Sylwia Kechiche | August 15, 2022

5G in Nordics: Sweden Leads on Speeds, Denmark on 5G Availability

The Nordic region performs well when it comes to median mobile download speeds according to the Speedtest Global Index™. In June 2022, Norway took the top spot in the world in terms of median download speed with 129.96 Mbps, Denmark was eighth place (100.25 Mbps), Sweden ranked 17th and Finland 22nd. Having ambitious digital strategies in terms of bringing high-speed networks to households and businesses, those countries look to 5G too as a driver of digital transformation. To achieve that and enable collaboration across the region, the prime ministers of the Nordic countries signed a letter of intent (LOI) April 2018, which stated that the Nordic region should be the “first and most integrated 5G region in the world,” and the region should become a “common Nordic 5G space.” In this article we examine 5G performance across the region, including the state of 5G spectrum awards, private networks status, 5G mobile performance and 5G Availability at the country and city-level.

Key takeaways

Sweden led the Nordics in 5G median download speeds in Q2 2022, which is partially driven by the Swedish digitalization strategy.
Using Speedtest Intelligence®, we compared 5G Availability, which refers to the percentage of users on 5G-capable devices that spend most of the time with access to 5G networks. In Q2 2022, Denmark’s 5G Availability stood at 36.4%, Norway at 23.3%, Finland at 21.0% while Sweden at 6.2%.
Swedish operators — Telenor, 3, and Tele 2 — topped the median 5G download rankings in Q2 2022, YouSee Denmark inched away in 5G Availability with 61.3% 5G Availability.
The Swedish capital of Stockholm had the fastest median 5G download speed across five cities, whereas Oslo, the capital of Norway, had the best 5G Availability.
Nordic 5G performance benefits from having allocated low-band and mid-band spectrum.
Operators and enterprises in the Nordics look to 5G as a tool to enable digital transformation.

Sweden leads on median 5G download speed

We compared 5G performance using Speedtest Intelligence data from Q2 2022 in the Nordic countries against other European countries. The Nordic region performs well in this ranking, with Sweden first amongst the countries in the chart above. Noteworthy is the fact that only Nordic countries have digital strategies in place, as outlined below, that shape their strategies around networks rolled out to meet their digital goals. While most of these policies focus on fixed broadband, in Sweden 5G was identified as a key technology in Sweden’s quest to achieve 100% high speed broadband access.

Denmark’s 5G Availability on par with the Netherlands

Using Speedtest Intelligence, we compared 5G Availability, which refers to the percentage of users on 5G-capable devices that spend most of the time with access to 5G networks, across Nordic countries and a select sample of European markets. In Q2 2022, Denmark’s 5G Availability stood at 36.4%, Norway at 23.3%, Finland at 21%, and Sweden at 6.2%. Both Denmark and Netherland benefit from being flatter and more densely populated, which in turn results in a greater ability to expand 5G coverage. Other Scandinavian countries have much lower population density than Denmark (139.9 people per km2): Sweden (25.5), Finland (18.2), and Norway (17.7). Denmark has been active in prompting 5G adoption, case in point the Danish Energy Agency published a 5G Action Plan for Denmark, which zeroes in on four building blocks: frequencies, roll-out, regulation, and use cases as foundations for a successful roll-out and utilization of 5G.

Swedish operators top the median 5G download rankings in Q2 2022, YouSee Denmark inched away in the 5G Availability

The majority of the 14 players operating across the four countries launched commercial 5G networks in 2020, apart from Elisa Finland (July 2019), Telia Finland (October 2019), and Ice Norway (November 2021).

Sweden tops the charts for 5G speeds but lags on 5G Availability

Swedish operators perform well when it comes to 5G speeds, not so much on the 5G Availability, which was below 10% as of Q2 2022. 5G Availability is a function of 5G network coverage, 5G tariffs, and 5G-capable devices adoption. Operators are taking steps to increase across all of these components. According to Swedish communications regulator PTS, just over one million subscriptions used the 5G mobile network in 2021 (four times more than a year before), which is equivalent to 8% of all mobile subscriptions. Operators are intensifying their network investments to expand 5G network coverage as follows:

Net4Mobility is a joint venture between Tele2 and Telenor. Tele2 and Telenor Sweden committed to intensifying 5G network roll out during 2022, planning to extend the reach of Net4Mobility to 90% of Swedish population by the end of 2023 and the rest in 2024.
Telia Sweden in collaboration with its long standing partner, Ericsson, plans to match 5G coverage to that of its 4G network by 2025. The short term target is to cover more than 90% of the population with 5G by 2023; in the longer term extending to 90% geographical and over 99% population coverage.
3 Sweden has a few milestones over the next couple of years: finalizing 5G deployment on its existing network in 2022, upgrading its core to 5G for lower latency (2022-23), network expansion and densification (2023-24), and rolling out network slicing to serve enterprises needs such as hospitals, airports, and factories.

3 Sweden is also taking steps to allow customers to test and become familiar with its 5G network during 2022. It offers at no additional cost its newly launched services called “3Fullfart” that uses the 3.5GHz band, priced at a cost of SEK49 ($5.13) a month.

Denmark performs better than others in 5G data experience but yet to match Swedish operators’ 5G speeds

Networks have evolved to become increasingly complex, catering to both the wealth of new services and increasing consumer demand for data. 5G heightened this complexity, therefore it is ever so important to be able to measure the actual end user experience. To achieve that, CellRebel® developed a scoring framework to allow its customers to benchmark different services and to combine various KPIs into composite KPIs and scores. The 5G Data Experience score consists of real user experience for four different popular services: web browsing, YouTube video streaming, gaming, and video conferencing.

YouTube Video Streaming Score is a weighted average of the proportion of samples with video start time better than two seconds, those that had no rebuffering events, and had a video resolution better than 240P.
Web Browsing Score is a percentage of web pages loaded in less than 1.5 seconds.
Gaming Score is a weighted average of the percentage of samples with a gaming latency better than 60 ms, proportion of those with no packet loss, and percentage of measurement samples with a jitter lower than 10 ms.
Video Conferencing Score is a weighted average of the percentage of samples with latencies of less than 60 ms to popular video conferencing services infrastructure, the percentage of measurements with no packet loss, and the percentage of measurement samples with a jitter lower than 10 ms.

All of these measures are combined into an individual score where 0 is the worst experience and 100 corresponds to the best experience. Looking at the four Nordics markets, Denmark had the best 5G Data Experience score in Q2 2022 but other countries are not far behind. Denmark’s good performance is not a surprise if we consider the fact that it took the top spot across the 27 EU Member States, according to the European Commission’s 2021 edition of the “Digital Economy and Society Index” (DESI). Denmark came first in connectivity, ranked second in integration of digital technology and in digital public services, and fourth in human capital.

Danish operators continue to upgrade their network taking advantage of their spectrum assignments.

Speedtest Intelligence data puts YouSee Denmark as the operator that had best 5G Availability across the Nordics in Q2 2022, with a 61.3% 5G Availability. YouSee (part of TDC Group) partners with TDC NET for 5G network, a legally separate wholesale network operator within TDC Group, which reached 99% of Denmark with 5G in 2021 compared to 78% in 2020 as reported in its 2021 Annual Report.
3 Denmark stated that 60% of its network was 5G-enabled in July 2022, as it continues the upgrade of its 5G network using 2100 MHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies, as well as modernizing 4G.
TT Network (TTN), a joint network between Telia and Telenor, started upgrading the network to 5G following the mid-band spectrum award. In 2021 it upgraded 1,000 mobile masts and an additional 1,400 masts will be upgraded during 2022 out of a total 4,300 sites.
Telenor Denmark’s plans to shut down its 3G network in 2022, which operates using spectrum in the 900 MHz and 2.1 GHz band and refarm the frequencies for 5G. The operator also plans to deploy 5G SA and address the enterprise use case through the recently created separate division for private networks. The first example of such collaboration is connecting robots via a Telenor private 4G network rather than via Wi-Fi for Danish company Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR).

Finland’s 5G coverage is on the rise, other building blocks such as 5G tariffs and handsets need to fall into place to increase 5G Availability

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, reported that at the end of 2021, 5G network coverage has extended to 82% of Finish households (a six percentage point increase over the previous year). At the same time, 4% of mobile data was transmitted over the 5G network, which means that only a small proportion have so far started using subscriptions or devices supported by the 5G network despite the increase in 5G coverage. Finnish operators are working to increase customer access to smartphones but also working on enabling new use cases with 5G SA.

Elisa’s 5G network reached over 80% of the Finnish population in more than 180 municipalities as of the end of Q2 2022. The operator also reported that 5G smartphones accounted for 10% of smartphones in Q1 2022 compared to 7% in Q1 2021. In June 2022, Elisa in partnership with Nokia and Qualcomm conducted a 5G live demonstration at the Nokia Arena in Tampere in Finland achieving uplink speeds of 2.1 Gbps utilizing Nokia’s AirScale base station in 26 GHz mmWave spectrum, seemingly as the first operator across the region.
In November 2021, Telia Finland launched the first commercially available 5G standalone (SA) core network in the Nordic and Baltic region, creating the opportunity for advanced 5G use cases and a strengthened position in the Enterprise segment. According to Telia’s Q2 Report, the operator achieved a 70% population coverage in Finland, and in Norway.
DNA reported that during the first half of the year, almost 80% of all the phones sold by DNA were already 5G-capable, compared to just over 50% in 1H 2021. Following the activation of the 700 MHz frequency band for 5G use, the 5G network coverage extended to 70% of the population at the end of June 2022. Although all DNA 5G base stations are connected to a standalone 5G core network, the preparation for the 5G SA commercial offering to customers is still underway.
Suomen Yhteisverkko Oy (Finnish Shared Network) has been building a mobile network on behalf of DNA and Telia in northern and eastern Finland. The construction of the Finnish Shared 5G Network started in 2021 and its coverage area was extended towards the inland of Finland. During the spring of 2022, the Finnish Shared Network carried out large-scale 5G network deployment on the 700 MHz frequency in South Savo region, thanks to which 5G coverage has also spread to sparsely populated areas.

Norway shines the brightest when it comes to mobile speeds with good 5G performance

Norwegian operators perform well on 5G speeds and 5G Availability, without being the top providers. Yet, Norway took the first spot in June’s Speedtest Global Index performance ranking for global median mobile speeds, which points to a strong 4G performance and a potential challenge Norwegian operators face in trying to convince its customer base to upgrade to 5G. However, according to Nkom’s “Internet in Norway — Annual Report 2022” 5G traffic is growing as mobile operators continue to roll out 5G and introduce 5G-enabled smartphones. In Q1 2022, around 25% of connected handsets were ready for 5G technology, and 5G connections account for around 5% of total internet traffic. Additionally, operators are expanding into 700 MHz and 2100 MHz bands; during the spectrum auction the winning bidders were able to obtain a discount of up to NOK 40 million ($4 million) if they agreed to certain coverage obligations, e.g. Telia to cover “selected railway lines” and Telenor to cover major roadways including “European roads and the coastal road from Mo i Rana to Bodo.”

Telenor Norway is upgrading its 8,500 base stations, with over 2,500 already modernized resulting in a 5G coverage reaching 50% of population. The operator plans to complete the 5G rollout in 1H 2024, with a total number of 9,000 base stations. Telenor was the fastest 5G operator in Norway in terms of 5G mobile network speed in Q1-Q2 2022, but the operator is also eyeing an enterprise opportunity. Telenor Norway set its sight to become the leading player in private mobile networks in Norway, a business opportunity which it values at over NOK 5 billion in 2025. To achieve that it will provide consultancy services for industrial 5G networks edge computing and private mobile networks. It has begun a trial with Yeti Move to run automated bulldozers at Gardermoen Airport.
Telia Norway plans to have nationwide 5G network coverage by 2023. At the end of Q2 2022, 70% of the population was within its 5G network’s reach. The operator began tests in the 26 GHz band with Ericsson aiming to provide service at almost 4 Gbps. Telia targets the corporate market with the 26 GHz spectrum and is currently testing different use cases for companies across various industries.
Despite being a late entrant into the market, Norway’s third mobile network operator – Ice Norway — recorded a 20.8% 5G Availability. Initially, the operator launched in Oslo across 14 cell sites using 2100 MHz and 700 MHz spectrum bands, which was accessible for most 5G-enabled Android phones. In the short term, the coverage will be extended to the country’s 4-5 largest cities with a longer term plan of reaching 75% population coverage. Alongside other Norwegian operators Ice had opted to undertake regional coverage obligation to receive a discount on the spectrum license fee. Stockholm was the fastest city, Oslo had the best 5G Availability.

