been a leader in mobile technology since its inception, and Japanese companies continue to occupy the cutting edge of mobile telephony. LTE networks in Japan have been able to deliver very competitive speeds in the densest urban areas, which speaks volumes about the cell density of the country’s networks. This article explores how Japanese mobile operators are applying this leading mindset to 5G.

How Japan utilizes spectrum

Japanese operators utilize a “layer cake” spectrum approach, which aggregates multiple frequency bands into data lanes that provide faster speeds. This approach utilizes low 700, 800 and 900 MHz bands, coupled with mid-band 1500 and 2100 MHz and topped off with the high-band 2500 MHz band. With this approach, users with modern devices are able to simultaneously access disparate spectrum bands, which enables better speeds and thus an improved user experience. Combined with Japan’s dense grid of existing cell sites, the spectrum layer cake should provide a good base for the overlay of sub-6 GHz spectrum that Japan has allocated for 5G services.

Timelines for launching 5G in Japan

For the past few years, Japan has been building toward the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo as an opportunity to showcase their next-generation wireless technology. Japan began conducting 5G trials as early as 2017. In 2018, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIC) revised the spectrum allocation process to encourage new operators to enter the 5G market. Then in April 2019 the MIC approved 5G spectrum allocations to four applicants: KDDI (au), NTT DOCOMO, Rakuten Mobile and SoftBank.

KDDI, NTT DOCOMO and SoftBank launched 5G this month, with NTT DOCOMO and KDDI first to market on March 25. NTT DOCOMO’s initial 5G launch will leverage sub-6GHz spectrum assets, offering peak download speeds of up to 3.4 Gbps, and peak upload speeds of up to 182 Mbps. Later in June, the operator will start selling 5G devices capable of operating on the mmWave band and accessing 400 MHz of high-band spectrum. This will allow for peak download speeds of 4.1 Gbps and upload speeds of 480 Mbps. SoftBank will launch second on March 27. Rakuten plans to launch 5G by June 2020.

How Japanese operators will use spectrum for 5G

Japanese operators are deploying 5G networks in both FR1 (sub-6GHz) and FR2 (millimeter-wave) frequency bands. Each licensee has been awarded 400 MHz of FR2 spectrum and KDDI, NTT DOCOMO and SoftBank have been awarded 200 MHz of FR1 spectrum. The exception is Rakuten, which requested 100 MHz of FR1 spectrum.
Ookla_5G-Spectrum-Chart_Japan_0320_en

Early trials and infrastructure

KDDI (au) 5G trials started in 2017 with Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung. KDDI awarded all three vendors with 5G contracts. KDDI also inked a seven-year roaming deal with Rakuten, the newest entrant in the wireless space, to provide LTE coverage to Rakuten’s subscribers when they roam outside of their coverage area.

NTT DOCOMO started early 5G trials using several infrastructure partners, including: Nokia and NEC Corp on 4.5 GHz spectrum band, Ericsson and Qualcomm on 4.5 GHz and the mmWave wave, and Huawei for mmWave. Fujitsu has proposed a software upgrade for existing LTE base stations which will enable 5G radio access. NEC Corp offered a small cells product supporting all three frequency bands (3.7 GHz, 4.5 GHz, 28 GHz) leveraging O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network Alliance), which aims to break the single-vendor-per-market lock and paves the way for a smooth transition to 5G software-defined networking and cloud services. NTT DOCOMO awarded NEC Corp, Fujitsu and Nokia with contracts, claiming the world’s first 4G/5G multi-vendor RAN (radio access network) interoperability.

SoftBank initially partnered with Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE in 2017 to conduct mmWave trials in the 28 GHz frequency band. SoftBank awarded the contracts to Nokia and Ericsson.

A completely new approach from Rakuten, the “optimistic” entrant

Rakuten is a premier Japanese ecommerce company founded in 1997. Rakuten means “optimism” in Japanese, and now the company offers products and services across a multitude of industries, including: banking, mobile payment, mobile messaging (via the Viber app), travel and their own MVNO, to name a few. The company understands the importance of controlling the entire user experience for their customers — and the value of running their own facilities-based mobile network in addition to OTT (over-the-top) services.

