Tag: Spectrum

Ookla Research™ Articles
| April 16, 2025

Mind the Gap: London's 5G Performance Lags Behind Other UK Cities

5G

Londoners spend more time in mobile signal not-spots, or coverage gaps, and experience slower 5G speeds than residents of other UK cities—resulting in poorer performance in everyday tasks such as web browsing.

London is the sprawling metropolis at the heart of the UK economy, home to one of the world’s largest and most lucrative service hubs, supporting a vast network of finance and technology firms. Beyond its strategic time zone and English-language advantage for accessing both American and Asian markets, London’s prosperity has been founded on the availability of world-class infrastructure that facilitates doing business.

The city’s reputation for international competitiveness has not, however, been matched by the quality of its telecommunications infrastructure. In recent years, a flurry of media reports has highlighted the frustrations of Londoners—and visitors alike—that experience frequent issues using mobile devices indoors, underground, and in busy areas. These problems, reported as being more pronounced than in other UK and European cities, typically manifest as poor quality of experience in everyday tasks such as web browsing, video streaming, and gaming.

This article is the first and a high-level prelude to a series exploring the competitiveness of mobile networks in European towns and cities—starting in the UK with city-level comparisons to London, and followed by a deeper, more comprehensive analysis among international peers coming in research later this year. 

Key Takeaways:

  • London lags behind the UK’s largest cities across key 5G performance indicators, and the gap to top-performing Glasgow is widening. In Q1 2025, London trailed other UK cities in 5G network consistency—a key indicator of performance at the lower end of the user experience—as well as in median download and upload speeds. Mobile users in London and Belfast experienced the weakest outcomes among UK cities, with median 5G download speeds of approximately 115 Mbps in both cities, significantly behind Glasgow’s 185 Mbps. London’s marked underperformance makes the UK unique in Western European terms—not only are the disparities between its major cities wider, but it is also unusual for the capital to be the primary laggard.
  • Mobile users in London spend more time in signal not-spots with no service than residents of other UK cities, reflecting lingering coverage gaps indoors and across key transport routes. The proportion of Londoners spending the majority of their time in locations with no service (0.7%) remained higher than in other UK cities in Q1 2025, but has improved significantly from 3.7% in Q1 2023. This progress reflects operator investments in network densification through small cells and the ongoing rollout of mobile coverage across the London Underground—historically one of the city’s largest mobile not-spots—which have together enhanced overall network availability in the capital. Time spent on 2G networks increased, however, across several UK cities over the last year, including Birmingham and Manchester, as the advancement of the 3G sunset in the UK contributed to greater propensity for 2G fallback.
  • The gap in 5G availability between the UK’s major cities and the national average has significantly narrowed over the past year. In Q1 2024, Leeds led UK cities in 5G availability, with a 21 percentage point gap above the national average. By Q1 2025, London had taken the lead in 5G availability among major UK cities, and that gap above the national average had narrowed to 13 percentage points. This trend reflects progress in 5G network expansion in smaller UK towns and rural areas in recent months, which has moved at a faster pace than coverage improvements in larger cities. Overall, median 5G download speeds fell by more than 7% on average across major UK cities between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, likely reflecting the impact of shifting network load from older technologies onto 5G, which contributed to broader improvements in overall mobile network performance in most UK cities in the same period.

A confluence of factors has created unique headwinds for mobile network deployments in UK cities in recent years, particularly in dense urban settings like London

The deployment of 5G networks in higher-frequency spectrum—most commonly the 3.5 GHz band—continues to present significant challenges for operators globally. Like their counterparts across Europe, UK mobile operators have had to invest heavily in network densification during the 5G cycle. The widespread deployment of small cells at street level across UK cities illustrates the scale of effort required to increase network capacity and overcome the more limited propagation attributes of mid-band spectrum.

Over time, the city environment itself has become increasingly hostile to the operation of high-performing mobile networks. Across developed markets, advancements in building design and stricter regulations have led to a proliferation of highly insulated, airtight structures. These developments often incorporate low-E glass, metal cladding, and reinforced concrete—materials that, collectively, turn new and retrofitted buildings into de facto Faraday cages. London, in particular, presents unique challenges among UK cities, with a high concentration of high-rise buildings featuring deep floorplates. 

Indoor Mobile Not-Spots Have Proliferated Across Central London, Particularly in Dense Settings with New and Retrofitted Builds (Image: Ookla Cell Analytics)

While the UK’s Part L Building Regulations are not unique or unusually stringent by European standards, they have evolved alongside a set of factors particular to the UK context that have significantly hindered mobile operators’ ability to deliver high-performing 5G networks in dense urban environments. The roots of these factors stem as far back as 2017, well before the commercialization of the country’s first 5G networks, when the UK government introduced changes to the Electronics Communications Code (ECC) in an effort to accelerate mobile network rollouts and reduce costs by streamlining access to land for telecommunications deployments. 

The Digital Economy Act, which reformed the ECC, granted mobile operators and tower companies greater rights to access land on more favorable financial terms in the UK. The intention was to curb inflated lease costs, particularly in cases where landowners appeared to demand “ransom rents.” However, rather than accelerating network rollouts, the reforms triggered widespread legal disputes, uncertainty in lease negotiations, and delays in site access and upgrades. 

The impact of these land access reforms has been especially acute in dense urban settings such as London, where rooftop deployments play a disproportionate role due to limited ground-level space for mobile equipment. In London, the sheer number of individual property owners—including private landlords, commercial building managers, and housing associations—results in highly fragmented land ownership, making rooftop sites significantly more complex to manage, both legally and logistically, than rural ground leases.

The Combination of Increasing Building Density, Use of New Insulation Materials, and Decline in Rooftop Site Availability Has Resulted in More Frequent Fallback to Less Capable Low-Band Spectrum in UK Cities like London (Image: Ookla Cell Analytics)

The EEC further compounded this complexity by disrupting long-standing rooftop leasing arrangements in cities like London, leading to thousands of disputes since 2017 over issues such as ransom rents, blocked site upgrades, and non-renewals. The regulation reduced potential rental income by as much as 80% to 90% for some landlords, significantly discouraging the availability of rooftop space for mobile network deployments. This effect was particularly pronounced in London, where building owners have seen greater commercial value in alternative uses for scarce rooftop space, such as bars, gardens, or solar panel installations, hindering the ability of operators to densify their networks. 

The UK is the only European country to have adopted such a unilateral price-cutting approach to site access during the 5G cycle. To ease tensions between operators and land owners, the UK government introduced further changes in the “2022 Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act.” These updates aimed to encourage alternative dispute resolution, simplify lease renewals, and extend the provisions from the EEC to agreements signed before 2017. However, the reforms retained the reduced rental model, meaning while procedural barriers were reduced, incentives for property owners to host rooftop sites remained weak, failing to stem the decline in rooftop site availability in cities like London in recent years.

Combined with the UK’s decision to impose stricter controls on the use of telecom equipment from non-European vendors than those seen elsewhere in Europe, which diverted time and resources toward network rebuilds rather than expansion and upgrades, UK operators have faced significant headwinds in deploying mobile network infrastructure during the 5G cycle.

Progress in the 5G rollout belies lingering performance disparities among the UK’s major cities

Despite significant progress countrywide in improving 5G networks with additional sites, more spectrum availability (some of it from the refarming of 3G), and an expanded 5G standalone (SA) footprint, disparities continue to exist among the UK’s cities. The gap between the best- and worst-performing major cities in median 5G download and upload speeds, for example, widened between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, based on analysis of Speedtest Intelligence® data.

The Gap in 5G Download Speeds Between Glasgow and Other UK Cities Has Widened
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2024 – Q1 2025


In Q1 2025, Glasgow led the UK with median 5G download speeds reaching 185 Mbps, which was as much as 47% higher than in London, the slowest major city, and 24% higher than in Birmingham, the next best performer. This ranking profile extended to 5G network consistency, which measures the proportion of Speedtest samples that meet a minimum download and upload speed threshold of 25 Mbps and 3 Mbps. While more than 85% of Speedtest samples met this threshold in Glasgow, fewer than 75% did in London, which exhibited the lowest consistency rate among major UK cities and was the only one aligned with the national average that includes both rural and urban areas.

London’s underperformance at the lower percentiles of measures like download speeds is particularly notable, as it strongly reflects the experience of mobile users in more challenging conditions—such as at the network edge, during peak hours, or in congested areas. The city’s lower consistency score and weaker 10th percentile download and upload speeds suggest that Londoners are more likely to encounter poor mobile performance compared to residents of other major UK cities.

Londoners Experience Less Consistent 5G Performance Than Residents of Other UK Cities
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2025

The UK stands out in Western Europe for both the scale of the performance gap between its major cities and the unusual fact that its capital is the lagging city. Most regional peers more closely resemble the profile of neighboring France, where Paris ranks among the top three cities nationally for 5G network consistency, as well as median download and upload speeds. In France, the gap in 5G network consistency between the best- and worst-performing cities was as narrow as 5 percentage points in Q1 2025—a disparity that is half that of the UK.

The UK's Cities Exhibit a Greater Range in 5G Consistency Than Other Western European Countries
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2025

In practical terms, London’s underperformance in metrics like 5G download speed and consistency translates into poorer QoE outcomes in everyday tasks like web browsing. In Q1 2025, for example, median web page load times to popular global websites were higher in London than in nine out of ten other major UK cities.

Londoners Spend More Time Waiting on Popular Websites to Load
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2025

Mobile not-spots continue to be a fixture of everyday life in UK cities, particularly in London

The combination of factors outlined earlier, including the shift toward insulation materials that inhibit signal propagation, the collapse in rooftop rental fees reducing access to mobile sites, and the use of higher-frequency spectrum for 5G, has posed challenges for mobile operators across all UK cities seeking to reduce the prevalence of mobile not-spots. These challenges have been particularly pronounced in the cities with the highest levels of density, most notably London.

Deep indoor and underground spaces (e.g., transport systems like the London Underground network) remain the primary contributors to time spent with no mobile signal or fallback to 2G networks. These cell edge scenarios are highly disruptive for the end-user, resulting in limited access to basic telephony features like texting and calling and a substantial increase in device-side power consumption. 

Londoners Spend More Time in Mobile Not-Spots Than the UK Average
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2024 – Q1 2025

The proportion of mobile users in London spending the majority of their time in locations with no network access at all (0.7%) was higher than in other major UK cities in Q1 2025 (an observation related to the capital city that again defies Western European norms). By contrast, less than 0.3% of mobile users in Belfast, Bristol and Sheffield spent the majority of their time in not-spots in the same period. Overall, time spent with no service accounted for as much as 2.6% of quarterly network usage in Q1 2025 in London, significantly higher than the national average.

Despite the disproportionate scale of mobile not-spots lingering in London, recent operator investments in network densification and progress in the ongoing rollout of 4G and 5G coverage throughout the London Underground network are driving dramatic improvements in outcomes. The proportion of Londoners spending the majority of their time in locations with no service has more than halved over the last two years, reflecting a much more pronounced pace of improvement than other UK cities and putting the capital on course to fall into line with other large cities like Birmingham and Manchester.

The Proportion of Mobile Users Spending the Majority of Their Time on 2G Has Increased in Several UK Cities
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2024 – Q1 2025 (Including Roaming Samples)

The advancement of the UK’s 3G sunset, which is set to be substantially complete by the end of this year, is reflected in a sharp reduction in the proportion of mobile users spending the majority of their time on 3G networks. In London, for example, this proportion fell from over 4.5% in Q1 2023 to less than 0.7% in Q1 2025.

The 3G sunset has, however, contributed to an increase in 2G fallback in UK cities at the cell edge where 4G and 5G networks are unavailable. Time spent on 2G increased across several UK cities over the last year, including Liverpool, where this trend has resulted in a larger share of users spending the majority of their time on 2G than in areas with no service at all (a rarity among UK cities). 

The Decline in 3G Usage Has Been Similarly Rapid Across UK Cities
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2023 – Q1 2025

Cities that take a proactive approach to telecoms feature the best 5G outcomes

Glasgow’s position as the leading UK city in key 5G performance indicators is unlikely to be an outcome achieved by mere chance. Beyond the contribution of inherent structural factors related to building composition, such as a lower prevalence of high-rise developments relative to other major UK cities, Glasgow’s 5G leadership is also likely rooted in its early and proactive approach to supporting telecoms infrastructure.

The city was among the first in Europe to establish a dedicated “Telecoms Unit”, which streamlined access to city-owned assets for telecom deployments, provided standardized agreements for rental fees, and consolidated telecoms functions within the local authority to reduce departmental siloes. This proactive approach facilitates inward investment in network infrastructure and better 5G outcomes. 

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.

5G
Spectrum

About the author

Luke Kehoe

Luke Kehoe leads Ookla’s research and thought leadership efforts in Europe. An electronic engineering alumnus of University College Dublin, Luke has extensive experience collaborating with mobile operators, telecoms vendors, and government agencies in research and advisory roles across Europe. He has contributed to internationally recognised thought leadership publications in areas such as 5G, IoT, open RAN, and edge computing, working with prestigious organisations like the Telecom Infra Project and the World Economic Forum.

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Ookla Research™ Articles
| June 30, 2025

Poland Races to Regain 5G Competitiveness in Europe with Mid-Band Rollout | Polska galopuje do odzyskania konkurencyjności 5G w Europie dzięki wdrożeniu średniego pasma częstotliwości

5G
Polish/Polski

Poland’s operators are rapidly deploying mid-band 5G in an attempt to capture the growing premium market segment

Late to the game in staging a mid-band auction, Poland has lagged behind its European peers in 5G deployment in recent years. This delay has weighed on the country’s global competitiveness in mobile network performance and slowed its progress toward meeting the European Commission’s flagship 5G deployment targets, which require universal 5G coverage across every EU member state by the end of the decade.

This article examines the state of Poland’s mobile market and its broader regional 5G competitiveness in the context of ongoing mid-band deployments. A follow-up report will assess the longer-term impact of the commercialization of the recently awarded low-band spectrum and ongoing network sunsets on network coverage and availability.