Stockholm was the fastest city, Oslo had the best 5G Availability

Stockholm came first across five cities in the Nordics in Q2 2022, with 3 and Telenor achieving mind-blowing download speeds of over 600 Mbps at 637.14 Mbps and 614.48 Mbps, respectively. It is not surprising that Stockholm performs well as it is often a testing ground for innovation — hosting a number of tech startups and scale-ups (such as Skype and Spotify) and one in ten people working in the digital tech sector.

During Q1-Q2 2021 Oslo had the title of the fastest 5G of any world capital across 15 world capitals we analyzed in this article. While this is no longer the case, Oslo took the top spot for 5G Availability across the five Nordic cities in Q2 2022.

Nordic 5G performance benefits from having allocated low-band and mid-band spectrum

Within Europe, the Nordics stand out on 5G performance. Part of this is because of 5G spectrum availability as all four of the Nordic countries on the continent have already assigned low-band and mid-band spectrum. This is ahead of the rest of Europe, as we have reflected on the 5G progress across Europe. Denmark and Finland had also awarded mmWave spectrum. In fact, Denmark scored 99% in the 5G readiness indicator and ranked first on 5G mobile-broadband coverage (with 80% of households covered) as per Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2021. Norway’s National Communications Authority (Nkom) and Sweden’s Post and Telecom Agency (PTS), are also looking to make spectrum available for 5G across low and mid-band spectrum.

Of course, 5G pioneer bands are not the only frequencies that operators use to deploy 5G, as operators shut down legacy networks, they can also refarm sub 3GHz frequencies for 4G or 5G. European operators tend to support 2G in the short term, phasing out 3G networks instead. The primary reason being long term M2M/IoT contracts with enterprises such as utility providers. In Norway and Sweden, a significant portion of smart meters already deployed are connected to 2G networks, therefore operators are obliged to support millions of 2G smart meters until the end of their lifecycle. Case in point: Telenor Norway switched off 3G in 2021 — five years ahead of their planned switch off of 2G, in fact all of the Norwegian operators have switched off 3G networks in 2021 and all of the Finnish operators plan to do so by 2023, while the Danish and Swedish will follow by 2025.

Operators and enterprises in the Nordics look to 5G as a tool to enable digital transformation

As 5G technology will go beyond pockets of high-speed mobile broadband to deliver low latency, high density, industry-specific applications that make use of cloud and edge technologies, it will also play a role in driving digital transformation. Digitization of different sectors of the economy is key to supporting sustainable development and climate goals. However, enterprise requirements differ. Some prefer to retain control over their networks, isolating them from the public network to address higher availability, lower latency, and enhanced privacy needs. We have commented on how the private networks landscape is developing in Europe here. Like other nations, the Nordics are also looking to private networks to address Industry 4.0 objectives as 5G plays an important role in the digital transformation and creating new services and solutions across a variety of sectors, especially manufacturing.

Nordic regulators created an encouraging environment for enterprises to deploy their own networks; all countries have already allocated spectrum for vertical use across mid- and high-frequency bands. It is worth noting that a vertical set aside is not the only option telecom regulators have at their disposal in addressing enterprise requirements. For example, the Finnish regulator in addition to allocating spectrum in the 2300-2320 MHz and 24.5-25.1 GHz band on a first-come, first-served basis, had also included a leasing option provision in the 3.5 GHz band license. Mobile operators are obliged to lease their spectrum assets: either participate in tenders for vertical contracts in localized areas or sub-license their spectrum to the vertical so they can build their own network.

However, simply assigning or making spectrum available to verticals isn’t enough to drive market adoption. Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) in its report on Private Mobile Networks released in June 2022, identified 794 organizations deploying private mobile networks. In terms of a number of private networks, the United States ranked first internationally, Germany was second, while Finland came in sixth (with 20 networks).

Finland actively promotes the development of 5G services, via 5G Momentum, driven by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. The main target of the initiative is to bring together vertical industries stakeholders — Finnish companies, research organizations, and the public sector — to run 5G trials and develop new 5G solutions and use cases. On its home turf of Finland, Nokia has been working on a number of private LTE projects, together with edge connectivity provider Edzcom (formerly Ukkoverkot), port machinery maker Kalmar, and port operator Steveco, delivering private networks in the ports of Kokkola and Oulu, as well as Steveco Kotka harbor. Although mobile operators are no longer the de facto service providers, they are involved in delivery of private networks. We have collated a few recent deals with regards to private 5G networks in the region, which show a growing demand from enterprises and also increased operators involvement. Furthemore, despite the fact that the majority of private networks across the Nordics are currently LTE-only (55.3%), a growing proportion is 5G ready (LTE and 5G, 21%), with a few deployed as 5G from the get go.

Location	Partners	Solution	Details	Date
Finland	Edzcom and lighting company Signify	A private 5G wireless smart network in the city of Tampere	A long-term project to use the Tampere’s streetscape assets to create a high-performance wireless private network.	June 2022
Norway	Telia and the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency	A private 5G network for the Armed Forces as part of a cooperation with the Defense Materiel Agency.	A pilot private and separate 5G mobile network to run alongside a military slice within Telenor’s commercial network.	June 2022
Norway	Telia and Herøya Industrial Park	A strategic cooperation within 5G and private mobile networks.	Telia will roll out a private mobile network on the new industrial spectrum 3.8-4.2 GHz and in the industrial park’s test laboratory there will be a separate 5G facility with the option of edge computing.	May 2022
Norway	Telenor and the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency	A private autonomous 5G network will be established for the Armed Forces.	The partnerships involve planning, designing, developing, and operating a pilot on a mobile, autonomous private 5G network, which cooperates with a defense-specific network slice (‘Defense slice’) in the public mobile network.	May 2022
Sweden	Tele2 and X Shore	A private 5G network in X Shore newly built factory in Nyköping.	X Shore will use its 5G network to wirelessly connect production equipment to collect data and maintain and control production.	May 2022
Finland	Telia, Nokia and Digita	A 5G private network for Posiva Oy for the needs of the nuclear fuel disposal process in Eurajoki.	The private 5G network will enable the operation of an advanced automation system in the disposal process as well as improve safety and processes for employees.	May 2022
Sweden	Telia and Svenska Cellulosa AB (SCA)	Dedicated LTE private mobile network, which is a 5G ready.	Telia supplies an Enterprise Mobile Network (EMN) with Local Breakout, based on 4G equipment that can be upgraded to 5G. The solution leverages the scalability and operational reliability of the public mobile network, but with dedicated capacity.	January 2022

Operators in the region continue to roll out 5G but they are also casting their eyes on 5G SA, which offers the most benefits related to eMBB, massive IoT, and critical IoT. This in turn allows support for a wide range of devices and applications with more demanding bandwidth and latency requirements. The recent acquisition of CellRebel by Ookla® helps us expand our ability to help improve the end-user experience. We’re at a key inflection point in which the industry is recognizing the importance of assuring that any network expansion or optimization is actually tied to improving the customer experience. Looking only at network KPIs without understanding their impact on what the customer experiences isn’t enough. Network complexity, moreover, is only increasing with 5G deployments. With CellRebel, we will be able to better monitor and help improve not just radio networks but the entire end-to-end chain, which in turn leads to a stronger customer experience.

We’ll be watching 5G performance closely across the Nordics using Speedtest Intelligence. If you want to learn more about how Speedtest Intelligence can help you benchmark your 5G performance against competitors, please inquire here. If you are interested in how CellRebel can help you measure your network please inquire here.

Ookla retains ownership of this article including all of the intellectual property rights, data, content graphs and analysis. This article may not be quoted, reproduced, distributed or published for any commercial purpose without prior consent. Members of the press and others using the findings in this article for non-commercial purposes are welcome to publicly share and link to report information with attribution to Ookla.

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Sylwia Kechiche

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Sylwia Kechiche | October 3, 2022

Fibre AltNets Have an Important Role to Play in the U.K.'s Gigabit Future

Fixed broadband internet reached 86% of households at the end of 2021 in the U.K., and most customers have access to speeds of at least 30 Mbps. While seven large internet service providers (ISPs) dominate the United Kingdom fixed broadband market, the competitive landscape is vibrant, hosting dozens of alternative providers (AltNets). The U.K. fibre market also attracts new funding, which allows alternative providers to expand their fibre footprint. In fact, Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data reveals smaller providers are sometimes the fastest across a few cities and counties.

Key Takeaways:

Speedtest Intelligence® data shows that across the United Kingdom in the first half of 2022, the median broadband download speed was 61.69 Mbps, with a median upload speed of 17.63 Mbps. Northern Ireland ranked first for median download speed at 65.21 Mbps, followed by England (62.40 Mbps), Scotland (57.13 Mbps), and Wales (49.71 Mbps).
Virgin Media O2 was the U.K.’s fastest fixed broadband provider, achieving a median download speed of 116.44 Mbps and an upload speed of 20.86 Mbps during Q1-Q2 2022. Across the 146 British counties we looked at, Speedtest Intelligence data showed that in Q1-Q2 2022 Virgin Media O2 was the clear speed leader, clocking the top download speeds in a whopping 71% of those counties. Virgin Media O2, having already upgraded its network to DOCSIS 3.1 plans to migrate to fibre to the premises (FTTP) over the next few years. The company is also planning to challenge Openreach in the wholesale market thanks to a new joint venture.
AltNets had the top speeds in London, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester, as well as across a number of counties. Public funding has helped facilitate the emergence of fibre ISPs in rural areas where fibre deployment is not commercially viable. Other AltNets like Hyperoptic are already well established, deploying and operating an FTTP network in areas with high density, which connects existing and new multi-dwelling buildings.

On the road to Gigabit connectivity

We looked at GDP and PPP in 2021 across 160 markets to see if there’s a correlation between wealth and internet speeds. While the correlation between fixed broadband speed and wealth was weak, many factors can determine a country’s internet performance like consumer demand, market competition, and regulatory stimulus. There are, however, some market exceptions like Chile, China, and Thailand, which outperform their economic peers. We discussed how Thailand’s supportive regulatory environment resulted in an increased fibre adoption in this article from 2021.

On the other hand, we would have expected some markets to transition to fibre more swiftly and provide users with faster median download speeds — but haven’t yet done so. The U.K. is one of those markets; according to Speedtest Global Index™ in August 2022, it ranked 55th, with a median fixed broadband download speed of 66.22 Mbps and 18.25 Mbps upload.

Northern Ireland was the speediest across the U.K.

Speedtest Intelligence® data shows the median fixed broadband download speed across the U.K. was 61.69 Mbps and the median upload speed was 17.63 Mbps in the first half of 2022. Looking at fixed speeds across the four British nations, Northern Ireland ranked first for fastest median download speed at 65.21 Mbps, followed by England (62.40 Mbps), Scotland (57.13 Mbps), and Wales (49.71 Mbps).

The number of homes that are gigabit-capable fixed broadband reached 19.3 million (66% of all U.K. homes) in January 2022, up from 13.7 million (47%) in September 2021. Most homes in the U.K. (97%) have access to “superfast broadband connection,” defined as download speeds of at least 30 Mbps. Yet, only a third can order a fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) service. However, much faster speeds are on the horizon with the government targeting 85% gigabit-capable coverage by 2025, and nationwide fixed broadband speeds of 1 Gbps or better by 2030.