Since Rakuten is deploying a mobile network from the ground up using greenfield licensed spectrum assets, the company has decided to do something that nobody has ever done before: disaggregating the hardware from the software and running a fully virtualized, cloud-native network. This LTE network has been fully operational with over 3,000 cell sites in three markets (Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka) running limited trials since last year — and is expected to launch commercially on April 8. Because of its software-defined nature, the network can be upgraded to 5G, and the operator expects to have the upgrade pushed later this year.

Rakuten’s network architecture is unique, leveraging only antenna-integrated radios from traditional telecom vendors. Radios are fiber-fed via the fronthaul, and instead of processing at cell site cabinets, all the processing is happening remotely at centralized locations using off-the-shelf computer hardware running virtualized network functions. According to Rakuten CTO Tareq Amin, the process of activating a new cell site takes only eight and a half minutes instead of days. After Rakuten’s April launch, years worth of Rakuten’s research and development will be available to other operators globally via the Rakuten Mobile Platform (RMP), which could be very attractive to new entrants in the wireless space, such as DISH in the United States.

We will continue to monitor how these different 5G setups perform as 5G is rolled out in Japan and we look forward to providing future analysis on this topic.

日本国内における5Gへのユニークなアプローチ

日本は当初からモバイルテクノロジーのリーダーであり、日本企業は最先端のモバイルテレフォニーを占有し続けています。日本のLTEネットワークは、最も人口密度の高い都市地域でも非常に競争力のある速度を継続的に提供しています。これは、この国のネットワークの基地局密度の高さを物語っています。この記事では、日本の携帯電話事業者がこのような先進の考え方を5Gにどのように適用しているかを探ります。

日本のスペクトル活用法

日本の事業者は、複数の周波数帯域をデータレーンに集約して速度を高める「レイヤーケーキ」スペクトルアプローチを活用しています。このアプローチでは、700 MHz、800 MHz、900 MHzの低帯域と1500 MHz、2100 MHzの中帯域を組み合わせて、その上に2500 MHzの高帯域を乗せますこのアプローチにより、最新の電話機を所有するユーザーはさまざまなスペクトル帯域に同時にアクセスできます。これにより、高速化とそれに伴うユーザーエクスペリエンスの向上が実現します。このスペクトルレイヤーケーキと日本の既存の高密度基地局網との組み合わせは、日本が5Gサービスに割り当てた6 GHz以下のスペクトルのオーバーレイの良い基盤となります。

日本における5Gのローンチのタイムライン

日本は、2020年に東京で開催される夏季五輪を、次世代ワイヤレステクノロジーをアピールする機会ととらえ、ここ数年それに向けて準備を進めてきました。日本は、早くも2017年に5G実証実験を開始しました。2018年、日本の総務省は、新規事業者の5G市場への参入を促すため、スペクトル割り当て手続きを改訂しました。その後、2019年4月、MICは4つの申請企業への5Gスペクトル割り当てを承認しました。承認を受けたのは、KDDI（au）、NTTドコモ、楽天モバイル、ソフトバンクです。

KDDI、NTTドコモ、ソフトバンクは今月、5Gをローンチする予定です NTTドコモとKDDIが最初で、3月25日に発売された。NTTドコモの最初の5Gローンチでは、6GHz以下のスペクトルアセットを活用し、最大3.4 Gbpsのピークダウンロード速度と最大182 Mbpsのピークアップロード速度を提供します。7月後半、NTTドコモは、mmWave帯域で動作し、400 MHzの高帯域スペクトルにアクセスすることができる5Gデバイスの販売を開始する予定です。これにより、4.1 Gbpsのピークダウンロード速度と480 Mbpsのピークアップロード速度が可能になります。 ソフトバンクが2番目で、3月27日にローンチする予定です。楽天は2020年6月までに5Gを発売する予定です。