Key Takeaways:

  • Intensive capital spending on mid-band deployment drives substantial uplift in 5G performance across Polish operators from Q1 2024, pushing the country ahead of regional peers over the last year. Median 5G download speeds in Poland jumped by over 50% to 160.30 Mbps between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, based on Speedtest Intelligence® data, propelling the country ahead of Czechia, Romania, and Slovakia for the first time in 5G performance. Despite this progress, Poland continues to trail its regional peers in 5G network Consistency, a measure of how reliably a mobile connection remains “fast enough” for normal use.
  • T-Mobile and Orange surpass Play and Plus in speed and select Quality of Experience (QoE) measures. Differences in how quickly and extensively Polish operators have deployed their mid-band spectrum assets have led to a diverging market profile since Q1 2024, with T-Mobile and Orange significantly extending their speed lead over their rivals. Between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, median 5G download speeds rose by as much as 72% on Play (to 122.64 Mbps), 86% on T-Mobile (to 201.76 Mbps), and 90% on Orange (to 222.10 Mbps)—while declining by over 10% on Plus (to 116.76 Mbps). 
  • Network investments have broadened 5G coverage in Poland, but significant regional disparities remain. Nationally, 5G availability rose from 28.5% in Q1 2024 to 43.1% in Q1 2025, driven by continued Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) rollouts and the activation of mid-band spectrum—placing the country ahead of regional peers Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary in 5G availability. Nonetheless, by Q4 2024, a pronounced coverage gap persisted between the country’s best- and worst-served provinces, with 5G availability in the populous Masovian Voivodeship (47.2%) double that of the Lubusz Voivodeship (23.6%).

Over the last year, Polish operators have been locked in an intense four-way race to catch up with their regional peers in 5G deployment, driven by stringent coverage obligations imposed by the Polish telecoms regulator (UKE), a wave of funding support from Brussels, and a growing push to compete for a larger share of the country’s widening premium market segment, where network performance has emerged as a key competitive differentiator.

Poland’s mobile market is today awash with deployment activity, as operators ramp up capital spending to the highest levels in years to equip thousands of mobile sites with mid-band spectrum, accelerate the sunset of 3G networks, and lay the groundwork for launching 5G standalone (SA) in the coming years. This flurry of activity follows the completion of the 700/800 MHz auction at the end of March this year, where all Polish operators secured low-band 5G spectrum for the first time—paving the way for improved rural and deep in-building 5G coverage and rounding out the country’s 5G spectrum release plans.

While 5G capital spending has slowed across much of Europe, Poland sees different dynamics due to late spectrum auctions

Poland was notably late in releasing dedicated 5G spectrum in the ‘pioneer bands’ identified by the European Commission as critical to the timely commercialization and rollout of 5G across EU member states. The country’s mid-band (3.6 GHz) auction, initially planned for mid-2020, was repeatedly delayed—by more than three years—due to the pandemic and a protracted security legislation process. 

These delays in spectrum availability have contributed to Poland’s divergence from much of the rest of Europe in both the economic and technical dimensions of the 5G rollout. Until recently, Polish mobile operators exhibited lower capital intensity (they invested less of their revenue) compared to peers in other European countries. Most of their spending went into upgrading 4G sites and preparing for the 3G shutdown, instead of building a new 5G mid-band capacity layer or expanding 5G coverage using low-band (700 MHz) spectrum.

Orange's Rising Mobile Capex Reflects 5G Network Expansion
Analysis of Orange Poland accounts | 2020 – 2024

Analysis of financial data published by Orange, Poland’s largest mobile operator by subscriber count, confirms that the era of lower capital intensity (relative to elsewhere in Europe) is over. The recent spectrum auctions have triggered a new cycle of investment, with Orange doubling its mobile network spending in the past three years. Play has also rapidly increased its investment, as its French parent Iliad reported injecting record amounts into Play’s mobile infrastructure last year.

Play's Contribution to Capex in the Iliad Group Surges as 5G Buildout Ramps Up
Analysis of Iliad Group accounts | 2020 – 2024

On the technical side, meanwhile, Poland’s spectrum delay meant that three of the country’s four operators were forced to rely heavily on Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS)—a technology that allows 4G and 5G to operate on the same band and adjust ‘dynamically’ to demand—in an effort to deliver early 5G coverage in the 2100 MHz band while awaiting spectrum auctions. This strategy resulted in Poland’s initial 5G performance more closely resembling those typical of 4G networks, as DSS deployments are typically based on a 10 MHz carrier where part of the capacity is still reserved for 4G signals, making 5G speeds with DSS around 15–25 % lower than if the band were dedicated solely to 5G.

The limitations of using DSS to deliver a “5G experience” were exemplified by the speed advantage maintained by Plus earlier in the 5G rollout. Importantly, Plus was the only Polish operator that did not rely on DSS and instead dedicated a full 40 MHz carrier in the 2600 MHz (TDD) band to 5G before mid-band spectrum became available at the start of last year. Prior to the 3.5 GHz band coming online, when the other operators were still wholly dependent on DSS for 5G coverage, Plus’s median 5G download speed of 133.34 Mbps was as much as 77 % higher than T-Mobile’s, 81 % higher than Orange’s, and 92 % higher than Play’s. 

Intense Mid-Band Deployment lifts Poland’s Regional 5G Competitiveness and Reshapes Operator Dynamics

Polish operators move from mid-band spectrum acquisition to mass commercial deployment in record time

The pent-up demand for mid-band spectrum in Poland was evident when mobile operators like Orange, T-Mobile, and Play launched commercial services just three months after acquiring mid-band spectrum, moving quickly from the auction in October 2023 to commercial launches by January 2024. T-Mobile reported that its mid-band 5G network already covered more than 25% of the Polish population by April 2024, with more than 2,100 sites active, while Orange announced it had reached 40% coverage by mid-June.

This rollout pace is exceptional by European standards and indicative of the increased pace of deployment possible later in the 5G technology cycle. It took Spain’s Telefónica (Movistar) about six months to reach its first 1,000 mid-band sites by comparison, and Germany’s operators needed around nine months to achieve the same milestone.

Plus's Spectrum Holdings in the 2600 MHz TDD Band Lend it a Decisive Capacity Lead

Each operator secured a contiguous 100 MHz block of spectrum in the 3.5 GHz band, which is widely regarded as optimal due to the large channel bandwidth this configuration affords. However, Plus has been notably slower to commercialise this allocation at scale. Plus’s earlier strategy of deploying 5G in the dedicated 2600 MHz band (rather than relying on DSS), alongside later using the 2100 MHz band as well, gave it more flexibility to delay a broad mid-band rollout as it previously enjoyed a significant 5G speed advantage over competitors while they were still heavily dependent on DSS deployments. 

Mid-band deployment shifts 5G performance rankings among Polish operators

Mass deployment of a new capacity layer by the other three operators has since decisively altered performance dynamics in the Polish market and eroded Plus’s lead. In the space of one year between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025, Plus has moved from market leader in median 5G download speed to laggard, becoming the only Polish operator to see a year-on-year decline in 5G speed, down 10%, indicating the increasing limitations of its 2600 MHz strategy. 

Orange and T-Mobile Pull Ahead in 5G Performance with Mid-Band Deployment
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2023 – Q1 2025

By contrast, mid-band deployment has boosted performance across the rest of the market, with median 5G speeds rising by as much as 72% on Play, 86% on T-Mobile, and 90% on Orange between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025. While Orange led the Polish market in Q1 with a median 5G download speed of 222.11 Mbps, the operator’s lead has narrowed significantly as T-Mobile’s mid-band buildout has progressed, with T-Mobile now recording median 5G download speeds of 201.76 Mbps, well ahead of third- and fourth-placed Play (122.64 Mbps) and Plus (116.76 Mbps), respectively.

Plus's Lead in 5G Consistency Narrows as 2600 MHz Advantage Recedes with Mid-Band Deployment
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2023 – Q1 2025

Despite losing its lead in median 5G download speed, Plus continues to lead at the 10th percentile (29.44 Mbps in Q1 2025), meaning subscribers in its lowest-performing areas still enjoy comparatively better speeds than those on rival networks. This advantage is likely linked to Plus’s lower dependence on DSS. However, T-Mobile (24.48 Mbps) and Orange (21.88 Mbps) are quickly closing the gap, with their 10th percentile 5G speeds now converging toward Plus. Plus’s 5G network consistency, measured as the proportion of Speedtest samples meeting a minimum download and upload threshold of 25/3 Mbps, has also declined over the past year, although it remains the market leader.

On upload performance, meanwhile, Play’s 5G network led the market in Q1 2025, recording median speeds of 19.33 Mbps, followed by Orange (18.99 Mbps), T-Mobile (17.32 Mbps), and Plus (14.96 Mbps). Unlike the substantial gains seen in download speeds, there is limited evidence so far that the mid-band rollout has materially improved upload performance, with median upload speeds about 6% lower in Q1 2025 compared to the same quarter last year. This discrepancy arises primarily because all four operators continue to deploy 5G in non-standalone (NSA) mode, requiring devices to transmit uplink traffic via existing 4G anchor bands. Consequently, the newly available 3.5 GHz spectrum enhances downlink capacity but leaves the congested 4G uplink path unchanged.

Play Develops Lead in 5G Upload Performance
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2023 – Q1 2025

The operators’ investments in deploying a new 5G capacity layer have coincided with a broader RAN refresh effort, translating into improved quality of experience for users in key use cases such as video streaming and web browsing. Median web page load times on T-Mobile’s network, for instance, improved by around 4% between Q3 2024 and Q1 2025. Orange led in video metrics such as start time, resolution, and uninterrupted playback in the last quarter.

5G Drives QoE Improvements in Use Cases like Web Browsing
Speedtest Intelligence® | Q1 2025

Capital investment expands 5G coverage, but Poland’s rural-urban digital divide persists

While investments in DSS and the mid-band rollout have enabled Polish operators to make significant strides in 5G availability, which increased nationally from 28.5% in Q1 2024 to 43.1% in Q1 2025, regional coverage disparities continue to be a feature of the mobile network experience in Poland. Operators have prioritized 5G deployments in the richest and densest parts of Poland where fiber is heavily deployed, including the Masovian (Warsaw) and Pomeranian (Tri-City) provinces. In these provinces, 5G availability reached more than 40% by the end of last year and contributed to driving materially higher median download speeds than the national average. 

5G Availability Remains Highly Varied Across Poland Outside of Urbanized Areas
Speedtest Intelligence® | 5G Availability (%) in Q4 2024

By contrast, border provinces along the south and west of the country continue to experience much lower levels of 5G availability. Lubusz had the lowest availability (23.6% at the end of last year), where there is lower population density and lower subscriber spending, which reduces operators’ commercial incentives for widespread 5G investment. This trend has driven the development of a notable speed gap between provinces, with mobile subscribers in Lubusz also experiencing the lowest median download speeds (59.97 Mbps) in Poland, almost 33% below the leading Masovian province.

Mobile Download Speeds Are Lower in Less Urbanized Areas of Poland
Speedtest Intelligence® | Median Download Speed (Mbps) in Q4 2024

Mid-band deployment improves Poland’s mobile competitiveness, but 5G consistency continues to trail regional peers

From a regional competitiveness lens, intensive mid-band deployments have been successful in breaking Poland’s cycle of mobile network underperformance, with median 5G download speeds rising by over 50% on average to 160.30 Mbps between Q1 2024 and Q1 2025. This has propelled the country ahead of Czechia, Romania, and Slovakia for the first time in terms of 5G download speed performance.

Mid-Band Deployments Propel Poland's Regional Competitiveness
Speedtest Intelligence® | 2020 – 2025

Despite Poland’s  progress on its mid-band 5G rollout, the lingering effects of reliance on DSS and limited 5G spectrum diversity—up until the recent 700/800 MHz auction—mean that Poland continues to trail its regional peers in terms of 5G network consistency. In Q1 2025, 82% of Speedtest samples in Poland met the minimum 5G performance threshold for a consistent mobile experience, compared to 86% in Hungary, 89% in Romania, and 93% in Bulgaria.

Newfound spectrum diversity lends Polish operators potent tool to stimulate ARPU growth

Poland’s previous reliance on DSS, driven by limited 5G spectrum diversity, likely contributed to its slower average revenue per user (ARPU) growth compared to neighboring countries in recent years. Polish operators initially introduced tariffs with “5G at no extra cost” bolted onto existing 4G bundles, keeping prices flat to defend market share (and thereby maintaining depressed ARPU levels relative to regional peers). Combined with the external shock induced by markedly higher energy prices, stagnant ARPU levels created challenging operating conditions in the Polish market and weighed on operator profitability. 

Intense Priced-Based Competition Precipitated Revenue Erosion in Poland During the First Half of the 5G Cycle
Analysis of GSMA Intelligence Data | % Change in Mobile ARPU (Q1 2020 vs Q1 2023)

In neighboring markets, by contrast, operators were able to leverage mid-band spectrum deployments as both technical and marketing levers, shifting their strategies from price competition toward service-based differentiation. This enabled them to more effectively upsell premium speed tiers or monetize specific use cases, such as fixed wireless access (FWA), which dedicated mid-band 5G deployments uniquely support.

T-Mobile and Play Outpaced Rivals in Subscription Share Growth in Recent Years
Analysis of UKE Market Data | 2019 – 2023

Similarly, the delayed timing of Poland’s mid-band 5G auction likely dampened supply-side factors key for driving growth in mobile data traffic. Between Q1 2020 and Q4 2024, traffic volumes in neighboring Bulgaria converged with that in Poland for the first time, increasing by 4.8x vs. Poland’s 2.6x. Meanwhile, Bulgarian operators capitalized early on mid-band spectrum availability to aggressively promote competitive FWA solutions (a major driver of mobile traffic in developed markets) and to introduce cheap unlimited data tariffs with fewer usage restrictions.