To help realise this, the British government created the U.K. Gigabit Programme, investing a total of £5 billion, of which at least £1.2 billion will be available by 2025 to provide connectivity for areas currently difficult to reach. This in turn has made the fibre market attractive for investors to provide funding for smaller network providers that want to take advantage of this market opportunity. There are about 100 smaller, alternative providers (AltNets) offer FTTP broadband across the U.K. These AltNets come in various sizes, stages of maturity, and have different business models. With the upcoming changes to regulation, which will allow pension funds to invest into venture capital to back high-growth tech startups, even more funding could be poured into the sector.

Virgin Media O2 leads for fastest download speed at 116.44 Mbps

The U.K. market landscape is dynamic, with around 300 ISPs serving the market, but only a few offering nationwide coverage. The median fixed broadband speed in the U.K. is heavily influenced by the network technology provided by leading providers, which predominantly rely on copper-based network infrastructure supplied by Openreach. BT, Sky, Talk Talk, EE, Plusnet, and Vodafone all use Openreach, which itself is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BT Group but legally separated. Openreach has allocated £12 billion to upgrade its copper network to fibre. In August 2022, Openreach reported that its FTTP network passed over 8 million premises and is on target to provide fibre service to 25 million premises by the end of 2026.

The U.K.’s fastest broadband provider, Virgin Media O2, announced in December 2021 that it had completed its upgrade of its Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network to a gigabit-capable DOCSIS 3.1 technology. Not to be outdone in the fibre race, the operator is upgrading that network to XGS-PON technology, which it aims to complete by 2028. In its Q2 2022 earning release, Virgin Media O2 stated that Project Lightning, a £3 billion network expansion programme, has been accelerating and “the cumulative Lightning footprint is now 2.9 million, [and] the company is on-track to add over 500,000 Lightning premises in 2022.”

Virgin Media O2’s shareholders, Liberty Global and Telefónica, alongside investment firm, InfraVia Capital Partners, announced a new fibre joint venture with a war chest of £4.5 billion. The initial goal is to roll out fibre to new greenfield areas, expanding to 5 million homes outside of Virgin Media O2’s network by 2026, with the opportunity to expand to an additional 2 million homes by 2027. Virgin Media O2 will be the anchor tenant of the network, but the network will be available to other ISPs on a wholesale basis.

Alternative players making headway in the wholesale market

Although Openreach and Virgin Media O2 dominate the fibre landscape in terms of homes passed, roll-out plans, and scale of investment, CityFibre has emerged as the largest alternative wholesale fibre network provider. CityFiber recently secured a £4.9 billion debt package that will fund a network covering a third of the U.K. market (8 million homes) by 2025. CityFibre is backed by Goldman Sachs, Antin Infrastructure Partners, Mubadala Investment Company, and Interogo Holding.

The reason the provider attracts such large-scale capital investment is because its fibre expansion plans are based on a long-term purchasing commitment from multiple wholesale customers, including TalkTalk, Vodafone, Zen, and 30 other ISPs. Thanks to this business model, CityFibre, established in 2011, scaled from a small start up aimed at rescuing failed fibre projects in small U.K. cities, to becoming a network that has just passed 2 million premises.

Another wholesale fibre provider, Netomnia, was founded in 2019 by the former CEO of Community Fibre and has ambitious plans to reach 1 million premises by 2023. To date, Netomnia has already passed 210,000 premises and it expects to extend across 48 towns and cities by the end of this year. Along with ISP YouFibre, Netomnia has secured £418 million in funding since 2020: £123 million in funding in November 2021, followed by £295 new funding led by DigitalBridge Investment Management in April 2022. The provider is a registered supplier in the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS), which subsidises the cost of connecting a rural premise to a fibre network up to £1,500 per household and up to £3,500 for businesses.

AltNets had the top speeds in London, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester

Using Speedtest Intelligence data, we looked at the median fixed broadband speeds across key British cities during Q1-Q2 2022. Virgin Media O2 led for speed in eight of the 12 cities we looked at.

However, in three cities – Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester – Hyperoptic had the fastest fixed broadband speeds, achieving download and upload speeds in excess of 150 Mbps during Q1-Q2 2022.

Hyperoptic, which is backed by private equity house KKR, currently reaches 1 million homes and is planning to exceed 2 million by the end of the year. The ISP committed to invest £200 million in 2022 to expand its network by laying more than 1,500 kilometres of fibre to connect an additional 400,000 homes and businesses. Hyperopitc’s strategy is to deploy and operate an FTTP network in buildings and areas with high customer acquisition potential, targeting areas with high density and connecting existing homes and new multi-dwelling buildings. Hyperoptic has a particularly strong position in social housing and works with social housing providers and councils to provide some residents with free or reduced priced fibre broadband. Hyperoptic also targets new building developments as these properties will soon have to be connected per proposed changes in the Building Regulation 2010. Hyperoptic also has partnerships with over 250 developers across the country, providing them an opportunity to deliver service to new homes as they’re built. The provider also has working relationships with 16 of the 20 largest building development companies, including Barratt Developments.

AltNets and their various business models

Across the 146 British counties we looked at, Speedtest Intelligence data shows that Virgin Media O2 had the fastest median download speeds in a whopping 71% of those counties. BT ranked a distant second, posting the top speeds in about 10% of counties, while Vodafone led in five counties. Fibrus and Gigaclear registered the top speeds in four counties each, with TrueSpeed leading in two counties. Various other providers led in one county.

Vodafone is CityFibre’s anchor customer nationwide, and the two providers have a strategic partnership. In November 2021, Vodafone expanded on the partnership, increasing its long-term volume commitment from 12 to 285 cities, towns, and villages across 8 million homes CityFibre is targeting. Vodafone initially signed a partnership with CityFibre in November 2017, which allowed it to offer fibre to Vodafone’s customers starting in Milton Keynes. In fact, Vodafone was the fastest provider in Milton Keynes, offering a median download speed of 159.64 Mbps, along with a median upload speed of 125.24 Mbps.

Fibrus had the fastest median download speed in four counties in Northern Ireland. Fibrus was selected to deliver Project Stratum, under which Fibrus will receive £165 million to bring full fibre connectivity to 76,000 premises across Northern Ireland. An additional £32 million was awarded to bring another 8,500 harder to reach premises into the project’s scope. By the end of 2021, Fibrus passed over 100,000 premises with Project Stratum accounting for 20% of these connections. The rapid growth, network expansion, and customer acquisition resulted in an operating loss of £15.5 million for Fibrus, and £92 million invested into network build. Fibrus secured £220 million from a consortium of banks consisting of NatWest, ABN Amro, ING, Sabadell, LBBW, and the U.K. Infrastructure Bank to fund its roll out.

The vast amount of public funding facilitated the emergence of fibre ISPs focusing on rural areas where fibre deployment is not commercially viable. For instance, Fibrus was chosen to deliver fibre in Northern Ireland, where Project Stratum funds fibre broadband deployments in rural communities.

Gigaclear had the fastest download speed in four counties: Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Rutland. Gigaclear passed 300,000 premises across 22 English counties in May, 60% of its target of 500,000 premises by the end of 2023. The provider secured £525 million worth of debt financing in 2020 with Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, and ABN AMRO, and in 2021, received a £190 million investment boost partially co-financed by the new U.K. Infrastructure bank. It has been reported that Gigaclear is working with Rothschild bankers to raise £200-300 million of additional capital to fund its network deployment. In some communities, the provider holds contracts with local authorities to build fibre networks through the Building Digital U.K. (BDUK) programme. In these communities, Gigaclear invested £9 of its capital for every £1 of subsidy it received.

Giganet, which was the fastest in Portsmouth, was the single-fastest provider at the county-level at 305 Mbps, about three times faster than England’s national average. The provider focuses on underserved rural areas, including some connected premises that are part of the BDUK programme.

WightFibre operates only in the Isle of Wight, and it aims to create the U.K.’s first “Gigabit Island.” The company has completed the migration of legacy cable network customers to a new full fibre network in 2021, and it switched off its copper network in August 2022. WightFibre’s fibre network is available to over 40,000 premises, with a target of 60,000 premises by end of 2022; 75,000 by 2024; and ultimately covering 96% of the island’s premises (80,000).

Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) is a registered Community Benefits society. It is building a fibre network in isolated or socially deprived rural communities and also helping similar community-driven network deployments in other areas. The community is directly involved in bringing the network to residents and those in surrounding premises, installing it and passing on the skills to the next community. The fibre network was initially deployed in the rural northwest of England and has gradually expanded from there. Any profits were reinvested, with 5% of profits being paid to members. BR4N was the fastest provider in Cumbria with a median download speed of 113.74 Mbps and 127.98 Mbps upload.

Although Voneus does not have the fastest download speed in any county, its business model is worth noting. Voneus begins by rolling out its Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) solution, which has relatively low Capex and Opex, bringing communities quickly online, and then deploys FTTP. This allows the company to mitigate the risk associated with higher costs of fibre delivery in three ways:

Thanks to FWA Voneus already has an established base of customers that recognise the benefits of faster broadband.
Voneus takes advantage of the rural gigabit voucher scheme, securing a cost contribution toward every home connected.
This reduces cost and build time. Voneus has code power and PIA accreditation that allows it to utilise existing pole and duct infrastructure.

Over £30 billion investment into fibre

According to the Independent Networks Cooperative Association (INCA) report, alternative providers connected over 1 million FTTP premises, having passed 5.5 million premises with fibre at the end of 2021. Virgin Media O2 passed 16.8 million households with its gigabit-capable (but not yet FTTP) network, while Openreach reported 8 million premises within reach of its fibre network. Looking ahead, the report predicts that alternative providers will pass 30 million premises by 2025. It also notes that Virgin Media O2 plans to extend its network to 22 million premises, and Openreach has a target of 26 million by 2026. All of these ambitious plans exceed 31 million premises in the U.K. This means there will be some level of overbuild, especially in more densely populated areas. To deploy fibre networks, AltNets will spend £12 billion on fibre networks, in addition to £12 billion announced by BT Group, £2 billion planned by Virgin Media O2, and £5 billion coming from the government.

Challenges are few, labour force shortage is the most pressing

Translating the fibre investment into ROI will remain a challenge, particularly for some smaller, regional players, while increasing interest rates will put pressure on others. Industry consolidation is already in place with CityFiber buying Fiber Nation, Swish Fiber acquiring People’s Fiber, and Community Fiber buying Box Broadband. There is even more on the horizon, as fibre roll out requires significant capital investment and most players, apart from Hyperoptic, aren’t turning a profit.

Another challenge is the consumer take-up, meaning the proportion of subscriptions and homes passed. This is most efficiently done in areas that are greenfield, but where customer acquisition can be tricky. Hyperoptic recently introduced its Switch Now campaign, offering free broadband for up to nine months if a customer switches providers to Hyperoptic.

BT reported it has 26% take-up equivalent to 1.3 million FTTP customers, while CityFibre reported that in Milton Keynes, fibre take-up of 25% with other locations growing on a similar trajectory.

Access to sufficient physical and human resources to upgrade to full fibre is another challenge. To alleviate these hurdles, the U.K. government proposed that it could fast-track entry for thousands of foreign workers to help with the roll-out of gigabit broadband. We will continue to follow the fibre race in the U.K. and we will monitor what impact it will have on fixed broadband speeds. If you’d like to learn more about internet speeds and performance in other markets around the world, visit the Speedtest Global Index.