日本の事業者による5G用スペクトラムの使用方法

日本の事業者は、FR1（6GHz以下）とFR2（ミリメートル波）の両方の周波数帯域で5Gネットワークを展開しています。各ライセンシーは400 MHzのFR2スペクトルを割り当てられ、KDDI、NTTドコモ、ソフトバンクは200 MHzのFR1スペクトルを割り当てられました。例外は楽天です。楽天は100 MHzのFR1スペクトルを申請しました。
Ookla_5G-Spectrum-Chart_Japan_0320_jp

早期実証実験とインフラストラクチャ

KDDI（au）は、2017年にEricsson、Nokia、Samsungと共同で5G実証実験を開始しました。KDDIは、3つのベンダーすべてと5G契約を結びました。KDDIはまた、ワイヤレス市場の最も新しい参入企業である楽天と7年間のローミング契約を結び、楽天の加入者が楽天のサービス区域外でKDDIのLTEサービスを利用できるようにしました。

NTTドコモは、複数のインフラストラクチャパートナーと共同で早期5G実証実験を開始しました（4.5 GHzスペクトル帯域でNokiaとNEC、4.5 GHzとmmWave波でEricssonとQualcomm、mmWaveでHuawei）。富士通は、既存のLTE基地局を対象に、5G無線アクセスを可能にするソフトウェアアップグレードを実施することを提案しました。NECは、O-RAN（Open Radio Access Network Alliance）を活用して3つの周波数帯域（3.7 GHz、4.5 GHz、28 GHz）をすべてサポートする小型基地局製品を提案しました。このソリューションは、「市場ごとに1つのベンダー」体制を打破することを目的とし、5Gソフトウェアデファインドネットワーキングおよびクラウドサービスに円滑に移行するための道筋をつけるものです。NTTドコモは、NEC、富士通、Nokiaと契約を結び、世界初の4G/5GマルチベンダーRAN（無線アクセスネットワーク）相互運用をアピールしています。

ソフトバンクは当初、2017年に中国のベンダーであるHuaweiおよびZTEと提携し、28 GHz周波数帯域でmmWaveの実証実験を実施しました。ソフトバンクは、NokiaおよびEricssonと契約を結びました。

「楽観的」な新規参入企業である楽天のまったく新しいアプローチ

楽天は1997年に設立された日本の最大手eコマース企業です。楽天は日本語で「楽観主義」を意味しており、同社は現在、銀行、モバイル決済、モバイルメッセージング（Viberを使用）、旅行、楽天独自のMVNOなど、多数の業界に製品とサービスを提供しています。同社は、顧客のユーザーエクスペリエンス全体をコントロールすることの重要性と、OTT（オーバーザトップ）サービスに加えて独自の設備ベースのモバイルネットワークを稼働させることの価値を理解しています。

楽天は、認可を受けた未開発のスペクトルアセットを活用してモバイルネットワークをゼロから展開しているため、これまで誰もやったことがないことに取り組むことを決めました。それはハードウェアをソフトウェアから切り離し、完全に仮想化されたクラウドネイティブのネットワークを稼働させるというものです。このLTEネットワークは、3つの市場（東京、名古屋、大阪）で3,000以上の基地局によって完全に機能しており、昨年以降、限定的な実証実験が実施されています。商業ローンチは4月8日の予定です。このネットワークは、ソフトウェアデファインドの特性を持っているため、5Gにアップグレード可能で、楽天は今年の後半にアップグレードを行う予定です。

楽天のネットワークアーキテクチャは独特で、従来の電気通信ベンダーのアンテナ統合型無線のみを使用しています。無線は、フロントホールからファイバで送信され、基地局のキャビネットで処理される代わりに、リモートの集中拠点で仮想ネットワーク機能を実行する市販コンピューターハードウェアによってまとめて処理されます。楽天のCTOであるTareq Amin氏によると、新しい基地局は数日ではなくわずか8分半で稼働させることができます。楽天の4月のローンチ後、他の事業者は楽天モバイルプラットフォーム（RMP）を介して楽天の3年分の研究開発の成果を利用できるようになります。これはワイヤレス市場への新規参入を目指す企業（米国のDISHなど）にとって非常に魅力的でしょう。

私たちは、今後日本で5Gが展開されるにつれてこれらの異なる5Gセットアップがどのように機能するかを引き続きモニタリングしていきます。このトピックについての将来の分析を皆様にご提供できる機会を楽しみにしています。

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.