Poland Maintains Regional Lead in Mobile Data Volumes, but Bulgaria is Catching Up
Analysis of GSMA Intelligence data | 2020 – 2024

Polish operators have since sought to replicate Bulgaria’s success by debuting distinct marketing for their mid-band 5G deployments to differentiate the newer mid-band 5G rollouts from earlier DSS-based 5G networks in terms of performance and user experience. T-Mobile has leaned on ‘5G More’ branding, while Plus has used ‘5G Ultra’ to indicate the additional performance gains unlocked by their new 5G networks in locations where dedicated mid-band spectrum is deployed. This strategy has formed part of a broader shift in the market, with all operators moving away from a hyper-focus on price competition and toward ‘more for more’ pricing strategies, supporting improved profitability and renewed ARPU growth in the market with inflation-linked tariffs.

Poland Has Led Regional ARPU Growth Since Mid-Band 5G Deployments Started
Analysis of GSMA Intelligence Data | % Change in Mobile ARPU (Q1 2023 vs Q1 2025)

Low-band activation and network sunset progress set to reinforce mid-band 5G gains

With Poland’s telecom regulator, UKE, having set among Europe’s most ambitious coverage obligations for recent mid- and low-band spectrum auctions, operators are unlikely to delay commercial deployments in the newly acquired 700 and 800 MHz bands. These deployments are expected to start next month and will be crucial for establishing a national 5G coverage layer that, for the first time, extends deep indoors and into rural areas. This expanded coverage will also support wider rollout of voice over LTE (VoLTE) services, accelerating the 3G sunset and freeing up additional spectrum in the 900 MHz band.

We will revisit shortly to assess how Polish operators are progressing with deploying their new low-band spectrum and how effectively it is complementing the ongoing 3G sunset.

Polska galopuje do odzyskania konkurencyjności 5G w Europie dzięki wdrożeniu średniego pasma częstotliwości

Polscy operatorzy przyśpieszyli z wdrażaniem 5G w średnim paśmie, próbując przejąć rosnący segment rynku premium.

Polska, która spóźniła się z przeprowadzeniem aukcji na średnie pasmo, w ostatnich latach pozostawała w tyle za swoimi europejskimi rówieśnikami w zakresie wdrażania 5G. Opóźnienie to odbiło się na globalnej konkurencyjności kraju pod względem wydajności sieci mobilnych i spowolniło postępy w realizacji sztandarowych celów Komisji Europejskiej w zakresie wdrażania 5G, które wymagają powszechnego zasięgu 5G w każdym państwie członkowskim UE do końca dekady.

Niniejszy artykuł analizuje stan polskiego rynku telefonii komórkowej i jego szerszą regionalną konkurencyjność 5G w kontekście trwających wdrożeń średniego pasma. Kolejny raport oceni długoterminowy wpływ komercjalizacji niedawno przyznanego niskiego pasma na potrzeby pokryciowe 5G.

Kluczowe wnioski:

  • Intensywne wydatki kapitałowe na wdrożenie średniego pasma napędzają znaczny wzrost wydajności 5G u polskich operatorów od pierwszego kwartału 2024 r., pozycjonując kraj przed regionalnych konkurentów w ciągu ostatniego roku. Mediana prędkości pobierania 5G w Polsce wzrosła o ponad 50% do 160,30 Mb/s w okresie od I kwartału 2024 r. do I kwartału 2025 r., w oparciu o dane Speedtest Intelligence®, dzięki czemu Polska po raz pierwszy wyprzedziła Czechy, Rumunię i Słowację pod względem wydajności 5G. Pomimo tego postępu, Polska nadal pozostaje w tyle za swoimi regionalnymi rówieśnikami pod względem spójności sieci 5G, która jest miarą tego, jak niezawodnie zestawione połączenie mobilne pozostaje “wystarczająco szybkie” do normalnego użytkowania.
  • T-Mobile i Orange przewyższają Play i Plus pod względem prędkości i wybranych wskaźników jakości doświadczenia usług (QoE). Różnice w strategiach, jak szybko i szeroko polscy operatorzy wdrożyli swoje aktywa widma w średnim paśmie, doprowadziły do rozbieżnego profilu rynku od pierwszego kwartału 2024 r., przy czym T-Mobile i Orange znacznie zwiększyły swoją przewagę w zakresie prędkości nad rywalami. Pomiędzy I kwartałem 2024 r. a I kwartałem 2025 r. mediana prędkości pobierania 5G wzrosła aż o 72% w Play (do 122,64 Mb/s), 86% w T-Mobile (do 201,76 Mb/s) i 90% w Orange (do 222,10 Mb/s) – przy jednoczesnym spadku o ponad 10% w Plusie (do 116,76 Mb/s).
  • Inwestycje sieciowe zwiększyły zasięg 5G w Polsce, ale nadal utrzymują się znaczne różnice regionalne. W ujęciu krajowym dostępność sieci 5G wzrosła z 28,5% w I kwartale 2024 r. do 43,1% w I kwartale 2025 r., co wynikało z dalszego wdrażania dynamicznego współdzielenia widma (DSS) i aktywacji widma w średnim paśmie, dzięki czemu Polska wyprzedziła pod względem dostępności sieci 5G regionalne kraje takie jak Bułgaria, Rumunia i Węgry. Niemniej jednak do IV kwartału 2024 r. utrzymywała się wyraźna luka w zasięgu między najlepiej i najgorzej obsługiwanymi województwami w kraju, przy czym dostępność 5G w zaludnionym województwie mazowieckim (47,2%) była dwukrotnie wyższa niż w województwie lubuskim (23,6%).
  • Wyłączenia sieci 3G (ang. “3G sunset”) powodują gwałtowny spadek czasu spędzonego na 3G w 2024 r., ponieważ polscy operatorzy reorganizują widmo dla 4G (ang. “refarming”), ale ma to ogromny wpływ na dostępność usług w miejscach mniej zurbanizowanych. Podczas gdy T-Mobile pozostał jedynym polskim operatorem, który w pełni zakończył proces wygaszania sieci 3G do pierwszego kwartału 2025 r., zarówno Orange, jak i Play czynią obecnie znaczne postępy w zakresie refarmingu widma 3G 900 MHz i 2100 MHz na potrzeby 4G. Czas spędzony na 3G spadł poniżej 3% dla obu operatorów do końca 2024 roku. Natomiast abonenci Plusa nadal spędzali znacznie więcej czasu w sieci 3G – 13,41% na koniec 2024 roku.

W ciągu ostatniego roku polscy operatorzy byli jednak zamknięci w intensywnym wyścigu, aby dogonić swoich regionalnych kolegów we wdrażaniu 5G, napędzanym przez rygorystyczne obowiązki w zakresie zasięgu nałożone przez polskiego regulatora telekomunikacyjnego (UKE), falę wsparcia finansowego z Brukseli i rosnące dążenie do konkurowania o większy udział w poszerzającym się segmencie rynku premium w kraju, w którym wydajność sieci stała się kluczowym wyróżnikiem konkurencyjnym.

Polski rynek telefonii komórkowej jest dziś zdominowany aktywnością wdrożeniową, stąd operatorzy zwiększają wydatki kapitałowe do najwyższych poziomów od lat, aby wyposażyć tysiące stacji bazowych w widmo średniego pasma, przyspieszyć wyłączanie sieci 3G i położyć podwaliny pod uruchomienie samodzielnej sieci 5G (SA) w nadchodzących latach. Taką falę aktywności można zwłaszcza zauważyć po zakończeniu aukcji 700/800 MHz pod koniec marca tego roku, w której wszyscy polscy operatorzy po raz pierwszy zabezpieczyli widmo 5G w niskim paśmie – torując sobie drogę do poprawy zasięgu 5G na obszarach wiejskich i głęboko wewnątrz budynków (ang. “deep in-building”) w miastach oraz uzupełniając krajowe plany udostępniania widma 5G.

Podczas gdy wydatki kapitałowe na 5G spowolniły w dużej części Europy, Polska doświadcza inną dynamikę ze względu na późne aukcje na częstotliwości

Polska znacznie spóźniła się z udostępnieniem dedykowanych częstotliwości 5G w “pionierskich” pasmach zidentyfikowanych przez Komisję Europejską jako krytyczne dla terminowej komercjalizacji i wdrożenia 5G w państwach członkowskich UE. Krajowa aukcja częstotliwości pasma środkowego (3,6 GHz), początkowo planowana na połowę 2020 r., była wielokrotnie opóźniona – o ponad trzy lata – z powodu pandemii i przedłużającego się procesu legislacyjnego w zakresie bezpieczeństwa.

Te opóźnienia w dostępności częstotliwości przyczyniły się do tego, że Polska odbiega od reszty Europy zarówno w wymiarze ekonomicznym, jak i technicznym wdrażania 5G. Do niedawna polscy operatorzy komórkowi wykazywali niższą kapitałochłonność (inwestowali mniejszą część swoich przychodów) w porównaniu do innych europejskich operatorów. Większość ich wydatków przeznaczono na modernizację 4G i przygotowanie do wyłączenia 3G, zamiast budować nową warstwę pojemności 5G w średnim paśmie lub rozszerzać zasięg 5G przy użyciu niskich częstotliwości (700 MHz).

Rosnące nakłady Orange na sieć mobilną odzwierciedlają rozwój sieci 5G
Analiza rachunków Orange Polska | 2020–2024

Analiza danych finansowych opublikowanych przez Orange, największego operatora komórkowego w Polsce pod względem liczby abonentów, potwierdza, że era niższej kapitałochłonności (w porównaniu z innymi krajami w Europie) dobiegła końca. Niedawne aukcje częstotliwości wywołały nowy cykl inwestycyjny, a Orange podwoił wydatki na sieć mobilną w ciągu ostatnich trzech lat. Play również gwałtownie zwiększył swoje inwestycje, jego francuska spółka dominująca Iliad poinformowała w zeszłym roku o zainwestowaniu rekordowych kwot w infrastrukturę mobilną Play.

Udział Play w nakładach inwestycyjnych Grupy Iliad gwałtownie rośnie wraz z przyspieszeniem rozbudowy sieci 5G
Analiza rachunków Grupy Iliad | 2020–2024

Tymczasem od strony technicznej opóźnienie aukcji częstotliwości 5G w Polsce oznaczało, że trzech z czterech operatorów w kraju było zmuszonych w dużym stopniu polegać na dynamicznym współdzieleniu widma (ang. “Dynamic Spectrum Sharing” – DSS) – technologii, która pozwala 4G i 5G działać w tym samym paśmie i “dynamicznie” dostosowywać się do zapotrzebowania na pojemność danej technologii – w celu zapewnienia wczesnego zasięgu 5G w paśmie 2100 MHz w oczekiwaniu na aukcje częstotliwości. Strategia ta spowodowała, że początkowa wydajność 5G w Polsce bardziej przypominała typową dla sieci 4G, ponieważ wdrożenia DSS są zwykle oparte na nośnej 10 MHz, w której część pojemności jest nadal zarezerwowana dla sygnałów 4G, co powoduje, że prędkości 5G z DSS są o około 15-25% niższe niż gdyby pasmo było przeznaczone wyłącznie dla 5G.

Ograniczenia wykorzystania DSS do zapewnienia “doświadczenia 5G” zostały zilustrowane przewagą prędkości utrzymywaną przez Plusa na wcześniejszym etapie wdrażania 5G. Co ważne, Plus był jedynym polskim operatorem, który nie polegał na DSS i zamiast tego przeznaczył pełną nośną 40 MHz w paśmie 2600 MHz (TDD) na 5G, zanim na początku ubiegłego roku częstotliwości średniego pasma stały się dostępne. Przed uruchomieniem pasma 3,5 GHz, gdy pozostali operatorzy byli nadal w pełni zależni od DSS w zakresie zasięgu 5G, średnia prędkość pobierania 5G Plusa wynosząca 133,34 Mb/s była aż o 77% wyższa niż w T-Mobile, 81% wyższa niż w Orange i 92% wyższa niż w Play.

Intensywne wdrażanie średniego pasma podnosi regionalną konkurencyjność Polski w zakresie 5G i zmienia dynamikę operatorów

Polscy operatorzy w rekordowym czasie przechodzą od zakupu częstotliwości w średnim paśmie do masowego wdrożenia komercyjnego

Stłumiony popyt na częstotliwości średniego pasma w Polsce był widoczny, gdy operatorzy komórkowi, tacy jak Orange, T-Mobile i Play, uruchomili usługi komercyjne zaledwie trzy miesiące po nabyciu częstotliwości średniego pasma, szybko przechodząc od aukcji w październiku 2023 r. do komercyjnego uruchomienia do stycznia 2024 roku. T-Mobile poinformował, że jego średniopasmowa sieć 5G obejmowała już ponad 25% populacji Polski do kwietnia 2024 r., z ponad 2100 aktywnymi stacjami bazowymi, podczas gdy Orange ogłosił, że osiągnął 40% zasięgu do połowy czerwca.

To tempo wdrażania jest wyjątkowe jak na standardy europejskie i wskazuje na zwiększone tempo wdrażania możliwe w późniejszym okresie cyklu technologicznego 5G. Dla porównania, hiszpańska Telefónica (Movistar) potrzebowała około sześciu miesięcy, aby osiągnąć pierwsze 1000 stacji bazowych w średnim paśmie, a niemieccy operatorzy potrzebowali około dziewięciu miesięcy, aby osiągnąć ten sam kamień milowy.

Zasoby częstotliwości Plus w paśmie 2600 MHz TDD zapewniają mu zdecydowaną przewagę przepustowości

Każdy z operatorów zabezpieczył ciągły blok częstotliwości o szerokości 100 MHz w paśmie 3,5 GHz, który jest powszechnie wykorzystywany. Jednak Plus był znacznie wolniejszy w komercjalizacji tej alokacji na dużą skalę. Wcześniejsza strategia Plusa polegająca na wdrażaniu 5G w dedykowanym paśmie 2600 MHz (zamiast polegać na DSS), a później także na wykorzystaniu pasma 2100 MHz, dała mu większą elastyczność w opóźnianiu szerokiego wdrożenia średniego pasma, ponieważ wcześniej cieszył się znaczną przewagą prędkości 5G nad konkurentami, podczas gdy byli oni nadal silnie uzależnieni od wdrożeń DSS.