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Sylwia Kechiche | September 19, 2022

MTN Performed Best Among Operator Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa

This article explores mobile performance in select countries across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We examine how four operator groups – Airtel, Orange, MTN, and Vodacom – mobile performance compared against each other during Q2 2022 across ten countries. In our previous analysis of the state of the 5G networks South Africa Spearheads 5G in Africa, but the Road is Long and Windy for Others we analyzed mobile performance on modern chipsets during 2021 (full year) across the African continent. We concluded that these are still early days for 5G across the region as challenges remain around affordability and infrastructure. In this article we focus our analysis on these four operator groups which command the majority (62%) of the SSA subscriptions. We also compare mobile performance on modern chipsets across ten countries. Those ten countries account for 59% of the region’s connections, including:

East Africa: Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda;
Southern Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Botswana;
West Africa: Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Nigeria.

Key messages:

Speedtest Intelligence® data shows that MTN South Africa delivered the fastest median download speeds across analyzed operators, at 65.95 Mbps in Q2 2022. However, Vodacom in Johannesburg was the fastest operator considering speeds across top cities, reaching 81.36 Mbps median download speed in Q2 2022. In South Africa, MTN outperformed Vodacom in terms of median mobile speeds during Q2 2022.
Comparing Airtel and MTN performance across the three countries they operate in, Airtel took the top spot in Nigeria, both in terms of median download and upload speed in Q2 2022, while in Uganda and Rwanda there were no winners. Such was the case in Botswana too, where there was no winner between Mascom and Orange.
In Côte d’Ivoire, MTN took the market lead versus Orange in Q2 2022, whereas in Guinea, the situation was reversed and Orange took the top spot.
Vodacom subsidiary Safaricom won the accolade in Kenya vis a vis Airtel, in Tanzania there was no clear winner as Vodacom won the download speed and Airtel the upload.
In the DRC, which is host to three of the operator groups, there was no winner overall, although Orange was the top player in terms of download speeds.
During Q2 2022, South African network performance has been affected by load shedding, which resulted in consumer reporting not having signal and access to mobile internet according to Downdetector®.

MTN South Africa delivered the fastest median download speed in Q2 2022

Using Speedtest Intelligence® data we compared mobile performance in Q2 2022 on modern chipsets across 21 operators. Our results show that median download speeds ranged between 2.89 Mbps (MTN Guinea) and 65.95 Mbps (MTN South Africa). Median upload speeds varied between 1.55 Mbps (MTN Guinea) and 14.84 Mbps (Airtel Uganda).

We can clearly see the impact that 5G has on overall performance as South African operators came first thanks to having 5G networks in place. MTN South Africa was well ahead of the rest of operators, despite facing challenges with load shedding, with median download speed of 65.95 Mbps, followed by Vodacom South Africa with a median download speed of 48.70 Mbps. If we take 5G out of the equation, Safaricom Kenya was the fastest operator among the analyzed operators.

Vodafone in Johannesburg stole the show

When it comes to mobile speeds in capital cities, it is not surprising that cities that have 5G networks came top of the list. As such, Johannesburg led the pack, with a median download speed of 66.54 Mbps, ahead of Cape Town at 49.22 Mbps. Vodacom got ahead of MTN in Johannesburg and was the fastest operator across 12 cities we analyzed, with a median download speed of 81.36 Mbps in Q2 2022 compared to 73.83 Mbps in Q1 2022. MTN was faster in Cape Town. Taking 5G out of the equation, Orange in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, achieved median download speeds of 39.46 Mbps.

MTN got ahead of Orange, Airtel, and Vodacom

Using Speedtest Intelligence data for Q2 2022, we compared mobile performance on modern chipsets and 4G Availability in the countries where Airtel, Orange, Vodacom, and MTN operate.

MTN outperformed Orange in Côte d’Ivoire and Vodacom in South Africa, both in terms of median download and upload speeds. While MTN had better download speed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Rwanda MTN performed better than Airtel with regards to median download speed. Orange took the top spot in Guinea, Airtel in Nigeria, and Safaricom in Kenya. In the rest of the countries, the difference in mobile performance was either not statistically significant or there was not a single operator that delivered better performance across both upstream and downstream.

We have included a more detailed analysis below.

Airtel versus MTN

Nigeria: Airtel took the top spot in terms of speed, MTN had better 4G Availability.

As of Q2 2022, MTN Nigeria commanded 38.9% of Nigeria’s mobile users, with its 74.1 million subscribers almost double that of Airtel’s 46.0 million.
Yet when it comes to mobile performance, Airtel Nigeria was ahead of MTN; in Q2 2022, Airtel Nigeria recorded a median download speed of 30.35 Mbps and a median upload speed of 10.28 Mbps, both of which topped those of MTN (26.30 Mbps download and 9.13 Mbps upload).
Those speeds are set to increase as both companies have invested heavily into network infrastructure, with a combined investment of N208.5 billion ($502 million). The investment translates into an increase in 4G Availability as well. In Q2 2022, MTN had 83.8% 4G Availability compared to Airtel’s 77.9%.

Uganda: MTN ahead in download speed, Airtel had better upload.

MTN’s 53.9% market share in Uganda translates to 16.3 million subscribers as of Q2 2022. Meanwhile, Airtel Uganda had a 45.1% market share (13.6 million).
In Q2 2022, MTN Uganda was ahead of Airtel in terms of median download speeds, while Airtel had at least a 33% better median upload speed.
In its recent annual report, Airtel announced that its 4G network was available to 90% of the population of Uganda, effectively providing coverage to the entire country. To aid its capacity, Airtel Uganda is also rolling out fiber, which helps to boost data throughput. For example, in the capital – Kampala – 79% of sites are connected through fiber. In terms of 4G Availability, MTN and Airtel came closely together at 83.1% and 80.7%, respectively.

Rwanda: MTN took the top spot for median download and 4G Availability

MTN Rwanda increased its customer base by 1.7% year-on-year (YoY) to 6.6 million as of Q2 2022, expanding its lead in customer market share by 2.7 pp to 65.6%, Airtel controlled the remainder of the market.
MTN Rwanda performed better than Airtel when it comes to median download speed: MTN had a 33% better median download speed.
MTN Rwanda also had the best 4G Availability order to further increase smartphone penetration in the market and stimulate demand for data services, in June 2022, MTN Rwanda and Bank of Kigali (BK Group) signed an agreement to introduce device financing. This program will enable customers to spread over the cost of smartphones over an extended period of time.

MTN versus Orange

Botswana: Mascom and Orange performed similarly.

Mascom (MTN) is the largest operator in Botswana, with 1.8 million subscribers in Q2 2022 and a 42.2% market share. Orange is the second largest operator, ending Q2 2022 with 1.7 million subscribers and 41.2% market share.
Comparing the operators’ performance, the difference in terms of both median download and upload speeds as well as 4G Availability was not statistically significant and there is no winner.

Côte d’Ivoire: MTN stole the show in terms of performance.

MTN had 38.9% subscriber market share in Côte d’Ivoire as of Q2 2022, which equates to 15.8 million subscribers, Orange ended Q2 2022 with 14.6 million subscribers (36.0% market share).
MTN had faster median download and upload speeds compared to that of Orange, and the gap might widen even more going forward. In December 2021, MTN Côte d’Ivoire started 5G trials at nine locations in Abidjan. This was followed by the Ivoirian government adopting a roadmap for the launch of 5G technology in February this year, with 5G networks expected to go live by 2023.

Guinea: Orange commands the Guinean market.

Market leader, Orange, which switched on its 4G network in 2019, accounted for 60% of mobile connections in Q2 2022 in Guinea, ahead of MTN (30.8%). According to telecom regulator ARPT, in Q4 2021, Orange held a 69.9% market share of mobile Internet traffic, while MTN held 26.9%.
Orange was far ahead in terms of performance during Q2 2022. Part of the reason being that Orange is currently the sole provider of 4G services in the country, with MTN awarded a 4G operating license in February 2022 but it has not launched the services yet.

Vodacom versus Airtel

Kenya: Safaricom won across all metrics.

Safaricom is the largest operator in Kenya by a mile, with 67.1% market share (equivalent to 42.7 million connections) ahead of Airtel 25.9% (16.4 million).
Safaricom also exhibited better network performance during Q2 2022, with a median download speed of 36.25 Mbps and upload of 13.83 Mbps, compared to Airtel (28.58 Mbps download speed and 8.44 Mbps upload).
Safaricom has signed a multi-year contract with satellite provider Intelsat to modernize its network and expand LTE coverage. Safricom is focusing more on 4G rather than pursuing 5G as the cost of 5G handsets is prohibitive and slowing down its 5G expansion. In a bid to increase smartphone usage on its network, Safaricom partnered with Google to allow its customers to pay for 4G-enabled phones in installments. Customers pay as little as KES 20 ($0.34) per day over a nine-month period. The operator’s ultimate target is to upgrade about four million 2G and 3G phones to 4G. Safaricom had also partnered with Vivo to sell 4G phones.
Meanwhile, Safaricom’s top competitor in Kenya, Airtel Kenya, paid $5 million as part of an agreement with the regulator to acquire and operate spectrum from 2015 through 2025. The operator has a remaining balance of $10 million to settle over the next three years, with a cumulative payout of $20 million.

Tanzania: Vodacom did better on download speeds.

Tanzania’s mobile market is served by seven mobile operators, making it one of the most competitive markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Vodacom ended June 2022 with 15.6 million subscribers, which translated into a 28.8% market share, GSMA Intelligence estimates that Airtel held a 27.4% market share in Q2 2022, equivalent to 14.8 million subscriptions.
Vodacom’s median download speeds were ahead of Airtel’s – 17.08 Mbps versus 12.89 Mbps. Vodacom’s 4G Availability also topped Airtel’s at 87.1%, compared to 77.7%. To further increase its network reach, in May 2022, Vodacom Tanzania signed a deal with the National ICT Broadband Backbone (NICTBB), a national fiber optic cable network. This will allow Vodacom to increase rural connectivity after an initial investment of €5.82 million ($6.22 million) in October 2021. Furthermore, in September 2022, Vodacom launched 5G mobile service in Dar es Salaam with a target to expand to approximately 230 locations in other cities. In time, as more users migrate to 5G smartphones and tariffs this will lead to Vodacom improving its speeds further.

Orange versus Vodacom versus Airtel

Democratic Republic of Congo: Orange was the top player in terms of download speeds.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the third largest country by population across the SSA and largest by area. It hosts seven mobile operators, including three of the four groups we analyze — Vodacom, MTN, Orange, and Airtel.

In Q2 2022, Vodacom was the largest operator by number of connections with market share of 35.3% and 16.0 million connections, followed by Airtel (12.8 million) and Orange (12.2 million).
Comparing operators’ mobile performance, Orange led in terms of median download speed (29.18 Mbps), ahead of Airtel (11.15 Mbps) and Vodacom (8.00 Mbps). Operators came head to head with regards to 4G Availability.

MTN versus Vodacom

South Africa: MTN outperformed Vodacom in terms of mobile speeds.

Vodacom ended June 2022 with 45.1 million subscriptions equivalent to a 41% market share. MTN is the second largest player with 35.3 million connections, and had a net addition of almost 837,000 in the quarter. MTN noted in their results that: “The overall growth in the base was particularly encouraging given the significant ramp-up in load shedding, which impacts systems and typically constrains new customer acquisitions.”
The South African market might see a consolidation if the proposed acquisition of Telkom by MTN gets the green light. This will change the market dynamics as MTN will become the number one player by number of connections.
In terms of mobile performance, MTN had better median download and upload speeds, while Vodacom led on 4G Availability. We have commented on the state of the 5G market in South Africa in our recent article.

Mobile networks don’t exist in a vacuum

It is important to note that mobile performance is impacted by a number of factors, including underlying infrastructure such as access to fiber backhaul and reliable power supply, spectrum availability as well as end-user devices to name a few. Case in point is the fact that, despite being the regional leaders when it comes to mobile performance, South African operators faced issues related to infrastructure reliability and availability over the past three months. Operating conditions in South Africa were affected by increased incidents of rolling power outages (load shedding) and there are no signs of respite.