Network Evolution

About the Author

Milan Milanović

Ookla Research™ Articles
| December 5, 2022

The United States — Ripe for Converged Networks

Network Evolution

Key messages

  • Moves by mobile operators in the U.S. to offer fixed-wireless home broadband services are further blurring the lines between fixed and mobile networks. Cable operators in the U.S. are responding to this competitive challenge by driving the U.S. market further towards convergence, in the form of fixed-mobile bundling. This trend is driving greater competition in the market, lower prices, and more choice for consumers.
  • Speedtest Intelligence® data shows opportunities for cable companies and the big-three national operators to leverage positions of strength in one access technology to cross-sell to consumers and drive adoption of bundled services.
  • U.S. operators should look to European operators’ experiences with service bundling, where they have been shown to reduce churn and offer ARPU uplift opportunities, but require operators shift from a focus purely on price, to driving improvements in the consumer experience.
  • Fixed and mobile networks are already being used in tandem. For example in the U.K. BT includes a SIM within its Halo routers to offer redundancy to its fixed broadband customers. And already in the U.S. Comcast utilizes its XFINITY Wi-Fi hotspot network to provide high capacity coverage for its customers, allowing it to improve network performance in areas where 5G signal typically struggles to penetrate, while also offloading mobile traffic to its fixed network.
  • Looking to the future, we anticipate more strategic moves to drive improved consumer experiences as the convergence of fixed and mobile networks continues. The emerging set of Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) standards being developed by 3GPP and the BBF offer up some unique capabilities, but as ever, vendor and operator support will be key.

Blurring the lines between fixed and mobile networks

Fixed and mobile networks are becoming increasingly complementary, extending the reach of internet connectivity, performance, and reliability. Fixed networks support wireless devices through Wi-Fi offload in the home and via public and operator Wi-Fi access points, often in locations where cellular signals face propagation challenges. Additionally, wireless networks can provide cellular redundancy to fixed broadband services, often via a SIM added to the router.

Cable companies have offered mobile services for some time now via MVNO agreements, (Cox is set to be the latest example), and are able to utilize their Wi-Fi hotspot networks to offer greater coverage and capacity to subscribers. Ookla® data indicates that for markets such as the U.S. that have widespread fixed broadband penetration, mobile users spend approximately 75% of time on average connected to Wi-Fi networks, as opposed to wireless networks. This number ranged from a low of 67.5% for T-Mobile, to a high of 80.0% for cable operator Comcast’s XFINITY. This helped XFINITY and Spectrum rank as fastest overall mobile service across their respective service areas when considering 5G and Wi-Fi access combined.

On the flip side of the coin, the growth in fixed-wireless access (FWA), particularly via higher-speed 5G spectrum, offers an alternative to existing fixed networks. In the U.S., fixed wireless is already being used to cover locations that would  be too costly to lay fiber to reach, and is also being offered as a competitive alternative to existing fixed networks. Both Verizon and T-Mobile have championed this approach, and are seeing strong growth in their respective fixed-wireless customer bases, although fixed wireless still represents a small proportion of overall fixed broadband subscribers.

Fixed and wireless technologies also play an important role in today’s backhaul networks, with fiber instrumental in extending the reach and capacity of mobile networks, and microwave point-to-point wireless connections still common in many parts of the world for backhaul. Throw satellite connectivity into the mix via the growth of LEO constellations, and it’s clear that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for providing universal connectivity — a blend of technologies is required.

Fixed-mobile bundling — initially focused on cost savings for consumers

The growth of fixed-mobile (convergent) bundles in the U.S. is occurring amidst a slowing of the global economy, with inflation running into double digits in many markets, pushing them towards a possible recession. This could well spur the adoption of fixed-mobile bundles in the U.S., paralleling the experience of many European markets during the last prolonged economic downturn which began in 2008. In this economic environment, a number of European operators introduced convergent bundles, offering them at an overall discount to the discrete underlying services. 