Wdrożenie średniego pasma zmienia rankingi wydajności 5G wśród polskich operatorów

Masowe wdrożenie nowej warstwy pojemności przez pozostałych trzech operatorów zdecydowanie zmieniło dynamikę wydajności 5G na polskim rynku i zmniejszyło przewagę Plusa. W ciągu jednego roku, między pierwszym kwartałem 2024 r. a pierwszym kwartałem 2025 r., Plus przesunął się z lidera rynku pod względem mediany prędkości pobierania 5G do jednego z wolniejszych, stając się jedynym polskim operatorem, który odnotował spadek prędkości 5G rok do roku, o 10%, co wskazuje na rosnące ograniczenia jego strategii 2600 MHz.

Orange i T-Mobile zyskują przewagę w wydajności 5G dzięki wdrożeniu pasma średniego
Speedtest Intelligence® | I kwartał 2023 – I kwartał 2025

Z kolei wdrożenie średniego pasma zwiększyło wydajność na pozostałej części rynku, a mediana prędkości 5G wzrosła aż o 72% w Play, 86% w T-Mobile i 90% w Orange między 1. kwartałem 2024 r. a 1. kwartałem 2025 r. Podczas gdy Orange był liderem polskiego rynku w pierwszym kwartale ze średnią prędkością pobierania 5G wynoszącą 222,11 Mb/s, przewaga operatora znacznie się zmniejszyła wraz z postępem budowy średniego pasma T-Mobile, przy czym T-Mobile odnotowuje obecnie medianę prędkości pobierania 5G na poziomie 201,76 Mb/s, znacznie wyprzedzając odpowiednio trzeciego i czwartego Play (122,64 Mb/s) i Plusa (116,76 Mb/s).

Przewaga Plusa w spójności 5G maleje, gdy przewaga pasma 2600 MHz ustępuje wraz z wdrożeniem pasma średniego
Speedtest Intelligence® | I kwartał 2023 – I kwartał 2025

Pomimo utraty pozycji lidera pod względem mediany prędkości pobierania 5G, Plus nadal prowadzi w 10. percentylu (29,44 Mb/s w 1. kwartale 2025 r.), co oznacza, że abonenci w obszarach o najniższych wynikach nadal cieszą się stosunkowo lepszymi prędkościami niż abonenci konkurencyjnych sieci. Przewaga ta jest prawdopodobnie związana z mniejszą zależnością Plusa od DSS. Jednak T-Mobile (24,48 Mb/s) i Orange (21,88 Mb/s) szybko zmniejszają lukę, a ich 10-procentowe prędkości 5G zbliżają się teraz do Plusa. Spójność sieci 5G Plusa, mierzona jako odsetek próbek Speedtest spełniających minimalny próg pobierania i wysyłania 25/3 Mbps, również spadła w ciągu ostatniego roku, chociaż pozostaje liderem rynku.

Tymczasem pod względem wydajności wysyłania, sieć 5G Play była liderem na rynku w pierwszym kwartale 2025 r., odnotowując medianę prędkości 19,33 Mb/s, a następnie Orange (18,99 Mb/s), T-Mobile (17,32 Mb/s) i Plus (14,96 Mb/s).

W przeciwieństwie do znacznych wzrostów prędkości pobierania, jak dotąd istnieją ograniczone dowody na to, że wdrożenie średniego pasma znacznie poprawiło wydajność wysyłania, przy czym mediana prędkości wysyłania była o około 6% niższa w pierwszym kwartale 2025 r. w porównaniu z tym samym kwartałem ubiegłego roku. Rozbieżność ta wynika przede wszystkim z faktu, że wszyscy czterej operatorzy nadal wdrażają 5G w trybie non-standalone (NSA), nadal wymagają od urządzeń technologii 4G do obsługi ruchu wysyłania i warstwy sygnałowej. W związku z tym nowo dostępne widmo 3,5 GHz zwiększa przepustowość łącza w dół, ale pozostawia zatłoczoną ścieżkę łącza 4G w górę bez zmian.

Play zyskuje przewagę w wydajności wysyłania danych w sieci 5G
Speedtest Intelligence® | I kwartał 2023 – I kwartał 2025

Inwestycje operatorów we wdrażanie nowej warstwy przepustowości 5G zbiegły się w czasie z szerszymi działaniami w zakresie modernizacji sieci RAN, przekładając się na lepszą jakość usług doświadczanych przez użytkowników w kluczowych zastosowaniach, takich jak wideo streaming i przeglądanie stron internetowych. Na przykład mediana czasu ładowania strony internetowej w sieci T-Mobile poprawiła się o około 4% między 3. kwartałem 2024 r. a 1. kwartałem 2025 r., co stawia ją w czołówce pod tym względem. Tymczasem Orange był liderem pod względem wskaźników wideo, takich jak czas rozpoczęcia, rozdzielczość i nieprzerwane odtwarzanie w ostatnim kwartale.

5G napędza poprawę jakości doświadczeń (QoE) w zastosowaniach takich jak przeglądanie stron internetowych
Speedtest Intelligence® | I kwartał 2025

Inwestycje kapitałowe zwiększają zasięg 5G, ale przepaść cyfrowa między wsią a miastem w Polsce utrzymuje się

Podczas gdy inwestycje w DSS i wdrożenie średniego pasma umożliwiły polskim operatorom poczynienie znaczących postępów w zakresie dostępności 5G, która wzrosła w skali kraju z 28,5% w I kwartale 2024 r. do 43,1% w I kwartale 2025 r., regionalne różnice w zasięgu nadal są cechą charakterystyczną sieci mobilnej w Polsce.

Operatorzy nadali priorytet wdrożeniom 5G w najbogatszych i najbardziej zaludnionych częściach Polski, gdzie światłowody są mocno rozwinięte, w tym w województwach mazowieckim (Warszawa) i pomorskim (Trójmiasto). W tych województwach dostępność 5G osiągnęła ponad 40% pod koniec ubiegłego roku i przyczyniła się do osiągnięcia znacznie wyższych średnich prędkości pobierania niż średnia krajowa.

Dostępność 5G pozostaje wysoce zróżnicowana w Polsce poza obszarami zurbanizowanymi
Speedtest Intelligence® | Dostępność 5G (%) w IV kw. 2024

Natomiast województwa przygraniczne na południu i zachodzie kraju nadal doświadczają znacznie niższych poziomów dostępności 5G. Województwo lubuskie miało najniższą dostępność (23,6% na koniec ubiegłego roku), gdzie występuje mniejsza gęstość zaludnienia i niższe wydatki abonentów, co zmniejsza zachęty komercyjne operatorów do powszechnych inwestycji w 5G. Tendencja ta doprowadziła do powstania znacznej luki prędkości między województwami, a abonenci mobilni w Lubuskiem również doświadczają najniższej mediany prędkości pobierania (59,97 Mb/s) w Polsce, prawie 33% poniżej wiodącego województwa mazowieckiego.

Prędkości pobierania w sieciach mobilnych są niższe na mniej zurbanizowanych obszarach Polski
Speedtest Intelligence® | Mediana prędkości pobierania (Mbps) w IV kw. 2024

Wdrożenie średniego pasma poprawia konkurencyjność mobilną Polski, ale spójność 5G nadal ustępuje regionalnym konkurentom

Z punktu widzenia konkurencyjności regionalnej, intensywne wdrożenia średniego pasma skutecznie przełamały cykl słabej wydajności sieci mobilnej w Polsce, a mediana prędkości pobierania 5G wzrosła średnio o ponad 50% do 160,30 Mb/s między 1. kwartałem 2024 r. a 1. kwartałem 2025 r. Dzięki temu Polska po raz pierwszy wyprzedziła Czechy, Rumunię i Słowację pod względem prędkości pobierania 5G.

Wdrożenia pasma średniego napędzają regionalną konkurencyjność Polski
Speedtest Intelligence® | 2020–2025

Pomimo postępów Polski we wdrażaniu 5G w średnim paśmie, utrzymujące się skutki polegania na DSS i ograniczonej różnorodności widma 5G aż do niedawnej aukcji 700/800 MHz oznaczają, że Polska nadal pozostaje w tyle za swoimi regionalnymi rówieśnikami pod względem spójności sieci 5G. W pierwszym kwartale 2025 r. 82% próbek Speedtest w Polsce spełniło minimalny próg wydajności 5G dla spójnego doświadczenia mobilnego, w porównaniu do 86% na Węgrzech, 89% w Rumunii i 93% w Bułgarii.

Nowo pozyskana różnorodność częstotliwości 5G daje polskim operatorom potężne narzędzie do stymulowania wzrostu ARPU

Wcześniejsza zależność Polski od DSS, wynikająca z ograniczonej różnorodności widma 5G, prawdopodobnie przyczyniła się do wolniejszego wzrostu średniego przychodu na użytkownika (ARPU) w porównaniu z sąsiednimi krajami na przestrzeni ostatnich lat. Polscy operatorzy początkowo wprowadzili taryfy z “5G bez dodatkowych kosztów” dodane do istniejących pakietów 4G, utrzymując ceny na stałym poziomie w celu obrony udziału w rynku (a tym samym utrzymując obniżone poziomy ARPU w porównaniu do regionalnych konkurentów). W połączeniu z zewnętrznym szokiem makroekonomicznym wywołanym znacznie wyższymi cenami energii, stagnacja poziomów ARPU stworzyła trudne warunki operacyjne na polskim rynku i wpłynęła na rentowność operatorów.

Intensywna konkurencja cenowa spowodowała erozję przychodów w Polsce w pierwszej połowie cyklu 5G
Analiza danych GSMA Intelligence | Zmiana procentowa ARPU w usługach mobilnych (I kw. 2020 vs I kw. 2023)

Z kolei na sąsiednich rynkach operatorzy byli w stanie wykorzystać wdrożenie częstotliwości w średnim paśmie zarówno jako korzyści techniczne, jak i marketingowe, przenosząc swoje strategie z konkurencji cenowej na zróżnicowanie oparte na usługach. Pozwoliło im to skuteczniej sprzedawać wyższe poziomy prędkości lub zarabiać na konkretnych rozwiązaniach, takich jak stały dostęp bezprzewodowy (FWA), dla którego działania wdrożone 5G w średnim paśmie nadaje się idealnie.

T-Mobile i Play wyprzedziły konkurentów w tempie wzrostu udziału subskrypcji w ostatnich latach
Analiza danych rynkowych UKE | 2019–2023

Podobnie, opóźniony termin polskiej aukcji 5G dla średniego pasma prawdopodobnie osłabił czynniki po stronie podaży, będące kluczowymi dla napędzania wzrostu konsumpcji danych z sieci mobilnych. W okresie od I kwartału 2020 r. do IV kwartału 2024 r. wolumen ruchu w sąsiedniej Bułgarii po raz pierwszy zrównał się z wolumenem w Polsce, wzrastając 4,8-krotnie w porównaniu do 2,6-krotnego wzrostu w Polsce.

W międzyczasie bułgarscy operatorzy wcześnie wykorzystali dostępność widma w średnim paśmie, aby agresywnie promować konkurencyjne rozwiązania FWA (główny czynnik napędzający ruch mobilny na rynkach rozwiniętych) i wprowadzić tanie taryfy nieograniczonej transmisji danych z mniejszymi ograniczeniami użytkowania.

Polska utrzymuje regionalne prowadzenie w wolumenach danych mobilnych, ale Bułgaria szybko nadrabia
Analiza danych GSMA Intelligence | 2020–2024

Od tego czasu polscy operatorzy starali się powtórzyć sukces Bułgarii, wprowadzając odrębny marketing dla swoich wdrożeń 5G w średnim paśmie, aby odróżnić nowsze wdrożenia 5G w średnim paśmie od wcześniejszych. T-Mobile oparł się na marce “5G Bardziej”, podczas gdy Plus użył sloganu marketingowego “5G Ultra”, aby wskazać dodatkowy wzrost wydajności odblokowany przez ich nowe sieci 5G w lokalizacjach, w których wdrożono dedykowane częstotliwości średniego pasma. Strategia ta stała się częścią szerszej zmiany na rynku, w której wszyscy operatorzy odchodzą od hiper-koncentracji opierającej się na konkurencji cenowej w kierunku strategii cenowych “więcej za więcej”, wspierając poprawę rentowności i ponowny wzrost ARPU.

Polska przoduje w regionalnym wzroście ARPU od momentu rozpoczęcia wdrożeń średniego pasma 5G
Analiza danych GSMA Intelligence | Zmiana procentowa ARPU w usługach mobilnych (I kw. 2023 vs I kw. 2025)

Aktywacja niskiego pasma i postępy w budowie sieci mają na celu wzmocnienie zysków 5G w średnim paśmie

W związku z tym, że polski regulator telekomunikacyjny, UKE, ustanowił jeden z najbardziej ambitnych zobowiązań dotyczących zasięgu w Europie dla ostatnich aukcji częstotliwości średniego i niskiego pasma, operatorzy raczej nie opóźnią komercyjnych wdrożeń w nowo nabytych pasmach 700 i 800 MHz. Oczekuje się, że wdrożenia te rozpoczną się w przyszłym miesiącu i będą miały kluczowe znaczenie dla ustanowienia krajowej warstwy zasięgu 5G, która znacznie poprawi pokrycie ciężko dostępnych miejsc wewnątrz budynków w miastach i zdalnych obszarów wiejskich. Rozszerzony zasięg będzie również wspierał szersze wdrażanie usług głosowych przez LTE (VoLTE), przyspieszając schyłek 3G i uwalniając dodatkowe widmo w paśmie 900 MHz.