We have seen these outages reflected in Downdetector® data, which is the world’s most popular platform for user-reported service status information. During Q2 2022 users reported 46,810 incidents for Vodacom and 34,882 problems for MTN. There were two top issues reported: no signal and no mobile internet: lack of signal accounted for the majority (46%) of Vodacom’s reported outages, followed by inability to access mobile internet (36%). This has been reversed for MTN — majority of issues were related to mobile internet (43%), followed by no signal (40%). Noteworthy is the fact that there were reports of total blackouts: 7% for Vodacom and 5% for MTN.

Vodacom commented in its results call for the quarter ended on June 30, 2022 that they already spent ZAR 1.7 billion ($99.9 million) on batteries and generators to offset the impact of load shedding with further ZAR 500 million ($29.4 million) allocated to battery purchases. Vodacom also continues to optimize site utilization by using IoT.nxt technology to reduce the amount of energy consumption per site but also piloting wind power and solar projects. While its competitor, MTN, stated in its interim results report that it “rolled out a comprehensive network resilience plan including additional batteries, generators and enhanced security features.”

We will continue to monitor mobile networks performance across Africa, looking at how various factors affect it. 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™.

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Sylwia Kechiche | September 6, 2022

South Africa Fixed Broadband Speeds Up as Fiber Takes Off

We recently examined the state of the 5G performance in South Africa, and we now turn our attention to the fixed broadband side. In July 2022, our Speedtest Global Index® ranked South Africa in 95th place, with a median download speed of 35.90 Mbps and a median upload speed of 29.56 Mbps. South Africa has come a long way in the past four years in terms of fixed network performance. In July 2019, for instance, South Africa ranked 112th with fixed median download and upload speeds of 9.95 Mbps and 5.56 Mbps, respectively.

Key messages:

Speedtest Intelligence® data shows that fixed broadband speeds in South Africa have doubled over the past three years – from 15.11 Mbps median download speed in Q1-Q2 2020 to 31.34 Mbps in Q1-Q2 2022, benefiting from increased competition and growth in Fiber to the Home subscriptions.
South Africa still has a long way to go to catch up with other BRICS countries, Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Telecom regulator, ICASA, could consider setting a minimum broadband speed to stimulate market adoption outside of urban areas, which are currently underserved.
With only 10% of households connected to broadband, there is substantial room for growth, and operators are looking to extend fiber beyond affluent areas. Furthermore, there is a growing number of mergers and acquisitions in the market. South Africa is home to a complex fiber market with alternative ISPs competing for market share using open fiber networks deployed by Telkom’s wholesale division, Openserve, and alternative FNOs such as Vumatel.
Cool Ideas took the lead in 1H 2022 with a 48.32 Mbps median upload speed and 47.89 Mbps download speed, but its market lead could be soon challenged as many operators are already offering speeds in excess of 30 Mbps.
Gauteng, home to the country’s largest city, Johannesburg, had the best median fixed broadband download speeds of 38.47 Mbps and 27.92 Mbps upload speeds. South African capital city, Johannesburg, was the fastest of the five cities we analyzed.

South African median fixed speeds doubled in the past three years, thanks to fiber growth

Speedtest Intelligence® data shows that fixed broadband speeds in South Africa have more than doubled over the past three years — moving from 15.11 Mbps median download speed in Q1-Q2 2020 to 31.34 Mbps in Q1-Q2 2022; for upload speed, the increase has been more pronounced, improving from a median upload speed of 8.85 Mbps in Q1-Q2 2020 to 24.50 Mbps in Q1-Q2 2022. These improvements are due to increased market competition and a growing number of fiber connections. According to South African regulator Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), fixed line broadband subscriptions increased by 20.4% in 2021, while Fiber to the Home/Building (FTTH/B) subscriptions grew by 34.4%. In fact, FTTH/B subscriptions have increased 44 times over the past seven years: from 31,843 in September 2015 to 1.4 million in September 2021, steadily replacing DSL lines.

However, fixed broadband adoption is still relatively low. There are 17.4 million households in South Africa, and if we translate the overall number of broadband subscriptions into household adoption, this equates to just 10% of South African households having fixed broadband in September 2021. On one hand, this marks an improvement over 2020, when less than one-tenth (8.3%) of households had access to fixed internet at home, according to the General Household Survey. But on the other hand, there was — and is — a significant urban/rural divide. 14% of households in metropolitan areas had access to the Internet at home compared to only 0.8% of rural households according to the same survey.

To help narrow the digital divide, the South African government’s South Africa Connect (SA Connect) initiative was put in place in 2013. Phase One of Digital Development focused on prioritized provision of broadband connection services to government buildings, health facilities, schools, post offices, and police stations in eight districts, but its scope has been reduced due to Covid-19 pandemic. Now, SA Connect entered a second stage, which aims to cover 100% of the population with at least 10 Mbps and 80% of the population with 100 Mbps broadband access by 2030, which forms part of government’s commitment to bridge the digital divide, especially in rural communities, while also advancing the digital economy.

There is still room to grow for South Africa to catch up with other BRICS markets

Using Speedtest Intelligence data, we compared fixed download speeds across the BRICS countries, which include five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa during Q1-Q2 2022. China topped the rankings across the BRICS countries, posting a median download speed of nearly 160 Mbps. South Africa, meanwhile, finished last, indicating that South Africa still has room to grow in terms of fixed broadband performance and adoption.

India has already taken steps to improve fixed broadband performance by setting minimum broadband speeds. We have commented how TRAI, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, published several recommendations designed to increase fixed broadband network rollouts and adoption. The recommendations also aim to help achieve India’s targets of universal broadband provision of 50 Mbps, as well as breaking into the top-50 of the ITU’s ICT Development Index by 2022.

South Africa could also look to Chile for inspiration on how to improve its fixed broadband performance. Currently, Chile tops the ranking in terms of global fixed broadband performance, with a fixed median download speed of 213.73 Mbps. While it took time, Chile’s healthy fixed broadband performance is due to a mix of a supportive regulatory environment and robust market competition. According to Chilean regulator Subtel, 83% of fixed broadband connections comprise speeds of 100 Mbps thanks to a growing penetration of fiber to the home (FFTH).

The rise of fiber network operators

There are multiple drivers behind the growth of fiber in South Africa, ranging from Telkom retiring its legacy infrastructure, consumer demand for faster speeds, and the growing consumption of bandwidth-hungry content, from video streaming services to cloud-based enterprise applications. As such, the fixed incumbent, Telkom, is no longer the default wholesale infrastructure provider, which was the case with DSL. The increasing competition in South Africa gave birth to a very competitive and vibrant fiber wholesale market. In fact, South Africa is experiencing a fiber network operators (FNOs) boom, with over 30 FNOs deploying their own infrastructure and sharing it with other operators on an open-access basis.

It’s important to note the difference between FNOs and ISPs: an FNO manages and owns fiber optic connectivity infrastructure; an ISP handles everything customer related, such as getting customers online, support, billing, and more. ISPs often have relationships with multiple FNOs and negotiate deals with them. FNOs like Vumatel, Fibrehoods, Link Africa, Dark Fiber Africa, Openserve, Frogfoot, and Metro Fiber continue to increase their footprint. The competition between FNOs is heating up, both in terms of geographical footprint and on pricing. For instance, MetroFibre recently introduced pay-as-you-go internet options to target underserved areas, while others are doubling speeds offered at the same price.

Vumatel is the market leader in terms of homes passed — the number of premises to which an operator has the capability to connect — and active subscribers, with a self-reported 39% market share across both measures. Vumatel’s fiber network passes 1.5 million homes and has over 450,000 customers connected to its fiber network, with over 30,000 kilometers of fiber network. Vumatel acquired companies such as SADV and Fibrehoods to expand its reach. Vumatel, so far, has mostly focused on big metropolitan areas, but it is now expanding to high-density lower-income areas by offering prepaid packages. In 2017, Vumatel announced a pilot project where residents of Alexandria township could get access to 100 Mbps speeds for less than ZAR 100 (USD 5.88) per month, but the project hasn’t yet come to fruition.

With fiber leveling the competitive field, Telkom created a wholesale fixed-line division, Openserve, in 2015. Openserve’s legal separation will be completed on September 1, 2022 when it will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Telkom Group. There are over 200 ISPs (Internet Service Providers) using its open access network. Openserve reported that by June 30, 2022, its fiber network passed over 890,000 homes — a 45.3% increase from 612,451 a year earlier. At the same time, the number of households connected to its fiber network increased by 35.2% to 414,847, representing an FTTH connectivity rate of 46.6%. Openserve fiber network has the largest reach, with more than 170,000 kilometers of fiber deployed. The operator invested capex to the tune of R 3,472 million (USD 204 million) to modernize and expand the network in 2021 to replace legacy copper networks with fiber. To monetize its investment, Openserve informed ISPs that it plans to stop offering ADSL services from October 2021 in areas within its fiber footprint, with the ultimate goal of shutting down copper based services by 2024.

Frogfoot acquired LinkAfrica’s Western Cape FTTH assets in September 2021 to help its presence in the Western Cape, where Frogfoot increased the number of homes passed to 312,000. Currently, the FNO’s fiber network has passed 336,000 homes, connecting 128,600 homes and 12,500 businesses. In June 2022, Frogfoot announced its Century Promotion, which enables participating ISPs to offer discounted rates on four different line speeds. As a result, end-users can obtain top-tier 1 Gbps connections for less than ZAR 1,000 (USD 58.76). Frogfoot’s ultimate goal is for consumers to subscribe to a 50 Mbps package at well below ZAR 500 (ZAR 29.38) per month.

Vodacom is also looking to increase its market presence in the fixed broadband space. In November 2021, it acquired a 30% stake in a newly combined InfaCo, which combines assets of Community Investment Ventures Holdings (CIVH) and Vodacom’s fiber assets with an option to increase the stake to 40%. The deal, which is currently undergoing regulatory approval processes, gives Vodacom access to the fiber networks of Vumatel and Dark Fiber Africa (DFA), which are both owned by CIVH. Vumatel’s fiber network will be merged with Vodacom’s FTTH and fiber-to-the-business assets.

Cool Ideas took the lead as fiber land grab heats up

Using Speedtest Intelligence®, we compared fixed broadband performance in South Africa during Q1-Q2 2022 across the country’s top providers, those that account for 3% or more of total test samples, which leaves smaller ISPs off our rankings. Our data shows that Cool Ideas led the South African fixed broadband market in the first half of 2022. Cool Ideas reached almost 50 Mbps symmetrical speeds, with 48.32 Mbps median upload speed and 47.89 Mbps download speed. Afrihost, Webafrica, Vox Telecom, Axxess, and rain achieved median download speeds in excess of 30 Mbps. Operator performance in the region can be heavily impacted by the technology offered, with pure FTTH provider Cool Ideas topping our rankings. Fixed download speeds, however, are just one part of the story. Another is coverage. Operators such as Afrihost, MWEB, Vox Telecom, and Axxess use MTN and Vodacom’s mobile networks to offer Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) to expand their coverage in areas where there is no fiber or ADSL coverage.

Cool Ideas, which only offers fiber to homes and businesses, was acquired by Afrihost, but it continues to operate as a standalone brand. The ISP is using Vumatel’s network, which has announced that it will increase speeds for its customers. Cool Ideas customers have recently been notified that their 20/10 Mbps package will be upgraded to 50/50 Mbps for free, while the 100/100 Mbps package will double to 200/200 Mbps.

Afrihost, which finished second in our rankings, offers a range of technologies including FTTH, fixed wireless, ADSL, VDSL, and mobile data. Afrihost and Cool Ideas merged in August 2021 after South Africa’s Competition Commission approved Afrihost buying a majority stake in Cool Ideas. Cool Ideas continues to operate its brand and business separately from Afrihost, with the same employees and management team it had before the merger. Afrihost also owns a majority stake in another South African ISP, Axxess.