While not prevalent in all European markets, fixed-mobile bundles have taken hold in many key markets, championed by regional powerhouses including Telefonica and Orange. Orange even goes so far as to highlight convergence as the “bedrock of our strategy,” and has pursued M&A across Europe in order to combine fixed and mobile assets in order to pursue a convergent strategy. 

Initially, European operators pursuing convergent bundles saw a reduction in churn, as including more services within a bundle for multiple people in a household made these customers stickier. Over time, operators looked to drive increased ARPU by including additional services, particularly broadcast television and video streaming. For consumers, fixed-mobile bundles also offer managerial benefits, adding the convenience of a single bill for all telecoms services in a household and gives the account holder more control over telecoms expenditure as a result.

More recently, in European markets where fixed and mobile bundles have become commonplace, we’re seeing moves to expand the value offered to customers, to avoid ARPU erosion. For Movistar, this included a recent rebrand of its Fusion offering to MiMovistar, and a move to include services such as health, gaming, and security. The key lesson for U.S. telcos is to avoid a race to the bottom that will harm margins and ultimately investment. Instead, telcos should focus on extending the value delivered from fixed-mobile bundles. For cable companies with MVNO agreements driving Wi-Fi offload for their mobile customers can help improve performance. It also keeps wholesale costs down, allowing them to be more aggressive with their mobile pricing.

U.S. fixed-mobile service overlap — battle lines drawn

To estimate the current overlap in fixed and mobile subscriptions by provider and look at bundling opportunities within the U.S.,  we used Speedtest Intelligence data to show the share of Speedtest® samples for mobile devices conducted via wireless networks versus Wi-Fi. Cable operators Spectrum (Charter) and XFINITY (Comcast) show very high degrees of overlap, as explained by their sales model where mobile is not offered as a standalone service, but only as an add-on to their fixed broadband subscriptions services.

Overlap in fixed and wireless subscriptions (Q3 2022 | Speedtest® Data)
WIRELESS WIRELINE
AT&T		 T-Mobile Verizon Spectrum XFINITY Other
AT&T Wireless 20.5% 0.1% 4.9% 21.7% 21.2% 31.6%
T-Mobile 11.2% 0.2% 7.8% 24.9% 26.1% 29.9%
Verizon Wireless 9.2% 0.1% 10.9% 23.1% 21.3% 35.3%
Spectrum 2.2% 0.1% 1.0% 85.7% 2.0% 9.1%
XFINITY 2.4% 0.1% 1.3% 2.1% 87.5% 6.7%

Three main takeaways emerge from the data:

  1. AT&T has a larger wireline footprint than Verizon, and this shows over 20% of its wireless customers also access AT&T’s fixed broadband service according to Ookla Speedtest data versus Verizon’s 10.9%. Both companies have opportunities to drive further mobile uptake among their fixed user bases.
  2. T-Mobile has a greenfield opportunity for fixed wireless, where strong 5G network performance should help it capitalize on both mobile and fixed net additions.
  3. Sizeable proportions of the big three’s mobile user base (in excess of 40%) accessing fixed Wi-Fi via either Charter or Comcast, represent a significant opportunity for the cable companies to expand their mobile user bases.

Beyond fixed-mobile bundling — driving experiential improvements to network service

The advent of 5G, alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, has helped drive growth in the use of data intensive services including video calling, video streaming, and mobile gaming. As these services continue to grow in popularity, and as consumers begin to demand more immersive extended reality (XR) experiences that push the boundaries of today’s networks, so operators will need to improve the performance of both fixed and mobile networks, while also looking to opportunities for network convergence to support enhanced service experiences and reduced operational costs.

High-throughput 5G service utilizes higher frequency spectrum bands than has been used for previous generations of mobile technology. These spectrum bands have lower propagation properties, particularly in-building, mandating that operators further densify their networks to offer consistent performance. Operator Wi-Fi hotspot networks can offer an alternative to this, providing a secure fixed network connection in locations where 5G signals can often degrade. In the U.S., cable companies have also begun to offer differentiated network speeds to their mobile subscribers when connected to their Wi-Fi networks, provisioning faster network speeds to capable smartphones.