Wkrótce powrócimy do tego tematu, aby ocenić, jak polscy operatorzy radzą sobie z wdrażaniem nowych częstotliwości niskopasmowych i jak skutecznie uzupełniają trwający proces wygaszania 3G.

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.

5G
Europe
Spectrum
Mid-Band

About the author

Luke Kehoe

Luke Kehoe leads Ookla’s research and thought leadership efforts in Europe. An electronic engineering alumnus of University College Dublin, Luke has extensive experience collaborating with mobile operators, telecoms vendors, and government agencies in research and advisory roles across Europe. He has contributed to internationally recognised thought leadership publications in areas such as 5G, IoT, open RAN, and edge computing, working with prestigious organisations like the Telecom Infra Project and the World Economic Forum.

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Ookla Research™ Articles
| November 17, 2025

WISP Report Card: Data Shows Most Fail FCC’s 100/20 Mbps Benchmark

Network Evolution

Wireless ISPs face a growing threat from LEO satellite providers like Starlink that can reach rural users with faster download speeds.

There are around 2,000 U.S. wireless internet service providers (WISPs) and about nine million Americans get their internet service from these companies, according to the Wireless ISP Association (WISPA).  Many of these WISPs are very small and provide service to just a few hundred customers. 

WISPs have become more prevalent over the past few years largely due to the introduction of vendor equipment that makes it possible to more cost-effectively deliver better coverage using unlicensed spectrum and commercial off-the-shelf hardware.

WISPs deliver their services using fixed wireless access (FWA) but they tend to be smaller and focused on certain markets such as rural areas or apartment complexes than the large telcos like Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T, which also use FWA technology to deliver broadband services across the country. However, unlike the WISPs, these operators don’t consider broadband to be their primary business. 

Using Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence® data, we examined the performance of eight of the larger U.S. WISPs—Etheric Networks, GeoLinks, NextLink Internet, Resound Networks, Rise Broadband, Starry, Unwired Broadband, and Wisper Internet — from Q1 2021 through Q2 2025. For those providers that offer both FWA and fiber, we categorized users with upload speeds under 100 Mbps as FWA customers to distinguish them from fiber users. While all eight of the WISPs that we monitored improved their median download speeds during that time period, their performance varies greatly. 

Key Takeaways

  • Starry, which is being acquired by Verizon, delivered the highest median download speeds (202.25 Mbps in Q2 2025) of all eight U.S. WISPs that we studied. 
  • GeoLinks delivered the slowest median download speeds (22.74 Mbps in Q2 2025) of the WISPs we reviewed. Its users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) experienced download speeds of 56.58 Mbps in Q2 2025.  We measured GeoLinks customers in its California markets where the company currently uses an older platform on 5 GHz spectrum.
  • Because of Starry’s faster speeds, the WISP was able to deliver the FCC’s minimum requirement for broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps to 66.88% of Speedtest users in Q2 2025. 
  • WISPs face a growing threat from low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers like Starlink, which can reach rural users with download speeds that are often faster than WISPs. 
  • To continue to compete  in the broadband space, WISPs need to find ways to secure more spectrum to avoid network congestion and interference.

The Many Flavors of WISPs

The performance of WISPs in the U.S. is under scrutiny right now because of recent changes that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) made to the Broadband Equity and Deployment (BEAD)  program. In June 2025 the NTIA revamped BEAD to provide a technology-neutral approach and prioritize cost-per-location.This means that instead of favoring fiber, other technologies such as low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and FWA can compete with fiber for BEAD funding. The revisions also include a rule to ensure that bids go to the lowest-cost bidders.

States revised their BEAD applications and re-submitted them using the new guidance. Early indications are that many states plan to use FWA for at least a portion of their BEAD eligible locations. Connected Nation, a non-profit that monitors the digital divide, found that states have awarded 11.7% of eligible locations to FWA providers, and many of those FWA providers are categorized as wireless ISPs (WISPs). 

We analyzed the performance of eight of the largest U.S. WISPs over several quarters from Q1 2021 until Q2 2025. However, it’s important to note that all of these companies vary greatly in terms of their spectrum holdings, their business models, their coverage areas, and their vendor equipment, which drives a large variance in performance outcomes. 

Nevertheless, it’s notable that all eight of the WISPs we monitored improved their median download speeds during that time period. They also improved their median upload speeds, but to a much lesser extent. 

Starry outpaced all the others and recorded the highest median download speeds. In Q2 2025 Starry’s median download speed was 202.25 Mbps, which is more than double that of the Resound Networks with a median download speed of 99.41 Mbps in Q2 2025. Starry also was nearly nine times higher in median download speeds than the slowest of the eight WISPs, GeoLinks, which had a median download speed of just 22.74 Mbps in Q2 2025. 

A Comparison of WISPs Median Download and Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
A comparison of WISPs median download and upload speed over time.

The eight WISPs and their coverage areas

NameStates where WISP operatesSpectrum used
Etheric NetworksCalifornia2.4 MHz, 5.8 GHz unlicensed and 28 GHz licensed
GeoLinksCalifornia, Arizona, and Nevadaunlicensed 5 GHz, LMDS 29-31 GHz spectrum, unlicensed 59-71 GHz spectrum
NextLinkTexas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska2.4 MHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz
Resound Networks

Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas6 GHz unlicensed, 5 GHz unlicensed, and 3.65 GHz licensed
Rise Broadband16 states including Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Texas and Southern Wisconsin unlicensed 5 GHz, unlicensed 3.65 GHz, licensed 2.5 GHz, and some TV white space spectrum at 470-698 MHz
Starry BroadbandMajor cities such as Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, DC37 GHz licensed, 24 GHz licensed, some 5 GHz unlicensed
Unwired BroadbandCalifornia unlicensed 6 GHz
Wisper WirelessOklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, and Illinois 3.5 GHz (CBRS), 5.1 GHz, and maybe 6 GHz

Most WISPs struggle to deliver the FCC’s minimum broadband speeds to their customers 

All of the eight WISPs use a different configuration of spectrum licenses. Most are reliant upon some combination of low-, mid-, or high-band licensed and unlicensed spectrum. In addition, many have deployed fiber either as an alternative to their FWA service or to use to carry backhaul or middle-mile traffic. 

While using unlicensed spectrum means that a WISP can launch services quickly without having to purchase costly spectrum licenses, it also means that congestion and interference can result in the WISP having to carefully manage demand for their services. 

Using Speedtest data collected in Q2 2025 we compared the median download and upload speeds of the eight WISPs to determine what percentage of their Speedtest users were receiving the FCC’s minimum standard for fixed broadband speeds (100 Mbps downstream/20 Mbps upstream).   

Starry, which has mmWave spectrum licenses and uses proprietary equipment, is able to provide the FCC’s minimum standard for broadband to the highest percentage of users at 66.9%.  In contrast Rise Broadband, which primarily operates with unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band and in the 3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz bands (CBRS), but also uses some licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, is able to provide the FCC’s minimum requirement for broadband to just 6.7% of its users. 

WISPs% of Speedtest users achieving wireless broadband speeds of 100/20 Mbps
Starry66.9%
Resound Networks41.5%
Wisper Internet 26.0%
NextLink 24.4%
Unwired 21.8%
GeoLinks8.7%
Etheric 8.4%
Rise Broadband 6.7%

mmWave’s bigger pipe doesn’t always equal faster speeds

Starry, GeoLinks and Etheric all use some combination of high-band spectrum to deliver their FWA services. The benefits of this spectrum is it can deliver faster speeds and carry bandwidth-intensive applications. But it also requires line-of-sight or near-line-of-sight to work because of potential interference from buildings, trees, and even rain. 

Among the three providers that use mmWave spectrum we saw dramatic differences with Starry significantly outperforming GeoLinks and Etheric, which suggest that Starry has a greater penetration of mmWave spectrum among its customer base that is benefitting the WISP. 

Starry

Starry uses a proprietary technology with base stations that cover a radius of about one mile and its system operates on shared spectrum licenses in the 37.1, 37.3 and 37.5 GHz mmWave bands. It also acquired 104 licenses in the 24 GHz band that cover 51 partial economic areas. 

The company targets large apartment buildings with its service. Its setup consists of a rooftop base station that broadcasts a signal to multiple building-mounted receivers, allowing a single base station to serve dozens of buildings. Although it uses proprietary equipment it’s based upon modified 802.11ac/ax standards that takes advantage of the Wi-Fi chipset ecosystem.

The company, which is currently being acquired by Verizon, offers service to about 100,000 subscribers in apartment buildings in five markets; Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, and Washington, D.C./Virginia.

Starry offers a variety of rate plans: $30 per month for up to 200 Mbps; $55 per month for up to 500 Mbps; and $75 per month for up to 1 Gbps. 

Ookla’s Speedtest® data shows that Starry has nearly doubled its median download speeds in its markets from 102.74 Mbps in Q1 2022 to 202.25 Mbps in Q2 2025. The company’s upload speed also increased, but not as dramatically from 52.29 Mbps in Q1 2022 to 54.34 Mbps in Q2 2025.  The company saw the biggest increase in speeds from Q1 2024 to Q2 2025, which is likely due to some network upgrades, including the deployment of the 2.0 version of its Comet receiver.  Starry said the upgrades would expand its coverage range as well as provide better spectral efficiency.  

Starry's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Starry's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

GeoLinks uses local multipoint distribution services (LMDS) spectrum that it acquired from Verizon in 2021 as well as some unlicensed 5 GHz and unlicensed 59-61 GHz spectrum. Those 208 LMDS licenses are in the 29/31 GHz bands and cover several markets. However, GeoLinks currently offers service primarily in California and has a few deployments in Arizona and Nevada, but our Speedtest data samples were all collected from the company’s California deployment where it is currently using the unlicensed 5 GHz spectrum and an older platform.. 

The company recently tested Intracom Telecom’s point-to-multipoint equipment to demonstrate multi-gigabit FWA using its 29/31GHz mmWave spectrum. In addition, it has indicated that it is interested in leasing its spectrum to other enterprises and operators that can then use its spectrum holdings to develop their own FWA services. 

GeoLinks offers a variety of price plans: $25.99 per month for speeds of 10/10 Mbps; $38.99 per month for 25/10 Mbps; $45.99 per month for 30/30 Mbps; and $69.99 per month for speeds of 100/25 Mbps. The company’s web site indicates that the $45.99 per month plan that delivers 30/30 Mbps is the most popular plan with its customers. 

Speedtest data shows Geolinks delivering median download speeds of just 22.74 Mbps in Q2 2025 with 75th percentile download speeds of 56.58 Mbps. Its users experience median upload speeds of 19.82 Mbps in Q2 2025.  

GeoLink's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
GeoLink's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Etheric Networks

Etheric Networks provides FWA service to the California Bay Area. The company has a fiber ring stretching from San Francisco to Monterey, California that connects its FWA towers and eight data centers. Etheric uses a mix of spectrum including unlicensed 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz spectrum. However, in 2024 Etheric partnered with BroadbandOne to leverage BroadbandOne’s 28 GHz mmWave spectrum. The company said this partnership will allow it to enhance its connectivity and serve more rural and agricultural areas. 

The company offers three residential price plans: $79 per month for speeds up to 100 Mbps; $99 per month for speeds up to 250 Mbps and $169 per month for 1 Gbps speeds. 

Speedtest data shows Etheric has nearly doubled its median download speeds from 21.34 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 41.09 Mbps in Q2 2025. Its users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) saw speeds of 65.45 Mbps in Q2 2025.The company’s median upload speeds also increased over time from 13.6 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 29.5 Mbps in Q2 2025. 

Etheric Networks' Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Etheric Networks' median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

WISPs make the most of mid-band with CBRS licenses

Many WISPs take advantage of the mid-band CBRS spectrum, which is a 150 MHz shared spectrum in the 3.5 GHz to 3.7 GHz band that allows for flexible use by three different groups that are managed by a Spectrum Access System (SAS). The SAS can dynamically grant access to different users. The band is shared by these three parties: incumbent users such as the U.S. Navy that have priority access to the band; licensed users with Priority Access Licenses (PAL) that have exclusive use of a portion of the band in a specific geographic location; and the General Authorized Access (GAA) group who can access the spectrum but have no protection from interference from the other two groups.  

Several of the WISPs we analyzed deploy their services in the CBRS spectrum and primarily use the GAA portion of the band. Others have acquired CBRS PAL and some use a combination of both. Some WISPS also use unlicensed bands such as 5 GHz. 

Nextlink spent $28.4 million in FCC’s Auction 105 to purchase over 1,100 CBRS PAL licenses covering 491 counties in eleven states including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Wyoming, and Missouri. The company uses that spectrum to deliver its FWA service to its more than 100,000 subscribers (as of August 2025).  NextLink also has deployed fiber to more than 100,000 locations and has 20,000 fiber customers. 

Nextlink secured Connect America Fund II funding and participated in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund so much of its FWA expansion has been driven by those commitments. In August Nextlink said it has completed five of the six states as part of its CAF II funding and is halfway through its RDOF buildout. 

The company offers a variety of FWA plans: The Next50, which offers up to 50 Mbps speeds for $30 per month; the Next100 that offers speeds up to 100 Mbps for $40 per month; The Next300 that offers speeds up to 300 Mbps for $60 per month; and the Next500 that offers speeds up to 500 Mbps for $75 per month. 

Speedtest data shows NextLink has more than tripled its median download speeds from 19.45 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 68.47 Mbps in Q2 2025.  The WISP also increased its median upload speeds significantly from 4.72 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 18.26 Mbps in Q2 2025. NextLink users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) get much higher speeds of 122.88 Mbps in Q2 2025. 

NextLink's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
NextLink's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Resound Networks

Resound Networks provides FWA service in Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Arizona and Oklahoma and uses Tarana Wireless gear in the unlicensed 5 GHz and 6 GHz spectrum bands. It also offers fiber service in some locations and is planning to expand its fiber footprint. Like many WISPs, Resound is focused specifically on rural communities that have historically been overlooked by larger ISPs. In 2022 the company was awarded $303 million through the FCC’s RDOF program to deliver FWA and fiber to 214,000 rural locations. 