Rain, formerly known as iBurst and Wireless Business Solutions (WBS), offers 4G and 5G mobile data to its customers. In November 2019, it became the first company in Africa to launch a 5G Standalone network. Its 5G network currently covers 6 million households in South Africa, including those in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Cape Town, and Potchefstroom in the North West province. Rain plans to expand to new areas and towns along the Garden Route and in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

MWEB’s technology mix includes DSL, fiber, and LTE. It is a consumer arm of Dimension Data.

HeroTel operates in more than 400 towns and 107 municipalities, with over 150,000 homes passed. It has almost 130,000 broadband subscriptions, 45% of which use fiber, with the remainder using FWA services. CIVH, owner of Vumatel, acquired a 45% stake in Herotel in February 2022, and the company wants to increase its stake in Herotel to 100%. The goal is to expand the footprint of fiber to lower income communities in smaller towns and cities, where Herotel already has a network.

Vox Telecom offers DSL using Telkom’s network and provides fiber using open access fiber networks. Vox Telecom acquired Frogfoot, an FNO, in July 2015.

Gauteng province speeds ahead the country’s average

Across the nine South African provinces, Gauteng is the smallest by land mass, but it’s also the most populous and wealthiest province, home to the country’s largest city, Johannesburg. Given the population and economics of the province, It’s perhaps no surprise that Gauteng had the best median fixed broadband download and upload speeds at 38.47 Mbps and 27.92 Mbps, respectively. Gauteng’s leading speeds are due to several operators posting median download speeds faster than 40 Mbps, such as Afrihost, Axxess, Cool Ideas, Vox Telecom, and Webafrica.

Northern Cape, on the other hand, the largest but most sparsely populated province in South Africa, was home to a median download speed three times lower than the country’s average of 31.34 Mbps.

Residents of Johannesburg had the fastest broadband

Johannesburg performed well across the five cities we looked at in terms of median download and upload speeds. Download speeds in Johannesburg ranged from 25.53 Mbps to 51.49 Mbps, while in Port Elizabeth, speeds were much lower, ranging from 6.36 Mbps to 30.11 Mbps. Typically fiber networks first reach rich and affluent communities that present a fertile ground for their services. For example, a northern suburb of Johannesburg–Parkhurst–was Vumatel’s first suburb.

More is needed to improve fixed networks performance and adoption

Increasing download speeds require more investment in broadband infrastructure from ISPs and FNOs, but most importantly there is a need for reliable underlying infrastructure. Several undersea cables landed in South Africa, including WACS, EASSy, Seacom, SAT3/SAFE, and SACS, with the Equanio and 2Africa cables coming online soon, which helps increase network capacity. However, operators are also facing issues related to infrastructure reliability and availability such as loadshedding (rolling power outages). Affordability is another matter that needs to be addressed.

We will continue to monitor network performance in South Africa to see what effect the fiber race will have on fixed broadband speeds. If you’d like to learn more about internet speeds and performance in other markets around the world, visit the Speedtest Global Index™.

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Sylwia Kechiche

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Mark Giles | August 21, 2022

Qatar – Stronger Competition Driving 5G Performance Gains Ahead of World Cup

Key messages

Vodafone’s resurgence is putting pressure on market leader Ooredoo to maintain its performance lead. Vodafone’s Turnaround Strategy has created a more level competitive playing field in Qatar, helping it increase its market share and drive strong growth in top-line revenues and net profit so far this year. Vodafone’s improving performance in median 5G network speeds is driving Ooredoo to react in order to maintain its lead.
Strong 5G network investment in Qatar, as both operators seek to gain the upper hand, with all eyes on the up-coming FIFA World Cup^™. This major event gives both operators a chance to demonstrate the capabilities and resilience of their 5G networks to a global audience. They have already driven median 5G download speeds in the market to over 400 Mbps so far in 2022, and with mmWave spectrum due to be allocated in 2023, consumers should expect faster performance to come.
Perfect storm has helped propel Qatar to second place globally in mobile download speeds. A desire to rapidly transition their customer bases to 5G has boosted 5G Availability in the market, and has helped Qatar climb to second place in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index^™ as of July 2022.
Beyond faster speeds, consumers are paying less and have access to unlimited 5G tariffs. While headline median 5G speeds impress, strong competition is also driving improved outcomes for consumers, as ARPU falls quarter-on-quarter. Both operators have also introduced unlimited 5G tariffs, including voice, SMS and data, albeit with fair usage caps.

Vodafone’s resurgence has forced Ooredoo to respond and helped drive network speeds to new highs

Vodafone Qatar’s resurgence as a stronger competitor to market leader Ooredoo Qatar has taken place at a key juncture for the Qatari market — the arrival of 5G. Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) amended the mobile licenses held by Vodafone Qatar and Ooredoo Qatar in early 2019. The new licenses included harmonized terms and conditions for both companies, authorizing each to utilize 100 MHz of C-band spectrum and committed them to roll out commercial 5G networks before the end of 2020 in all densely populated areas. It also required they provide coverage of all primary roads and highways as well as all venues associated with the up-coming FIFA World Cup. This was updated in May 2022 to plan the allocation to both operators of additional spectrum in the C-band as well as high frequency (26 GHz) spectrum by 2023, while their license obligations require their 5G networks to cover 99% of Qatar with minimum download speeds of 100 Mbps by 2024.

Both network operators have invested heavily in their 5G networks, with Ooredoo attaining 99.5% population coverage in Q1 2022, and Vodafone committed to near universal coverage by the end of 2022. This drive to increase coverage and rapidly migrate users to 5G means that Qatar is among the top markets globally in terms of 5G Availability, (the percentage of users with 5G-capable devices who spend a majority of their time connected to 5G networks), which stood at 46.8% as of Q2 2022 according to Speedtest Intelligence^®. Ooredoo maintained an advantage over Vodafone in median 5G download speeds in Q2 2022, recording 450.08 Mbps compared to Vodafone’s 426.04 Mbps, while Vodafone maintains an advantage in upload speeds of 28.61 Mbps to Ooredoo’s 26.76 Mbps.

Ookla^® Speedtest Intelligence data shows that Vodafone’s renewed position within the market is helping spur network investment from both operators. In early 2021, Ooredoo had the upper hand in terms of 5G download performance, while in Q4 2021 Vodafone’s performance jumped considerably, prompting Ooredoo to strengthen its position in Q1 2022. Monthly Speedtest^® data shows that the performance gap between the two operators is beginning to narrow once more. At a national level, this has helped Qatar maintain a top-five position in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index (a global ranking of median download speeds based on all mobile technologies), and as of July 2022 it ranked second globally.

Vodafone targeting market share gains, helping drive ARPU in the market lower

Qatar has been a challenging market for Vodafone Group. Vodafone Qatar launched in 2009 as the second mobile network operator in the country. While it was able to grow market share, it consistently made losses — in the nine months to December 2017, the company made a loss of QAR 182.16 million (~$50 million), which led to Vodafone Group selling its share in the operator in 2018. The Qatar Foundation took control of the company, having increased its shareholding to 50%, maintaining the Vodafone brand but also implementing a Turnaround Strategy, designed to reverse the company’s fortunes, with a focus on cost containment and revenue growth.

Vodafone Qatar’s operational and financial performance has gone from strength to strength over the five years since then. Costs have fallen from close to 75% of revenues in 2017, to under 60% during 1H 2022, spurred by a rigid focus on cost containment. During the first half of 2022, Vodafone Qatar grew top line revenues by 23.5% (year-on-year, with service revenues increasing by 14%), while net profit rose by 61.3%.

The company is reaping the benefits of an aggressive move to capture new customers — in Q1 2022 its mobile connections base topped 2 million for the first time, representing 18.6% growth year-on-year, well above Ooredoo’s 6.8% growth. Vodafone was the first to introduce “unlimited” tariffs to the market in 2019 across voice, SMS, and data (subject to a fair usage policy), while it has also allowed users across all its tariffs to access 5G. Vodafone’s 5G Availability, the proportion of its users with 5G capable devices which spend a majority of time connected to 5G networks, hit 53.0% during Q2 2022, ahead of Ooredoo’s 42.0%. Vodafone’s drive to acquire new customers has come at the expense of average revenue per user (ARPU), as it is clear it is undercutting Ooredoo in the market. Vodafone’s ARPU fell by 10.3% in the year to Q1 2022, while Ooredoo’s only declined by 3.9%, despite being almost 40% higher.

Focus currently on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, but more to come

A large part of 5G network investment in the country is targeted at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, scheduled to take place in November and December 2022. The award of the world’s premier global football tournament was a significant coup for Qatar, and is predicted to attract around 1.5 million visitors, a significant increase on the local population of 2.93 million. In addition to covering all fan zones related to the event, both operators have been investing heavily in increasing the capacity of their networks and in building enhanced network assurance capabilities, to make sure their networks can cope with the strain of the additional connections and traffic from the event.

Ooredoo announced in March that it had been selected by the FIFA World Cup organizers as the Official Global Connectivity Services Provider. This will involve providing connectivity services to all media rights licensees in Qatar, and it is building a dedicated network to support broadcast video production and distribution. In order to further boost its network capacity for users at the event, Ooredoo signed a partnership agreement with Ericsson in November 2021, where the vendor will provide network optimization and event management services, covering 5G services in fan zones, stadiums, airports, and major tourist attractions. While not an official partner, Vodafone Qatar’s role in delivering a successful event should not be overlooked. It has tapped the experience of the wider Vodafone Group in delivering connectivity at major events, has been aggressively densifying its 5G network (with over 50% more radio access network sites deployed since 2017), and has also been expanding the reach of its GigaNet fiber network.

The failure to allocate mmWave spectrum in time for the World Cup has disappointed, however this will now take place in 2023, and consumers should expect further 5G performance gains once both operators begin deployment. We will continue to look at performance on both operator’s networks as we draw closer to the World Cup, and at how they handle the deluge of visitors and traffic that it will bring. To stay abreast of Ookla’s latest content, you can subscribe to our updates here.

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Mark Giles

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Isla McKetta | July 12, 2022

Caribbean Advances Toward Digital Future but Some Are Left Behind

Mobile connectivity in the Caribbean is a growth industry with 28 million unique mobile subscribers as of Q2 2022, a market penetration of 63.7%, according to the GSMA, short of the global market penetration of 67.1%. Additionally, few Caribbean markets have 5G. In advance of the CANTO conference on July 17, we examined Q2 2022 data from the five most populous Caribbean countries as well as Puerto Rico to see how initiatives to enable digital evolution and transformation are progressing. We looked at country-level performance data as well as mobile availability statistics in each country.

Mobile performance varies widely across the Caribbean

At 46.84 Mbps, Puerto Rico had the fastest median mobile download speed by far when comparing the most populous Caribbean countries during Q2 2022 using Speedtest Intelligence®. This was at least a 43% improvement over Q2 2021. 5G is a big differentiator with only Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic having commercial availability for 5G according to the Ookla® 5G Map^™ and Trinidad and Tobago showing only limited 5G Availability. Puerto Rico was 35% faster for download speed than Jamaica, which fared well for median download speed, coming in second on this list at 32.77 Mbps, at least 20% faster than in Q2 2021. Trinidad and Tobago (27.57 Mbps), the Dominican Republic (19.67 Mbps), and Haiti (12.83 Mbps) followed. Cuba was far behind the other countries on this list with a mobile download speed of 5.78 Mbps, at least a 162% drop from Q2 2021.

Trinidad and Tobago had the fastest median mobile upload speed among the most populous Caribbean countries during Q2 2022. At 10.54 Mbps, Trinidad and Tobago’s mobile upload speed was 24% faster than that in Jamaica (8.34 Mbps) and up at least 6% over Q2 2021. Puerto Rico (7.48 Mbps) followed, then Haiti (6.94 Mbps), the Dominican Republic (6.87 Mbps), and Cuba (3.71 Mbps). Cuba’s median upload speed was down at least 117% when comparing Q2 2021 to Q2 2022.