Standards bodies have also identified a need to help drive fixed-mobile convergence. The development of Wireless Wireline Convergence (WWC) standards by 3GPP and the Broadband Forum (BBF) seeks to allow operators to converge existing fixed and mobile technology stacks using a common 5G core network. In doing so, operators will move to a single control plane for fixed and mobile sessions, enabling them to offer customers seamless connectivity via fixed and mobile access while also allowing them to aggregate the performance of both access networks to help drive enhanced performance and reliability. In doing so, this will allow operators to streamline the set of network functions and processes required to operate their networks, while also allowing them to simplify their Operational and Business Support Systems (OSS and BSS).

Leading operators such as Deutsche Telekom and BT are actively moving in this direction, with Deutsche Telekom in September conducting a proof of concept lab trial of WWC standards to steer traffic from a 5G residential gateway and route traffic along the entire wireline access chain to the core network. According to Ahmed Hafez, VP of network convergence at Deutsche Telekom, “convergence will allow us to optimize our network assets and deliver new, differentiated service experiences to our customers regardless of the access used.” BT has also signaled its intent to move to a single transport and core network serving both fixed and mobile services as it looks to accelerate the convergence of its mobile and fixed services in the U.K. under a single brand, EE.

While it’s clear that pioneers in the industry are looking to push the envelope on fixed-mobile convergence, there’s still a long way to go. We look forward to more operator trials of WWC standards, but ultimately it will also require the vendor ecosystem to integrate these standards in their product roadmaps to help spur adoption. If you’re interested to find out more about Ookla Speedtest Intelligence, and its wealth of fixed and mobile consumer initiated data and insights, please get in touch.

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.

Network Evolution

About the Author

Mark Giles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| April 26, 2022

The Case for Private Networks in India

Network Evolution

The recent recommendation from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) around providing an enabling framework for enterprises to build their own private networks is in line with other 5G markets, where governments are looking to drive the digitization of key industries. However, Indian operators see this as limiting their return on investment in the 5G spectrum. Looking at the example of private networks across Europe, and Germany in particular, we believe that Indian telcos shouldn’t see TRAI’s proposal as a threat. Rather, they should use the buzz around the spectrum for verticals as a way to get enterprises interested in digitalization.

The overall financial health of the Indian telecom industry remains fragile. Furthermore, operators’ ability to invest in upgrading their network is negatively impacted by low average revenue per user (ARPU) levels and high regulatory costs. As a result, India’s mobile performance is affected. According to the Speedtest Global Index™, in March 2022 India ranked 120 (out of 142 countries) with a 13.67 Mbps median mobile download speed vs. the global average of 29.96 Mbps. The 5G network rollout will require intensive capital  investment and allowing enterprises to have access to dedicated spectrum can potentially limit operators’ 5G-addressable revenue.

The case for 5G in manufacturing

On the consumer side, 5G will boost Indian mobile performance, as we have postulated in our recent article, new 5G launches in Asia Pacific point to a potential 10x increase in median download speeds (5G vs 4G-LTE). However, 5G will also deliver socioeconomic benefits in India, on account of a number of 5G use cases that could enable new applications across all sectors. According to GSMA Intelligence, 5G is expected to contribute around $455 billion to the Indian economy over the next 20 years, accounting for more than 0.6% of GDP by 2040. One of the sectors that stands to benefit from 5G is the manufacturing sector, representing 20% of the total benefit. Retail, ICT and agricultural sectors should also benefit.

The Indian government has already zeroed in on making India’s manufacturing sector more competitive on a global scene. As such, the “Make in India” goal is to make India self-reliant and also to increase the share of the manufacturing sector to 25% of GDP “in the coming years.”

As of now, this is a distant goal. China is still the world’s manufacturing superpower, accounting for 29% of global manufacturing output in 2020, followed by Japan (17%) and Germany (5%). All of these countries have embarked on digitization strategies.