Resound offers both residential and enterprise rate plans. Its residential plans start at 75 Mbps for $55 per month and go up to 1 Gbps for $130 per month. 

The company’s customers experienced a steady increase in their download and upload speeds from mid-2023 until Q2 2025 from a median download speed of 38.94 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 99.41 Mbps in Q2 2025.  Its users in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) experienced an even greater climb in download speeds from 62.99 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 190.76 Mbps in Q2 2025.  During this time period Resound was expanding its network. 

Resound Network's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Resound's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Rise Broadband

Rise Broadband claims to be the country’s largest WISP with around 200,000 customers. It may also be one of the longest living WISPs because it dates back to 2006 when it started as JAB Broadband and its goal was to consolidate many of the country’s smaller WISPs to create one big WISP with a large footprint. 

Today Rise offers FWA service in16 states, mostly in the Midwest. Rise offers service primarily in rural areas and it uses a mix of unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band and in the 3.55 GHz to 3.7 GHz bands (CBRS), but also uses some licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, to deliver its service. 

Like NextLink, the company is actively deploying fiber in addition to FWA. The company’s strategy is to deploy FWA initially to capture market share and then roll out fiber to the densest FWA coverage areas. 

Rise’s price plans start as low as $30 per month for 50 Mbps and reach up to 400 Mbps for $55 per month. 

Rise users logged median download speeds of 42.58 Mbps in Q2 2025, which is a significant jump from Q1 2021 when users experienced median download speeds of just 16.01 Mbps. Rise’s users  in the 75th percentile (those in the upper end of the typical speed range) were able to achieve download speeds of 65.97 Mbps in Q2 2025.  The company’s median upload speeds also increased from 4.05 Mbps in Q1 2021 to 18.38 Mbps Q2 2025. Rise saw a big jump in median upload speeds between Q2 2022 when users logged median upload speeds of 5.86 Mbps and Q3 2022 when users experienced median upload speeds of 13.68 Mbps. 

Rise Broadband's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Rise Broadband's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Wisper Internet

Wisper Internet offers FWA in six midwestern states including Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Indiana. The company uses unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz, and a mix of unlicensed and licensed spectrum in the 2.5 GHz and 3.65 GHz bands.  Like NextLink and Rise, the company also has deployed fiber in a few select areas. 

Wisper offers a variety of rate plans including 25 Mbps for $70 per month; 50 Mbps for $75 per month; 100 Mbps for $80 per month; 200 Mbps for $110 per month and 400 Mbps for $140 per month. 

Similar to the other WISPs, Wisper’s median download speeds increased over time but it increased dramatically from Q3 2023 to Q2 2025 when its median download speeds increased from 33.74 Mbps to 52.90 Mbps. Likewise, the download speeds for users in the 75th percentile also increased, climbing from 55.12 Mbps in Q3 2023 to 107.90 Mbps in Q2 2025. This jump in speeds was likely due to  Wisper’s deployment of additional FWA gear from Tarana Wireless on 180 more towers in its footprint. 

Wisper Internet's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Wisper Internet's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

Unwired

Unwired Broadband provides FWA coverage in rural and underserved areas in central and northern California. The company said it has a network of more than 200 towers and a coverage area of about 17,000 square miles. Besides FWA, Unwired also provides some fiber service but It’s early in its deployment process. 

Unwired uses a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum to deliver its FWA service, including the licensed 2.5 GHz band and the unlicensed 6 GHz band. 

The company offers both business and residential FWA service and its pricing starts at $59.99 per month for 100 Mbps. 

Unwired users experienced increases in download and upload speeds over time but between Q3 2024 and Q4 2024 the jump was more dramatic. Median download speeds jumped from 27.22 Mbps in Q3 to 44.25 Mbps in Q4. Similarly median upload speeds increased from 9.7 Mbps in Q3 2024 to 15.9 Mbps in Q4. 

Unwired's Median Download, 75th Percentile Download, and Median Upload Speeds
Q1 2021 through Q2 2025
Unwired's median download, median upload and 75th percentile speeds over time.

WISPs’ performance is improving but competitive threats lurk 

Although the WISPs we studied are improving their networks and delivering better performance for their customers, the broadband market is rapidly changing. In the past many WISPs, particularly those in rural areas, faced little or no competition. But that’s no longer the case. 

As LEO satellite constellations such as Starlink become more powerful and more prevalent (Amazon’s Kuiper now has 153 satellites in orbit and is expected to launch late this year), WISPs will face growing competition from these companies. 

A recent Ookla report on Starlink found that Starlink’s network saw its median download speeds nearly double from 53.95 Mbps in Q3 2022 to 104.71 Mbps in Q1 2025, making its median download speeds on par or better than seven of the eight WISPs we reviewed (Starry was the only exception). With Starlink residential price plans starting around $80 per month, the company’s introductory price plan is a bit more expensive than some introductory price plans from WISPs but Starlink is aggressively promoting its services and offering large discounts on its equipment to entice new customers. 

To continue to play in the broadband space, WISPs need to try to secure more spectrum–licensed or unlicensed— to avoid network congestion and interference and also  invest in network upgrades so their services remain competitive. 

 To find out more about Speedtest Intelligence® data and insights, visit our website.  

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

Network Evolution
Spectrum
Starlink
Etheric
GeoLink
NextLink
Resound Networks
Rise Broadband
Starry
Unwired
Wisper
WISPs

About the author

Sue Marek

Sue Marek is Ookla’s editorial director and part of the company’s analyst team. She oversees the company’s thought leadership and editorial content. Sue is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience covering the telecom industry and her work has appeared in Fierce Network, Light Reading, and SDxCentral. She is a frequent speaker at industry events and has moderated panels at Mobile World Las Vegas, Connect(x), the Consumer Electronics Show, the Competitive Carriers’ Show and 5G North America. Sue has a B.S. in journalism from the University of Colorado.

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Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 13, 2023

mmWave Clocks Gigabit Speeds in the U.S. but Lacks Maturity Elsewhere

Global Speeds

In this article, we will look at the real-life performance of mmWave in the United States, reflect on its progress so far across the globe, and discuss what the future holds.

Key takeaways

  • mmWave received additional spectrum as part of Release 17, in addition to the spectrum already allocated by Rel-15 and WRC-19. 5G connectivity using mmWave substantially improves 5G performance (increasing theoretical speeds to up to 5 Gbps). At the same time, it comes with a challenge because of its limited range, which can be easily blocked or obscured, necessitating a high degree of network densification, which comes with additional Capex. 
  • After initial enthusiasm, operators’ appetite for the mmWave band spectrum has been lackluster, with only two auctions taking place in 2022. However, we see a renewed interest, which could lead to more spectrum allocations and network launches. 
  • Due to the limited rollout of mmWave 5G networks, the device ecosystem has lagged behind other 5G spectrum bands. While support for mmWave spectrum bands across smartphones is skewed heavily towards the  U.S., an increase in spectrum launches and networks combined with a declining ASP should lead to a growing adoption worldwide. 
  • Ookla® Q4 2022 data from the U.S. shows mmWave is achieving mind blowing speeds — almost 1.6 Gbps median 5G download speed — 26 times faster than the median 5G speed on low-band, almost seven times faster than the C-band, and four times than mid-band. 
  • RootMetrics® tested mmWave performance simulating congested network environments and concluded that even in such conditions, mmWave spectrum could achieve four times faster throughput than mid- and low-band spectrum.

mmWave spectrum allocation and commercialization 

Oftentimes, consumers complain about 5G speeds, sold on the promise of ultra-fast mobile networks. Such speeds can only be delivered utilizing the mmWave spectrum band. Up until and including 4G LTE, operators have been deploying networks in the sub-6 GHz spectrum. It was only with Release 15 that the telecom standards body 3GPP extended the spectrum ranges available for mobile networks. Frequency bands for 5G New Radio (NR) are separated into two frequency ranges: 

  • Frequency Range 1 (FR1) refers to sub-6 GHz frequency bands, traditionally used by previous network generations, which have been further extended to cover potential new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz.
  • Frequency Range 2 (FR2) refers to frequencies above 24 GHz.

Chart of mmWave 5G frequency bands

Furthermore, in November 2019, delegates of the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-19) identified additional radio frequency bands for IMT-2020 (the name ITU uses for 5G standards). These frequency bands are 24.25-27.5 GHz, 37-43.5 GHz, 45.5-47 GHz, 47.2-48.2, and 66-71 GHz. 3GPP’s recently completed Release 17 has further expanded the mmWave spectrum frequency range from 24.25-52.6 GHz up to 71 GHz, including support for the global 60 GHz unlicensed band.

So far, mmWave spectrum allocation has been lackluster across Europe, following initial enthusiasm in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea. According to Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA), 26 countries have licensed mmWave worldwide. In 2022, only two auctions took place in India and Spain in the 26 GHz frequency band. The Indian auction itself was a subject of intense debate and lobbying against its allocation in the 28 GHz band by the satellite providers. The regulator auctioned the 26 GHz band to minimize overlaps and interference issues.

Map of mmWave spectrum auctions worldwide

However, the momentum for mmWave spectrum allocations is growing, especially in Europe. While 14 countries in Europe have licensed mmWave so far, more are planning to do so e.g., Hungary, Austria, and the United Kingdom, which should lead to more deployments and create economies of scale that the mmWave device ecosystem currently lacks. 

Beyond consumers, mmWave can address the needs of enterprise applications that require higher bandwidth and lower latency, such as factory robots or AGVs. For example, Italian manufacturer Exor International partnered with Intel, TIM, and JMA Wireless to build an end-to-end smart factory in Verona to showcase the benefits that Industry 4.0 brings to manufacturing utilizing sub-6 GHz and 26 GHz spectrum. It is worth noting that several regulators have created an encouraging environment for enterprises to deploy their own dedicated networks by allocating spectrum for vertical use across mid- and high-frequency bands. So far, ten countries have set aside mmWave spectrum for enterprises, including Australia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, Finland, Sweden, South Korea, and the U.K. Japanese Fujitsu deployed a private 5G network combining 4.7 GHz SA and 28 GHz. 

The growing pains of the mmWave device ecosystem 

The South Korean example offers a cautionary tale regarding 5G mmWave readiness.

In 2018, three operators — SK, KT, and LG U+ — spent 620 billion Won ($435 million) on a five-year license for the 28 GHz spectrum. As part of the license conditions, operators had to deploy 15,000 base stations by the end of 2021. Following an audit by the Ministry of Science and IT (MSIT), KT and LGU+ had their licenses revoked, and SK Telecom was reduced by six months. One key challenge operators pointed to was the need for a mature mmWave devices ecosystem in the market.

Looking at the latest GSA data, this is indeed the case. Across the commercially available 5G devices that GSA has identified spectrum support information, most devices (85.7%) support the sub-6GHz band and only 8.9% mmWave spectrum.

Chart of number of announced 5G devices by spectrum band

However, mmWave device availability differs depending on the geography with smartphone availability heavily skewed to the U.S. For instance, all ‌iPhone 12‌-14 models in the U.S. support both mmWave and sub–6 GHz 5G connectivity; this was not the case in South Korea. Across Android-based smartphones, the story is similar. The Pixel 6 Pro includes mmWave 5G support only in the U.S., Australia, and Japan. There is also a price difference across devices that offer support for mmWave. For example, Google Pixel 6 is available in two versions in the U.S. — an unlocked version with sub-6 GHz 5G for $599 and another with mmWave 5G for $699. The latter is offered via operators such as Verizon and AT&T. The price difference is likely due to the mmWave requirement for specialized radio hardware and antennas. Yet, on average, the price delta between sub-6 GHz and mmWave smartphones is narrowing down to $10- $20, Counterpoint Research shows. 

Furthermore, Counterpoint sees consumer awareness and adoption growing in the U.S. According to its U.S. smartphone users survey, 60% of users checked before purchasing whether a 5G Smartphone has 5G mmWave capability, while 43% of users in the future plan to subscribe to 5G mmWave services and smartphones. Beyond the U.S., Counterpoint sees one billion cumulative 5G mmWave smartphone shipments between 2019 and 2026, with mmWave smartphone penetration reaching 26% by 2026, compared to 13% in 2022.

mmWave supports FWA 

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) is often considered one of the most successful 5G use cases as we recently pointed out. Some operators leverage mmWave to offer FWA services, for example, in April 2022, US Cellular launched 5G Home Internet using mmWave spectrum (28 GHz and 39 GHz) in partnership with Qualcomm and Inseego across ten cities. In Italy, Fastweb collaborated with Qualcomm to commercialize 5G SA mmWave services in March 2022, following a partnership to deliver 5G FWA to 400 cities. Vendors are vying to address this opportunity too. Recently, Mavenir launched an FWA solution that supports massive MIMO and 5G mmWave for 4G, 5G NSA, and 5G SA deployments. This FWA platform has been deployed by several customers, such as 360 Communications, RINA Wireless, Triangle Communications in the U.S., and Quickline in the U.K. 

mmWave delivers on the promise of gigabit speeds 

The U.S. is a global leader in using mmWave spectrum, with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon using mmWave to offer mobile service, while US Cellular deploys it for FWA. Speedtest Intelligence® data shows that 5G connectivity using mmWave can reach staggering speeds of up to 1.6 Gbps. Comparing 5G performance across spectrum bands across mobile operators in the U.S. used for 5G services — low-, mid-, C-band, and high-band (mmWave) — it is clear that mmWave delivers superior performance. Our data shows that users on 5G mmWave achieved speeds that are 4.29 times faster than mid-band, 6.86 times faster than C-band, and a staggering 26.1 times faster than a low band.

Chart of median 5G download speed by spectrum band in the US

Due to its high throughput, mmWave is particularly useful for streaming and gaming. For example, at CES 2023, Razer unveiled its new Razer Edge, the first Android handheld gaming tablet on the market. The device can play games locally on the device or stream them remotely via 5G. The Razer Edge 5G became available from Verizon on January 26. 