Trinidad and Tobago had the lowest median multi-server latency on our list during Q2 2022 at 33 ms followed by the Dominican Republic (52 ms), Jamaica (60 ms), Haiti (86 ms), Puerto Rico (89 ms). At 141 ms, Cuba’s latency was the highest.

Availability shows some populations are stuck with decades-old technologies

Data from Speedtest Intelligence in Q2 2022 shows that Puerto Rico had a 5G Availability, the proportion of users with 5G-capable devices who spend the majority of their time on 5G, of 63.1%. While we also saw 5G results in the Dominican Republic, there were insufficient 5G samples in the Dominican Republic to reliably analyze.

Puerto Rico had the highest 4G Availability, the proportion of users who spend the majority of their time on 4G and above, among the most populous Caribbean countries at 92.0%. Cuba followed at 77.0%, then the Dominican Republic (76.2%), Jamaica (71.2%), Haiti (69.2%), and Trinidad and Tobago (68.1%).

Unfortunately, the other countries show a large number of users who are still relying on legacy mobile technologies. 3G and 2G are only sufficient for basic uses including: voice and texting, social media, and navigation apps. Users who want rich media experiences or video calling need access to 4G or higher.

2G and 3G Availability, the proportion of users who spend the majority of their time on 2G and 3G, was higher in Haiti (29.1%) and Trinidad and Tobago (30.4%) during Q2 2022 with no statistical difference between the two. Jamaica closely followed at 26.7%, then Cuba (20.2%), the Dominican Republic (19.6%), and Puerto Rico (5.7%) where both Liberty Mobile and T-Mobile have both recently sunsetted their 3G networks. Affordability of new handsets and more expensive subscription tiers could play a role in slow upgrades.

The Caribbean is certainly an exciting and growing telecom market. We’ll be interested to see what new initiatives come out of CANTO and how they help consumers in the region get closer to a digital future. Please stop by Booth 22 at CANTO to visit with us and discuss local provider performance and more.

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Isla McKetta

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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.

About the Author

Sylwia Kechiche

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Mark Giles | May 12, 2022

How EXPO 2020 Dubai Became the Fastest Show on Earth

A project 8 years in the making

The UAE was awarded the right to host the World EXPO 2020 in November 2013 following its successful bid. EXPO 2020 Dubai, the first in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opening to visitors for 6 months between October 2021 and March 2022.

While international travel had resumed from many markets when the EXPO opened its doors in October 2021, the event had to contend with a subsequent wave of COVID-19 restrictions around the world. Despite this, and the resultant impact on international travel and the maintenance of social distancing and other COVID-19 safety measures, EXPO 2020 operated without interruption during the six months it was open. It was a huge event, welcoming in excess of 24 million visitors to a greenfield build consisting of pavilions from 191 countries, across a site covering 4.38 square kilometers.

Showcasing 5G’s potential

The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) of the UAE has been very proactive in creating an enabling telecoms regulatory environment. In November 2018 it allocated 100 MHz of spectrum in the C-band, to both Etisalat and du, to enable them to roll out 5G networks. In addition, it has been proactive in enabling the operators to begin the sunsetting of their legacy 2G networks, to be able to refarm spectrum for use for newer mobile technologies. Thanks in part to this early allocation of 5G spectrum, and a favorable investment climate, as of March 2022 the UAE ranked 1st in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, based on median mobile network download speeds.

EXPO 2020 represented an opportunity for both Etisalat and du to showcase the performance of their 5G networks on a global stage. As a greenfield build, EXPO 2020 represented a unique opportunity, but also a significant challenge, given its sprawling layout across 4.38 square kilometers, and the coverage challenges posed by 191 pavilions which varied significantly in terms of size and construction material, as well as the main dome at the center of the EXPO. Both network operators had to be able to deliver a consistent 5G experience, supporting up to 25 million visitors across the six month period, with an anticipated peak of up to 300,000 visitors at a time.

Fastest global event

We compared the network performance at EXPO 2020 against other select major events worldwide, to understand how operators are building improved consumer experiences using 5G, and pushing the boundaries for performance at large scale events. The macro sites of EXPO 2020’s 5G network utilized 200 MHz of spectrum in total, using dual carrier aggregation to link high-capacity C-band spectrum with 90 MHz of spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band.

The 5G speeds recorded at the event by Ookla Speedtest Intelligence, confirm that EXPO 2020’s 5G network is the fastest event on record, with peak 5G download speeds in excess of 2 Gbps on Etisalat’s network. According to Doug Suttles, CEO and Founder of Ookla, “the speeds delivered on the Expo 2020 network are truly impressive – the fastest we’ve seen on 5G using mid-band spectrum, and testament to the work of Etisalat’s network build and the vision of the Expo 2020 team.”

5G Network Performance at Major Events

Across the duration of the event, the EXPO 2020 network achieved a median 5G download speed of 983.19 Mbps, putting it ahead of the next fastest event surveyed, the 2022 Super Bowl, which recorded a median 5G speed of 874.48 Mbps. It also outstripped its closest competitor on median 5G upload speed, recording 103.06 Mbps to the 81.32 Mbps recorded at MWC Barcelona 2022. For users without a 5G capable device or tariff, 4G/LTE performance at EXPO 2020 was also the fastest event we measured, with a 4G/LTE median download speed of 122.65 Mbps, putting it ahead of MWC Barcelona 2022, which recorded a speed of 90.41 Mbps.

Etisalat’s median 5G network speed clocked at over 1 Gbps

EXPO 2020 signed a premium partnership agreement with Etisalat in June 2016 to be its telecommunications and digital services provider. As part of this, Etisalat was responsible for developing the EXPO site’s telecoms infrastructure, which aimed to provide visitors and participants a cutting-edge, immersive digital experience to bring EXPO 2020’s themes of Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability to life.

Etisalat was tasked with deploying a greenfield dedicated network for EXPO 2020, capable of supporting up to 25 million visitors in total, and up to 300,000 per day, across an area of 4.38 square kilometers. As part of the 5-year network build project, the first commercial 5G network in the MEASA region, Etisalat clearly wanted to showcase the capabilities of a next-generation 5G network. However, with 191 pavilions, as well as the main dome in the center of the EXPO, to ensure the best blend of coverage and performance, it deployed:

Over 8,500 mobile access points, including 20 macro cell sites, 91 small cells, and 40 in-building sites, to provide full coverage
700km of fiber optic cable, including 10 Gbps connections to all sites
800km of cabling to support indoor mobile and Wi-Fi network requirements
2 data centers within the EXPO itself
Redundancy in the form of a dedicated fallback Wi-Fi network, as well as the option to rapidly deploy cells on wheels (COW)

Across the six months that EXPO 2020 Dubai was open, and despite the much larger and more complex coverage requirement compared to other events (given the multitude of exhibitions pavilions), both Etisalat and du recorded impressive median 5G network speeds. Etisalat’s median speed of 1.10 Gbps, ahead of du’s 691 Mbps, helped drive Expo 2020 to first place as the fastest event on record. Median upload performance between the two operators was a closer affair, with Etisalat recording 105.09 Mbps, ahead of du’s 91.79 Mbps.

EXPO 2020’s economic impact and legacy

EXPO 2020 provided a significant contribution to the UAE economy. In a February update, the IMF claimed that the UAE’s economic recovery was gaining momentum, estimating that it grew 2.2% in 2021, and forecasting that growth will accelerate to 3.5% in 2022. The IMF noted that this momentum was due to the country’s swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic alongside macroeconomic policies that have helped key sectors rebound, and economic activity related to EXPO 2020. With EXPO 2020 now complete, as part of its legacy, it will transition into District 2020 – a smart city deployment. District 2020 will re-use at least 80% of the EXPO-built infrastructure, including key components of the 5G network build, for both residential and business use.

Please contact us to learn how Ookla® can help you determine if your network is prepared for the massive crowds that accompany a marquee event, and analyze how your network performs both indoors and out, down to the building level.

About the Author

Mark Giles

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Ookla Research™ Articles

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.

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Mark Giles

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Sylwia Kechiche | June 21, 2022

South Africa Spearheads 5G in Africa, but the Road is Long and Windy for Others

Key Messages

4G continues to expand in Africa, and 5G is on the operators’ radar. South Africa was the first country in the region to launch 5G, and has since been joined by a handful of countries: Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Togo.
We examine 5G performance in South Africa in Q1 2022 vs. Q1 2021. In Q1 2022, MTN had the fastest median 5G download speed in South Africa at 213.37 Mbps, ahead of Vodacom (132.11 Mbps). MTN showed a strong improvement to its 5G Availability from Q1 2021 to Q1 2022, growing from 1.0% to 9.7%.
Using Speedtest Intelligence® data, we analyzed mobile performance on modern chipsets during 2021. Southern Africa is the fastest region in Africa in terms of median download speed of 37.89 Mbps, followed by Northern Africa at 25.63 Mbps, Central Africa at 18.73 Mbps, Eastern Africa at 18.31 Mbps, and Western Africa at 17.00 Mbps.
Johannesburg is the fastest city in sub-Saharan Africa.

Narrowing the digital divide for wider societal benefits

According to GSMA Intelligence, there were almost one billion mobile connections across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in Q1 2022. Unfortunately for those users, it’s no secret that mobile performance and coverage in Africa have been subpar. We examined the state of the North African market in June of 2021, but the time is long overdue to examine the state of networks specific to SSA.

Affordable 4G smartphones and targeted financing for under-served demographics are key for bridging the digital divide, but that’s not the only benefit: A World Bank study found that 4G coverage can help cut poverty by up to 4.3%. Additionally, the International Finance Corporation estimates a 10% boost to mobile broadband penetration in Africa could lift GDP per capita by 2.5%.

Southern Africa had the fastest median download speed across African regions

Using Speedtest Intelligence® data, we analyzed mobile performance on modern chipsets during 2021 (full year) across the African continent. Modern chipsets include all mobile tests, regardless of connection technology used, as long as they are taken on devices that are identified as being capable of achieving the fastest speeds available in a market. Ookla closely monitors the launch and widespread release of new device models built on chipsets capable of utilizing the latest mobile network technologies. We aggregated speeds across countries that fall within the five African regions as defined by the United Nations. When looking at median download speeds in 2021, Southern Africa ranked first, with a median download speed of 37.89 Mbps, followed by Northern Africa at 25.63 Mbps, Central Africa at 18.73 Mbps, Eastern Africa at 18.31 Mbps, and Western Africa at 17.00 Mbps.

Eastern Africa had the fastest median upload speed at 9.23 Mbps, followed by Northern Africa at 8.99 Mbps, Central Africa at 8.62 Mbps, Southern Africa (8.20 Mbps), and Western Africa (7.91 Mbps).

To support the growing demand for faster speeds there is a growing investment in both surface and undersea cables. For example, Google’s new subsea cable, the Equiano, landed in Togo in March 2022 and Nigeria in April 2022. The cable is set to become operational by the end of the year and is also expected to bring connectivity to areas such as Namibia, South Africa, and neighboring regions.

We have chosen nine countries for our analysis as they were home to over half (56%) of the region’s connections, including:

Eastern Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda;
Southern Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Botswana;
Western Africa: Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Nigeria.

South Africa ahead of the pack for median download speed

Analysis based on data from Speedtest Intelligence shows that mobile speeds varied widely across African countries during Q1 2022. When looking at mobile performance on modern chipsets across the nine countries of the SSA region, our results showed that median download speeds ranged between 11.11 Mbps (Tanzania) and 48.76 Mbps (South Africa). Median upload speeds were between 6.45 Mbps (Tanzania) and 12.58 Mbps (Botswana).