In addition, manufacturing companies look to optimize and control production processes, improve safety, and reduce costs in order to maximize the return on investment. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges and pain points for manufacturers, highlighting the need to improve supply-chain resilience and boost production speed and flexibility. However, even before the pandemic, the manufacturing sector was undergoing digital transformation – the so-called fourth industrial revolution or Industry 4.0, referring to the use of technologies such as machine learning, edge computing, IoT, digital twins, and new networks to aid automation and enable data exchange.

According to Ericsson, typical revenue increases when manufacturers digitize their processes come from increased throughput and quality (2–3%), while typical cost savings originate from improved capital efficiency (5–10%) and decreased manufacturing costs (4–8%). A proportion of manufacturers will need dedicated network resources to meet their transformation goals and ensure data isolation and security. According to the GSMA Intelligence Enterprise in Focus 2020 survey, 22% of manufacturers require location-specific coverage (e.g. factory, campus).

Historically, Wi-Fi has been the connectivity choice for private networks. However, mobile technologies such as 4G/LTE and 5G are better suited to Operational Technologies’ network requirements of high volume, high reliability, mobility, and always-on operations. 5G and 5G Standalone in particular offers the most benefits related to eMBB, massive IoT, and critical IoT. Additionally, enterprises decided to deploy proprietary networks to have more control over their networks; the increased security offered by isolating their data from public networks is an attractive benefit.

Private networks aren’t new 

A number of countries are looking to private networks to address Industry 4.0 objectives and awarding spectrum for vertical use e.g. Germany, Japan and France. According to GSA data, as of February 2022 there were 656 organizations deploying LTE or 5G private mobile networks. GSA’s data points to the manufacturing sector as a strong adopter of private mobile networks, with 111 identified companies involved in known pilots or deployments, which is up from 51 at the start of 2021.

Dedicated spectrum available for private mobile networks has already been allocated in France, the United States, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Germany is considered to be a poster child for Industry 4.0. Afterall, the term “Industry 4.0” was coined at Hannover Messe over a decade ago. It is therefore only natural to look to Germany and its approach to private networks. In Germany, the national regulatory authority (BnetzA) is promoting industrial policy and reserved 100 MHz in the 3,700-3,800 MHz for local networks, noting that the spectrum can be used in particular for Industry 4.0. “By awarding spectrum for local 5G networks, we are creating scope for innovation for enterprises,” stated Jochen Homann, Bundesnetzagentur President. As of April 15, 2022, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) received a total of 208 applications for the allocation of frequencies for local 5G networks and granted the same amount.

We have commented on how the private networks landscape is developing in Europe here. Simply assigning spectrum to verticals isn’t enough to drive market adoption. In an upcoming analysis, we will discuss how the French government has prioritized 5G as an avenue to drive digital transformation of the economy via a number of funds. According to the GSA, there were a total of 66 private networks all together in France, Germany, and Japan, despite enterprises being able to acquire spectrum since 2019.

Despite the 208 applications that BNetzA received, the GSA has counted 45 private networks in Germany, with a majority distributed between three verticals: manufacturing (14), power and water utilities (11), and devices testing and lab as a service (seven).

It is important to note that globally, as per the latest GSA data, only 21% of networks were 5G only, and mostly composed of test networks. Until the 5G device ecosystem matures, the majority of private networks will remain 4G/LTE, though using equipment that is 5G ready. Only after the availability of industrial-feature-rich 5G release 16 chipsets, which will happen in the next few years, will the 5G deployments move beyond trials and proof of concept into full scale deployments. Germany is an outlier here: 5G and 5G SA are making headways in Germany. Audi, KUKA, Volkswagen, and Siemens take an active role in testing and deploying 5G SA private networks utilizing localized spectrum in the 3500 MHz band (n78).

The many routes to market

TRAI has proposed an enabling framework for enterprises to build their own private networks via a range of deployment scenarios, including spectrum leasing and dedicated spectrum. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) representing major telecom companies such as Bharti Airtel Ltd, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, and Vodafone Idea Ltd. opposed this, stating that TRAI should: “Disallow private enterprise networks for the financial viability and orderly growth of the telecom industry, which is more than capable of delivering  these services to businesses”.