Mmwave also offers the advantage of lower latency — anything over 20 ms will give gamers a headache, according to Qualcomm. 

mmWave helps with network congestion too 

Speaking at the Citi 2023 Communications, Media & Entertainment conference, Kyle Malady — Verizon’s Executive VP, President of Global Networks & Technology, noted that the operator has deployed over 40,000 mmWave nodes, which support its 5G services in dense, urban environments. He also stated, “And now that millimeter wave technology turns into a tool for RF engineers to use in hotspots that they have and C-Band.” 

A RootMetrics study supports this, based on several tests conducted in December 2021 to simulate the performance of the 5G spectrum in a congested environment. While, unsurprisingly, the results showed speeds in congested environments were slower on all bands than when congestion wasn’t present, there was a difference when it came to bands in use: mmWave 5G delivered a median download speed of 231.40 Mbps, which was over four times faster than the speeds recorded on either mid-band or low-band 5G, both of which were below 50 Mbps (44.80 Mbps on mid-band and 49.50 Mbps on low-band). To put mmWave’s capacity boost in a different perspective, its speed of 231.40 Mbps with congestion was nearly as fast as the 256.80 Mbps recorded on mid-band 5G without congestion. RootMetrics’ study showed that mmWave provides speeds 4-5 times faster than those of mid- and low-band in congested circumstances, delivering on its promise of providing greater capacity and faster speeds under heavy network load. 

Chart of comparison of throughput by band

Millimeter wave also lends additional capacity in dense areas such as stadiums. Poor performance during events such as concerts stems from the networks needing to deal with extra demand and becoming congested. Constraints on the spectrum allocated to 5G today can impact performance more in places like stadiums than in other areas because many users are concentrated in a small space and share the same limited spectrum. To illustrate how mmWave enables better network performance, we can look to Ookla Wind® walk testing data, which can show the benefits of mmWave in terms of 5G bandwidth. Since each carrier is 100 MHz wide, a test showed that a stadium used four carriers aggregated 80% of the time, which resulted in 400 MHz of 5G bandwidth. In turn, this helped to achieve higher 5G capacity and lower latency. 

Illustration of 80% samples, four Carrier Aggregation is being used on mmWave

Another benefit of mmWave that the Wind test showed is that with the mmWave 5G NSA network, most of the user data traffic is carried by mmWave spectrum only (contrary to other 5G bands in NSA). This reduces the load on the LTE network. This, in turn, allows legacy users with non-5G capable devices to use an LTE network that is less congested because it doesn’t have to support 5G devices as well. 

We will examine the relationship between spectrum and 5G performance in future articles. Subscribe to Ookla Research™ to stay up to date on our analyses. 

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.

Global Speeds
Spectrum

About the author

Sylwia Kechiche

Sylwia Kechiche, formerly Principal Industry Analyst, Enterprise at Ookla. Previously Principal Analyst, IoT and Enterprise at GSMA Intelligence, where she was responsible for the development of IoT & Enterprise product, including market sizing, custom consulting, survey work and report writing.

More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| February 16, 2023

Spectrum: An Essential Ingredient to Ensure Good 5G Performance

Global Speeds

We have recently written about 5G performance at length, ranked the countries, looked at operators’ 5G strategies, and even commented on consumers’ perception of 5G performance. Most recently, we commented on the state of the worldwide 5G in 2022 and the fastest 5G mobile devices. This article will examine the relationship between spectrum and 5G performance.

Key takeaways:

  • Based on Speedtest Intelligence® data, we can see a significant variance between countries in median 5G speed, with four broad clusters of 5G performance emerging: 5G Leaders, High Performers, Improvers, and 5G Outliers. 
  • 5G performance depends heavily on the operator’s 5G spectrum holding.
  • The larger the allocation of the C-band spectrum, the faster the 5G download speed, with the contiguous spectrum enhancing performance further. 
  • Operators with access to 100 MHz of contiguous spectrum, e.g., in the U.A.E. and South Korea, led the 5G global ranking in Q4 2022 with a median download speed of 516.15 Mbps and 511.70 Mbps, respectively.
  • Access to low-band spectrum is just one factor that impacts 5G Availability. 

Four tiers of 5G performance 

Looking at market-level Speedtest Intelligence data, we can see significant variance in median 5G download speeds between the 52 countries we analyzed. We identified four broad clusters of 5G performance as measured by median 5G download speed.

chart of 5g performance clusers basd on median 5g download speed across a sample of countries5G Leaders: > 300 Mbps

These markets are the 5G pioneers, being among the first to launch 5G services, and are continually pushing the boundaries of 5G performance with median download speeds typically greater than 300 Mbps. High-performant 5G markets have allocated substantial amounts of spectrum for 5G use, particularly with wide allocations in the coveted C-band, and have assigned and, in some cases, begun limited use of mmWave spectrum. In some cases, we see a trade-off between 5G performance and 5G Availability (the proportion of time users with 5G capable devices spend connected to 5G networks).

5G High Performers: 200 – 300 Mbps

These markets share many of the characteristics of 5G leaders, having made an adequate spectrum allocation for 5G use and fostered competition between operators, which has helped spur network investment. However, they lag behind 5G Leaders based on their level of network densification. They typically use Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which allows operators to share spectrum between network generations, but it can weigh on performance. Median 5G download performance in these markets typically ranges from 200 Mbps to 300 Mbps. We don’t generally see as much of a trade-off between performance and 5G Availability in these markets. 

5G Improvers: < 200 Mbps

These markets typically have limited C-band availability or a regulatory environment promoting strong price competition, with operator investment constrained. As a result,  median 5G download speeds are between 100- 200 Mbps in these markets. In some cases — for example, in the U.S. and U.K., we see 5G spectrum allocations (based on spectrum currently in use) giving a significant advantage to one player in the market, which has then sought to capitalize on this through aggressive 5G network deployment. Furthermore, with the exception of the U.S., which had a 5G Availability of 56.0% in Q4 2022, 5G Improvers all have 5G Availability in the low double digits, ranging from 13.5% in Japan to 19.2% in Germany. 

5G Outliers

Only in a few markets did 5G performance drop below 100 Mbps. Polish performance can be explained by the lack of a dedicated 5G spectrum; Polkomtel trading under the Plus brand, utilizing 50 MHz of spectrum in the 2.6 GHz band, and all other operators deploying 5G using DSS in the 2.1 GHz spectrum band. Spain, on the other hand, has assigned spectrum across all three bands, with C-band blocks ranging from 80MHz (MasMovil) to 110 MHz (Orange), and most recently, awarded mmWave too. However, operators focus on meeting coverage obligations that rely heavily on the 700 MHz band. For example, Movistar’s 5G network reached a total of 1,719 municipalities at the end of 2022, equivalent to 83% of the population. 

Fast 5G and good 5G Availability don’t always go hand in hand  

chart of medan 5g and availability in select markets

Using Speedtest Intelligence data, we examined a relationship between the country’s 5G median download speed and 5G Availability. And for the most part, there isn’t one. Fast networks don’t immediately come with high 5G Availability. For example, the U.A.E. and South Korea have topped our ranking in terms of the fastest median download speed over 5G at 549.70 Mbps and 496.63 Mbps, respectively, during Q4 2022. Yet, when it comes to 5G Availability, the U.S. came first in the ranking at 56.0% in Q4 2022, South Korea’s 5G Availability stood at 35.1%, while the U.A.E recorded a 5G Availability of 7.7% in Q4 2022. 

All eyes on spectrum

The key to understanding 5G is understanding operators’ 5G spectrum holding. There are two key considerations to keep in mind when discussing the spectrum for 5G: speed performance and geographical coverage. Regulators assign 5G spectrum across three spectrum ranges: low, mid (lower mid-band and upper/C-band), and high (mmWave).

Low-band (sub-1GHz) spectrum can travel farther, cover a greater geographical region, and provide deeper penetration within buildings, given its good propagation characteristics. But, the low band spectrum cannot deliver “true” 5G speeds, peaking at 100 Mbps median download speed. Another challenge is that these frequency bands are in high demand and in low supply, and in some countries, still used for analog television. 

Mid-band spectrum (1-6 GHz spectrum) is the so-called “sweet spot” for 5G, especially the upper mid-band (C-band), which offers the best of both worlds in terms of coverage and capacity.

Existing networks such as 2G, 3G, and 4G already use the lower mid-band. This spectrum band has been the 4G data traffic capacity layer, often used in Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) mode. FDD is a technique that uses separate frequency bands at the transmitter and receiver sides. For example, the U.S. and China used the 2.6 GHz spectrum band in Time Division Duplex (TDD) mode to drive their 5G deployment. Most counties will use TDD for 5G network rollout. This means that the 5G base station and end-user device use the same channel to transmit simultaneously, potentially creating interference issues while allowing more flexibility. Furthermore, this spectrum band will grow in importance as legacy networks are retired and spectrum refarmed.

The upper mid-band, especially 3.3 GHz to 3.8 GHz (otherwise known as C-band), offers a good combination of propagation and capacity. 3GPP standards currently support a 100 MHz wide channel and a maximum bandwidth of 400 MHz in carrier aggregation mode.

The high band, also called the millimeter wave (mmWave), spectrum can deliver super-fast speeds (thinking gigabits) but has limited range. Recently we published an article looking at the mmWave performance and recent developments.

Using Speedtest Intelligence background data, we can gain insights into which spectrum bands operators use for 5G. 

chart of spectrum band distribution

  • High band (mmWave) accounted for less than 1% of the scans in four countries: Japan, U.S., Qatar, and Australia.
  • Most countries used the mid-band spectrum.
    • C-band spectrum is used by all countries that have allocated it (21 out of 23 countries), with a notable exception of the Netherlands and Poland, which will finally auction the 3.5 GHz spectrum, set to take place in the summer of 2023. 
    • All countries we have analyzed, bar South Korea, use lower mid-band partially due to operators switching off their legacy networks (2G/3G) and refarming their existing spectrum holdings to support 5G networks rollout.
  • Low band was used by 78% of analyzed countries (18 out of 23) across our sample. 

Addressing spectral challenges via DSS and CA comes at a cost

The ITU minimum technical requirements to meet 5G performance requirements identify at least 100 MHz channel per operator and up to 1 GHz per operator in mmWave bands. This, however, is only sometimes the case. We can see imbalances in terms of operators’ performance within a country, which can be partially explained by having larger spectral resources. For example, Three UK benefited from having the largest, dedicated 5G spectrum — 140 MHz of frequency across several 5G spectrum bands, including a 100 MHz block of continuous spectrum in the 3.3-3.8 GHz band, which positions it well in terms of median download speeds compared to other U.K. operators.

In the absence of a dedicated 5G spectrum or to supplement the existing spectrum, operators can use two technologies to aid their 5G deployment: Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) and Carrier Aggregation (CA). DSS enables operators to allocate spectrum flexibly across low-, mid-, and high-bands and switch between LTE and 5G New Radio depending on network demand. However, there is a downside to that in terms of 5G performance. For example, in Poland, apart from Plus, all other operators deployed 5G using DSS in the 2.1 GHz spectrum band, which can partially explain why they have lower speeds.

Conversely, CA enables operators to use two or more bands together, integrating them as one big block to deploy 5G. This allows for the aggregation of non-contiguous spectrum blocks, but it impacts performance by introducing latency and signaling overhead. 

Access to low-band spectrum has a positive impact on 5G Availability, but it is not the only factor at play

chart of 5g availability and the use of low-band spectrum

Ookla® data indicates that 5G coverage, which is often enabled by having access to a dedicated low-band spectrum (600 – 900 MHz), is just one part of the puzzle when it comes to 5G Availability. Low-band (700 MHz) spectrum, initially used for LTE, is now allocated to 5G because it allows extended coverage. According to the GSA, the 700 MHz spectrum band is particularly precious. GSA’s data shows that spectrum at 700 MHz has generated an average of $0.309/MHz/pop in assignments and auctions since 2015, significantly above the average price for C-band. For example, India’s highly anticipated 5G spectrum auction garnered $0.380MH/pop for 700 MHz compared to $0.031/MHz/pop for C-band. 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the U.A.E. don’t have any 5G devices using low-band spectrum simply because there has been no spectrum assigned in this band to 5G services. During the initial 5G auction in 2016, South Korea’s 700 MHz spectrum remained unsold. 

Other essential aspects driving 5G Availability are the affordability and availability of 5G-capable smartphones, 5G tariffs, and end-user demand. Case in point, despite the lack of low-band spectrum, South Korea reached a 5G Availability of 35.1% in Q4 2022, driven by customer adoption and 5G network densification. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, in November 2022, there were 27.5 million 5G subscriptions in South Korea, equivalent to 36% of all mobile subscriptions. According to its Communication Agency, there are 215,000 5G base stations, which translates into 319 people per 5G base station, nearly seven times more than the EU and 13 times more than the U.S.

A country’s geography impacts 5G coverage too. For example, in addition to having access to low band spectrum, the Netherlands benefits from being flatter and more densely populated, resulting in a greater ability to expand 5G coverage. 

Another factor at play is the spectrum license conditions that stipulate coverage requirements, for instance, as part of the 700MHz licenses in the Netherlands, there is a minimum speed of 8 Mbps in 98% of the cases in each municipality of the country in 2022.

While the relationship between low-band spectrum and 5G Availability is not a direct one, we wanted to investigate whether there is a link between the median 5G download speed and the C-band spectrum. 

Larger the share of the C-Band spectrum, the faster the 5G download speed

chart of 5g download speed and the use of c-band spectrum

Our analysis found that access to C-band spectrum typically translates into a faster median 5G download speed. Unsurprisingly, operators are keen to deploy 5G services using C-band spectrum. According to GSA, since the end of 2015, 54 countries have auctioned, assigned, or renewed licenses for C-band spectrum. 