4G Availability was in excess of 50%

4G Availability describes the percentage of users on all devices who spend the majority of their time connected to 4G technology both roaming and on-network. Across the nine countries we looked at, 4G Availability exceeded 50% across the board. South Africa had the highest 4G Availability at 86.2%, followed by Côte d’Ivoire (82.1%), Kenya (81.5%), Democratic Republic of Congo (78.9%), Nigeria (77.9%), Uganda (75.9%), Tanzania (72.1%), and Botswana (69.4%). Guinea ranked last at 52.7%, largely because only Orange Guinea offers 4G services, utilizing 1800 MHz spectrum for which it was granted a license in March 2019. According to Ookla Map Elements®, Orange’s LTE network covers 14% of the Guinean population. However, that should change soon with MTN being awarded a 4G operating license in February 2022.

Johannesburg has the fastest median download speed among select African cities

When it comes to speeds in select African capital cities, Johannesburg was fastest with a median download speed of 65.54 Mbps — nearly 35% faster than that of the next-fastest city, Cape Town at 48.27 Mbps.

Gaborone stood out for posting the third-fastest median download speed on the list at 42.29 Mbps. Meanwhile, Nairobi, Kampala, Lagos, and Abuja ranked closely together in terms of median download and upload speeds, with median download speeds ranging between 27.77 Mbps and 33.38 Mbps, with upload speeds ranging between 8.48 Mbps and 11.92 Mbps.

The early days of 5G in Africa show green fields for operators

As 4G continues to expand in Africa, 5G is on operators’ radar. In sub-Saharan Africa, the 5G journey has already begun, but it is still early days for 5G deployment and commercialization.

South Africa was the first country in the region to launch 5G, and has since been joined by a handful of countries: Seychelles, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Togo. According to GSA, there were nine commercial 5G networks in seven markets across the region by the end of May 2022. In these markets, 5G coverage remains limited to major cities. Furthermore, just over two dozen operators are either planning, or testing 5G technology or are already in the deployment stage. Regulators across the regions have also started to make spectrum available for 5G.

BOTSWANA: In February 2022, Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) offered existing and new operators an opportunity to apply for spectrum in 5G frequency bands, covering low and mid band spectrum. This will allow operators to expand their existing 4G networks and roll out 5G. Operators are allowed to re-farm their existing spectrum to augment new spectrum to enable them to roll out 5G. Shortly after, during the same month, Mascom launched four 5G sites in the capital Gaborone as part of plans to roll out 111 sites across Botswana by the end of 2022.

KENYA: The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) developed a roadmap to facilitate 5G deployment. CA is preparing to reallocate spectrum in the 3500 MHz band, which was previously assigned for FWA networks in Kenya but will be refarmed for 5G by June 30, 2022. In May 2022, Safaricom was allocated 60 MHz of spectrum in the 2600 MHz band, which was previously used by the security agencies but has been released following a change in the technology that they use.

NIGERIA: In December 2021, MTN and Mafab Communication won 100 MHz TDD each in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band. In line with the terms and conditions of the concessions, the telcos are expected to commence the rollout of their 5G networks from August 24, 2022. While Airtel Africa pulled out of Nigeria’s 5G auction, its CEO Segun Ogunsanya stated they have sufficient spectrum in other bands to launch 5G.

SOUTH AFRICA: In March 2022, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) completed a delayed 5G auction, selling spectrum across 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 2.6 GHz, and 3.5 GHz bands. Rain and Vodacom got new low-band frequency assets in the 700 MHz band while Telkom and MTN gained spectrum in 800 MHz. All bidders received spectrum in mid-bands, which is considered the sweet spot for 5G in terms of speed and availability.

MTN leads on 5G in South Africa

Despite the fact that the 5G spectrum auction was completed in March 2022, Vodacom and MTN launched 5G services beforehand using emergency, temporary spectrum allocated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulator released spectrum in April 2020 to help operators alleviate some of the challenges they faced in responding to the high demand for data during COVID-19.

In May 2020, Vodacom launched the first 5G network across Africa, in partnership with Nokia in the 3.5 GHz band. At the time of launch, the network was available in three cities — Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town — with a total of 190 5G sites. MTN followed in June 2020, using spectrum across 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 3500 MHz bands. In its latest report, MTN reported that in 2021, it had over 1,000 5G sites across several spectrum bands with plans to significantly scale up with 3.5GHz spectrum.

Using Speedtest intelligence data, we compared operators’ 5G performance in Q1 2022 against data from Q1 2021. In Q1 2022, MTN’s median 5G download speed reached 213.37 Mbps — decreasing by a third when compared to Q1 2021 (320.10 Mbps). Median upload speed suffered a nearly 40% decrease, going from 46.05 Mbps to 27.32 Mbps. When we examined the State of 5G Worldwide in 2021, we concluded that it’s common to see new mobile access technologies slow down as adoption scales, particularly early on in the tech cycle and as more users are logging on to existing 5G networks. As such, the downward tendency in MTN’s performance is not surprising at all. Vodacom, on the contrary, almost doubled its median 5G download speed from 69.93 Mbps to 132.11Mbps.

5G Availability, which describes the percent of users on 5G-capable devices that spend the majority of their time on 5G, continues its upward trajectory across South Africa, from just 0.9% in Q1 2021 to 5.6% in Q1 2022. MTN had shown a stronger improvement to its 5G Availability in the Q1 2021 to Q1 2022 period than its rival, growing from 1.0% to 9.7%.

Since the award of temporary spectrum in 2020, MTN has intensified its investment to increase network coverage, improve speeds, and enhance the overall customer experience. The operator has also invested in an expansion drive into rural and peri-urban areas and a major 5G rollout, reaching 15% of South Africa’s population at the end of 2021. MTN is also planning to extend its 5G coverage to 25% of the population by the end of 2022, and 60% by 2025. As part of MTN’s “Modernization of Network South Africa” (MONZA) project, MTN has been allocating a budget to extend network reach into rural communities, support 5G expansion, and restore vandalized infrastructure: ZAR 624 million ($38.7m) for Eastern Cape, ZAR 749 million ($46.5m) for Western Cape, ZAR 820 million ($50.9m) in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Vodacom’s 5G Availability had grown from 1.4% in Q1 2021 to 6.4% in Q1 2022. Vodacom reported in its FY 2022 results (for year ended March 2022) that in South Africa, capital expenditure was directed at improving capacity and resilience of the network and increasing 5G roll-out. As of March 2022, the operator’s 4G network covered 97.9% of the population, and it had also extended 5G sites to 624.

This investment drive is paying off. According to ICASA’s report, 5G population coverage reached 7.5% in 2021, an increase from a mere 0.7% in 2020. However, there is a disparity between urban and rural population coverage. 5G was present across all of the urban provinces, with Kwazulu-Natal in the lead with 20% 5G population penetration, while only three regions (Free State, Gauteng, and Western Cape) reported 1-2% population coverage in rural areas.

Having invested into spectrum and network roll-out, the operators look for ways to monetize 5G. For example, MTN has partnered with Australia’s Emerge Gaming to allow people to play cloud games on their Huawei P40 Pro phone using MTN’s 5G network. This is all in order to attract more consumers, especially video games’ enthusiasts. MTN also partnered with Huawei South Africa, Miniandante Mining, and Minetec Smart Mining to transform old mining processes using 5G.

African nations still face many hurdles to modernizing networks

It is still early days for 5G across most of Africa. South Africa is leading the region having launched commercial networks in 2020. One of the key challenges across Africa in terms of network rollouts regardless of technology relate to the cost of mobile base stations, the backhaul technology that connects mobile sites to the core network, and energy supply.

Recent World Bank report points to the three main areas where infrastructure costs can be prohibitive in rural settings, such as the mobile base station, the backhaul technology that connects mobile sites to the core network, and energy supply. To alleviate the challenges operators are taking steps and looking to innovative approaches to improve the situation. For example, Orange DRC partnered with NuRAN to construct and operate 2,000 solar-powered mobile towers, with a particular focus on rural communities, which will cover at least 10 million people in rural areas. These lower-cost “light towers,” are better suited to covering remote locations with small populations and come with significant cost savings. One of the reasons for lower costs is being powered by renewable energy solutions, particularly solar, rather than more expensive diesel generators.

Device affordability is another issue. There are currently a few initiatives across the continent aimed at expanding connectivity to areas where it’s lacking. For instance, Google partnered with Safaricom in Kenya for a program that allows customers to pay for 4G-enabled phones in installments, while MTN Uganda reinforced a partnership with M-Kopa in March 2022 to introduce 4G smartphones on installment payment terms. MTN also inked a partnership with M-Kopa in 2021 that facilitated the sale of more than 70,000 smartphones, financing over 2 million customers across Africa. Orange in Cote d’Ivoire launched a similar initiative in partnership with Yabx and Cofina. Yabx, a Dutch firm that offers credit across multiple countries in Africa, will provide the technology and manage the complete customer journey that will enable Cofina, an Ivorian financial institution that provides SME financing, to launch plans for Orange subscribers. Bringing 5G devices into the African markets will be even more challenging.

Operators continue to innovate and we are keeping a close eye on how the network deployments are progressing and the network performance end users experience. 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™.

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Sylwia Kechiche

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5G in Nordics: Sweden Leads on Speeds, Denmark on 5G Availability

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Key takeaways

Sweden leads on median 5G download speed

Denmark’s 5G Availability on par with the Netherlands

Swedish operators top the median 5G download rankings in Q2 2022, YouSee Denmark inched away in the 5G Availability

Sweden tops the charts for 5G speeds but lags on 5G Availability

Denmark performs better than others in 5G data experience but yet to match Swedish operators’ 5G speeds

Finland’s 5G coverage is on the rise, other building blocks such as 5G tariffs and handsets need to fall into place to increase 5G Availability

Norway shines the brightest when it comes to mobile speeds with good 5G performance

Stockholm was the fastest city, Oslo had the best 5G Availability

Nordic 5G performance benefits from having allocated low-band and mid-band spectrum

Operators and enterprises in the Nordics look to 5G as a tool to enable digital transformation

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Sylwia Kechiche

Fibre AltNets Have an Important Role to Play in the U.K.'s Gigabit Future

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On the road to Gigabit connectivity

Northern Ireland was the speediest across the U.K.

Virgin Media O2 leads for fastest download speed at 116.44 Mbps

Alternative players making headway in the wholesale market

AltNets had the top speeds in London, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester

AltNets and their various business models

Over £30 billion investment into fibre

Challenges are few, labour force shortage is the most pressing

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Sylwia Kechiche

MTN Performed Best Among Operator Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Key messages:

MTN South Africa delivered the fastest median download speed in Q2 2022

Vodafone in Johannesburg stole the show

MTN got ahead of Orange, Airtel, and Vodacom

Airtel versus MTN

MTN versus Orange

Vodacom versus Airtel

Orange versus Vodacom versus Airtel

MTN versus Vodacom

Mobile networks don’t exist in a vacuum

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Sylwia Kechiche

South Africa Fixed Broadband Speeds Up as Fiber Takes Off

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Key messages:

South African median fixed speeds doubled in the past three years, thanks to fiber growth

There is still room to grow for South Africa to catch up with other BRICS markets

The rise of fiber network operators

Cool Ideas took the lead as fiber land grab heats up

Gauteng province speeds ahead the country’s average

Residents of Johannesburg had the fastest broadband

More is needed to improve fixed networks performance and adoption

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Sylwia Kechiche

Qatar – Stronger Competition Driving 5G Performance Gains Ahead of World Cup

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Key messages

Vodafone’s resurgence has forced Ooredoo to respond and helped drive network speeds to new highs

Vodafone targeting market share gains, helping drive ARPU in the market lower

Focus currently on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, but more to come

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Mark Giles

Caribbean Advances Toward Digital Future but Some Are Left Behind

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Mobile performance varies widely across the Caribbean

Availability shows some populations are stuck with decades-old technologies

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Isla McKetta

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