Yes and no. Operators can utilize various deployment models, from public dedicated networks through hybrid networks (network slicing, public/private campus, private RAN with public core) to private networks. Within these various models, network slicing and edge computing add the benefits of QoS, privacy, security, and specific SLAs.

When it comes to private networks, the typical rules of engagement no longer apply, and with network virtualization continuing, the ecosystem of vendors has expanded beyond traditional telco players. Just recently Cisco entered this crowded market that already consists of operators, hyperscalers, startups, and equipment vendors. Amazon’s introduction of AWS Private 5G network is a good example of the growing “coopetition” trend. In some cases, AWS would work with operators to provide 5G core and edge computing capabilities, while in some others, it could compete to offer end-to-end solutions. Nokia is looking to address the enterprise demand in India via working with network operators, but also by working directly with enterprises, as Ricky Corker, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Nokia recently stated.

We can draw lessons by looking at the approach that European operators took when addressing the enterprise opportunity. Deutsche Telekom has been offering campus network solutions for enterprises since 2019, and now operates more than ten such local networks based on 5G non-standalone technology or LTE across Germany. In January 2022, the operator expanded its offering to include location-specific 5G mobile networks for companies based on 5G Standalone Technology (5G SA), powered by the Ericsson Private 5G portfolio. The operator can also position itself as a systems integrator (SI) for 5G private networks for Industry 4.0 by utilizing T-Systems’ credentials and its deal with AWS.

Similarly, Vodafone takes an active role in deploying private networks, and distinguishes three degrees of industrial control depending on a private network setup.

In the first scenario, a dedicated mobile private network (MPN) brings total control to the enterprise because everything stays on site. There is no interoperability with public networks. This is particularly well suited for mission- or business-critical applications that don’t need to interface with the public internet.

The second option is a hybrid private network, which is a blend of public and private infrastructure. It enables interoperability with public networks for those devices and users which move outside the private network, while at the same time giving the end user a choice regarding where the data is stored.

The third option, a virtual private network, uses a dedicated slice of a public 5G network. End-user control over the setup is reduced, but compared to the public network it has a dedicated network resource, and allows for greater data isolation, security and privacy, and further SLA customization (availability and reliability). According to Marc Sauter, head of mobile private networks for Vodafone’s business division, network slicing hinges on future releases of the 5G standard, available from next year. “That is when virtual private networks will be more relevant, and a new market will open up with smaller customers.” Vodafone is also very vocal about the importance of the ecosystem, and working on innovation. In its innovation hub in Milan, Vodafone works with developers and startups, and large companies can play around with 5G use cases.

Leveraging existing credentials and forming partnerships to go beyond core competencies can open up new markets for operators. Partners’ ecosystem is key, and to be successful,  operators need to partner across the ecosystem. As enterprises’ needs vary, having a broad portfolio of vendors that can address various verticals, technological, and coverage needs will only stimulate the growth of the market.

Indian telcos have already embarked on this journey. Airtel has partnered with Tech Mahindra for a joint 5G innovation lab to develop “Make in India” use cases for the local and global markets, including customized enterprise-grade private networks. These services will combine Airtel’s integrated connectivity portfolio of 5G ready mobile network, fiber, SDWAN, and IoT along with Tech Mahindra’s SI capabilities.Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea (Vi) joined forces with A5G Networks to enable industry 4.0 and smart mobile edge computing in India. They have jointly set up a pilot private network in Mumbai using existing 4G spectrum.

Rather than seeing spectrum for verticals as a threat, operators can use it as a way to get enterprises, in particular manufacturing companies, interested in digitalization. According to the FICCI-EFESO survey, 36% of organizations will implement “Use of Industry 4.0 technologies for predicting failures in machines, products and processes” in the next 1-2 years, while 22% have already done so. The opportunity is there for the taking.

To learn more about how Ookla® has worked with operators and industries to help plan for 5G growth, contact us.

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Network Evolution

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Sylwia Kechiche