All eyes on 5G Leaders

Countries where operators solely rely on the mid-band spectrum for 5G, and where 5G services have been available for more than 13 quarters have achieved over 300 Mbps median download speed in Q4 2022. Bulgaria is an exception, having launched services just over two years ago. We can also conclude that operators’ overall spectrum holding and whether they have access to a contiguous spectrum matters, too. Contiguous spectrum helps achieve faster speeds, lower latency, and improved spectral efficiency. 

U.A.E.: Emirati operators – Etisalat and Du –  use two carrier spectrum in the 3.5 GHz and 2.5 GHz frequency range, each carrier at 100 MHz, to establish a 5G network. This results in speeds exceeding 500 Mbps. The U.A.E. had a median 5G download speed of 511.70 Mbps in Q4 2022. 

South Korea: KT and SKT bought a 100 MHz channel each in 2018. In July 2022, LG+ secured an additional 20 MHz C-band spectrum, bringing its total spectrum holding to 100 MHz. Alongside the 5G spectrum auction, the government outlined the rollout milestones for the operators’ 3.5 GHz rollout: 22,500 base stations by the end of 2021, 45,000 by the end of 2023, and 150,000 at completion. Thanks to that, South Korea has the most base stations per population. South Korea is one of the early adopters of 5G, having commercialized 5G in 2019 and over a third of all mobile subscriptions on 5G. One of the reasons behind South Korea’s fast-paced 5G adoption is the support from the government, which adopted the 2021 action plan for the “Digital New Deal” to support 5G development and a wider digital transformation. 

Qatar: Qatar, clocking a median 5G download speed of 462.15 Mbps and 5G Availability of 50.7% in Q4 2022, delivers the best of the worlds — good speeds and 5G Availability. In November 2022, Qatar’s Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) amended the mobile licenses held by Vodafone Qatar and Ooredoo Qatar in early 2019, authorizing each operator to utilize 100 MHz of C-band spectrum and committing them to roll out commercial 5G networks before the end of 2020 in all densely populated areas. Operators’ heavy investment into their network to achieve near-universal service coverage and incentives to migrate users to 5G networks has paid off. We have closely monitored 5G performance during the recent World Cup. Not only did Qatari 5G networks manage to withstand the additional network load that World Cap brought, but it has also improved in performance, with the median 5G download performance hitting 472.13 Mbps in November 2022. 

Saudi Arabia: Operators in the KSA have access to more than 1000 MHz of licensed spectrum for IMT use in the low- and mid-band ranges. Saudi regulator – CST (Communication, Space and Technology Commission) – championed data-driven, evidence-based policy decisions to enable a 5G rollout by conducting analysis of spectrum usage, the performance of various bands, and existing network infrastructure to see where investments had been made within certain bands (e.g., extra capacity in specific bands in urban areas and coverage of rural areas using adequate bands). If you would like to find out more, read this case study. 

Bulgaria: In April 2021, Vivacom Bulgaria won 100 MHz in the 3.7-3.8 GHz band for BGN4.6 million (€2.35 million). Vivacom utilizes DSS, combining frequencies in 1.8, 2.1, and 3.6 GHz bands for 5G. A1 Bulgaria, on the other hand, uses a dedicated 100 MHz band.

We will continue to monitor 5G performance across the world and investigate the factors that impact 5G performance. If you want to learn more about 5G performance, head to Ookla ResearchTM and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with our latest analyses. 

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.

Global Speeds
Spectrum

About the author

Sylwia Kechiche

Sylwia Kechiche, formerly Principal Industry Analyst, Enterprise at Ookla. Previously Principal Analyst, IoT and Enterprise at GSMA Intelligence, where she was responsible for the development of IoT & Enterprise product, including market sizing, custom consulting, survey work and report writing.

More Articles

Ookla Research™ Articles
| September 3, 2024

Asia-Pacific Subscribers Will Benefit from More 5G Mid-band Spectrum

Spectrum

In the dynamic landscape of 5G deployment across the Asia-Pacific region, the strategic selection of spectrum frequency bands plays a pivotal role. The mid-band range, notably C-band (3.3-4.2 GHz), stands out as a key enabler, offering the ideal balance of broad coverage and high capacity. In this article, we use Ookla Speedtest Intelligence® data to highlight the relationship between spectrum bands and network performance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Mid-band is important for unlocking the full potential of 5G. The mid-band spectrum offers a balance of speed and range and is the preferred choice for most 5G deployments globally. Speedtest Intelligence® showed that C-band was present in 62.1% of global Speedtest consumer-initiated 5G samples in the first half of 2024.
  • Markets with a higher proportion of included C-band samples experienced faster 5G speeds. Global Speedtest Intelligence samples that included C-band were 1.7 times faster than lower mid-band spectrum and 4.27 times faster than sub-1-GHz low-band based on 1H 2024 data. Data also indicates that for markets with a higher reported proportion of included C-band samples typically experienced faster 5G speeds and improved overall network performance.
  • Operators face the challenge of balancing the need for broad 5G coverage with the desire for better performance. Some APAC markets experienced a decline in speed as 5G services and availability have increased. Malaysia, with its unique single-wholesale 5G network, showed declining 5G median download speeds, falling from 506.96 Mbps in Q2 2023 to 387.39 Mbps in Q2 2024, as 5G Service increased from 9.4% in Q2 2023 to 26.5% in Q2 2024. Thailand, on the other hand, achieved a 5G Service of 65.4% in Q2 2024, but reported a lower 5G median download speed of 135.30 Mbps due to the lack of C-band allocations.

Mid-band spectrum dominates 5G deployments

In our previous report on spectrum and performance, we discussed how the effectiveness of 5G networks depends on the strategic use of spectrum bands. Regulators allocate spectrum for 5G networks across three ranges: low-band (sub-1GHz), mid-band spectrum (frequencies between 1 GHz and 6 GHz), and high-band or mmWave spectrum (24 GHz and above), each with unique characteristics and capabilities. An operator’s spectrum holdings play a crucial role in determining its 5G deployment strategy and the range of services and experiences it can offer.

Mid-band spectrum occupies a strategic position in the 5G landscape, offering a blend of range and speed that is critical for realizing the full potential of 5G networks. It occupies a middle ground between the extensive reach of low-band spectrum and the high-speed but limited-range capabilities of high-band or mmWave spectrum, making it a crucial enabler of high-speed connectivity and low latency. , offering a blend of range and speed that is critical for realizing the full potential of 5G networks. It occupies a middle ground between the extensive reach of low-band spectrum and the high-speed but limited-range capabilities of high-band or mmWave spectrum, making it a crucial enabler of high-speed connectivity and low latency. 

Global Breakdown of Spectrum Bands Used in 5G Deployments (%)
GSMA | Q1 2024

Due to mid-band’s ability to balance coverage and performance, it is the preferred choice in 5G deployment. According to GSMA Intelligence’s Spectrum Navigator, out of the 295 operators that have launched commercial 5G networks globally, as of the end of Q1 2024, 72% utilized mid-band spectrum. 

Within the mid-band spectrum, the C-band spectrum, which includes n77 (3,300–4,200MHz), n78 (3,300–3,800MHz), and n79 (4,500MHz), has emerged as the de facto standard for 5G deployment. GSMA Intelligence reported that 186 out of 295 operators worldwide (63%) use bands n77 or n78 for their 5G network, showing a clear preference for the C-band spectrum. Additionally, Speedtest Intelligence® data from the first half of 2024 revealed that C-band was present in 62.1% of global Speedtest consumer-initiated 5G samples where spectrum information is available.

Proportion of Included Spectrum Band (%)
Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024

APAC region mirrors the global trend of prioritizing mid-band spectrum for 5G deployment

We analyzed 5G networks in selected Asia Pacific (APAC) and top-performing markets from the Gulf region using Speedtest data from the first half of 2024 to gain insights into the spectrum bands utilized by operators. It’s important to note that operators will employ differing strategies in order to optimize spectrum utilization and the user experience. Consumer-initiated Speedtest samples will attempt to saturate a network connection, and operators will tend to serve this capacity demand through the spectrum bands with the highest capacity, and where required supplement this capacity through carrier aggregation. This active testing gives a better indication of the maximum throughput and state of the network, in contrast with background idle-state testing, which will often camp on lower frequency bands and more specifically on 4G-LTE. For many of these selected markets, it is evident that the mid-band spectrum is the cornerstone of 5G deployments, reported in 81.5% of user samples with spectrum information. Within the mid-band, 73.1% of total test samples included C-band.

Chart of Spectrum Band Distribution Based on Primary Reported Band

Speedtest Intelligence reveals a strong preference for C-band in certain APAC markets. For instance, in South Korea, New Zealand, and Malaysia, the recorded 5G test samples were exclusively reported on the C-band spectrum.

South Korean and New Zealand operators have successfully deployed nationwide 5G access in both markets using the allocated C-band spectrum. In South Korea, all three major operators acquired spectrum in the 3.5 MHz (mid-band) and 28 MHz (high-band) through the auction process in 2018. While all operators prioritized and successfully deployed 5G on the 3.5GHz spectrum, their 28 GHz mmWave band licenses were revoked after failing to meet the deployment conditions set by the country’s regulator, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). This underscores that deploying 5G on the C-band for the operators has been sufficient to meet the operators requirements so far.

In Malaysia, 5G deployment is facilitated through its single wholesale network provider, Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB), utilizing the 3.5 GHz band for traffic, with 700 MHz serving as the Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G anchor band.

The allocation of C-band for 5G deployment varies across the APAC region. In some markets, 5G deployment relies more on low-band and lower mid-band spectrum range to enable broader outdoor 5G coverage and improved penetration inside buildings in urban and suburban areas. Thailand, one of the first markets to launch 5G in the Asia-Pacific region, has successfully launched 5G services using both 700 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands. The full allocation of C-band is still pending, which may challenge the country’s ability to fully leverage the capabilities of 5G technology. 

Similarly, Indonesia has yet to allocate the C-band spectrum for 5G, which could be challenging due to broadcast and fixed satellite operators’ traditional use of this spectrum. Extensive refarming work may be needed to ensure that mobile operators have access to the spectrum without interference.

5G performance hinges on the spectrum bands used

Data from Speedtest Intelligence from 1H 2024 shows a large variation in 5G download speeds depending on the included frequency in the 5G test samples globally, from a high 1.3 Gbps for samples that included high-band (mmWave) to a more moderate 75.17 Mbps for low band.

Median 5G Download (Mbps) by Included Spectrum Bands
Speedtest Intelligence® | 1H 2024

Samples that included lower-range mid-band spectrum provided 2.48 times better performance compared to the sub-1GHz low-band, with a median download speed of 187.80 Mbps. While samples that included the upper mid-band, i.e., C-band, the preferred spectrum band used for 5G deployment globally, had significantly higher download speeds at 322.38 Mbps, or 1.7 times faster than lower mid-band spectrum, and more than 4 times faster than sub 1-GHz low-band.

C-Band driving improved performance

Chart of Median 5G Download Speed Against Proportion of Included C-band Samples (%)

Drilling further into the selected markets, our data indicates that markets with a higher proportion of C-band samples in the tests, generally had faster median 5G download speeds.

Operators in the UAE, Qatar, and South Korea have ample spectrum allocation, with each operator being provided at least 100 MHz of contiguous C-band spectrum, partially explaining the strong 5G performance in those markets.

United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Kuwait have consistently secured top positions in Ookla’s Speedtest Global IndexTM for median download speed over all technologies. This is driven by strong 5G performance, with Speedtest Intelligence data reporting median 5G download speeds in 1H 2024 of 667.99 Mbps in the UAE and 610.67 Mbps in Qatar, while Kuwait maintained a reasonably fast 366.79 Mbps during the same period.

The strong 5G performance can be partly attributable to the combination of ample spectrum access and extensive 5G coverage underpinned by fierce competition among operators. The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) in the UAE has reported that as of Q1 2024, the 5G network covers more than 98% of the populated areas. Additionally, Qatar has made massive investments in building robust 5G networks for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In APAC, South Korea continues to solidify its position as a regional leader in 5G deployment, showcasing median 5G download speeds of 524.99 Mbps in 1H 2024. South Korean regulator, MSIT, has set strict milestones and requirements after allocating 100 megahertz in the 3.5 GHz band to all three major operators. This move has prompted the operators to accelerate their 5G rollouts with extensive network densification, as evidenced by deploying more than 115,000 5G sites across 85 cities, covering most metropolitan areas and ensuring the country was among the first to reach nationwide population coverage.

Balancing 5G Service and network performance with increasing user demands

Chart of Median 5G Download Speed Against 5G Service (%)

As the adoption of 5G technology continues to expand, operators face the challenge of balancing the need for extensive 5G coverage and high performance to meet the growing demands for advanced use cases. Ookla’s 5G Service metric measures the percentage of known geospatial locations where a 5G-enabled device has access to 5G Service. When comparing 5G service and performance in selected Asia-Pacific markets, apart from some outliers, we noticed that there is typically a trade-off between performance and coverage when operators deploy 5G using a range of spectrum bands.

Median 5G Download (Mbps) and 5G Service (%) Quarterly Trend in Selected APAC Markets
Source: Speedtest Intelligence® | Q2 2023 – Q2 2024
Median 5G Download (Mbps) and 5G Service (%) Quarterly Trend in Selected APAC Markets

In Hong Kong, 5G Service is widespread at 95.7% as of Q2 2024, thanks to a combination of low-band, mid-band, and C-band spectrum. However, with an average of 75 MHz in C-band allocated to operators, download speeds are constrained at 135.50 Mbps.

Singapore, where all three operators have commercialized 5G SA, reported well-balanced 5G Service and download performance. In Q2 2024, Singapore 5G Service was at 80.3%, and the median download speed was 341.49 Mbps. This is due to the operators’ optimal combined use of the 2.1GHz mid-band spectrum and 3.5 GHz C-band spectrum nationwide.

Despite initially achieving some of the fastest 5G speeds in the region, Malaysia, with its unique 5G deployment strategy through a nationwide single wholesale network, has experienced a decline in speed as 5G services and availability have increased. Overall, the country’s 5G download speed has fallen from 506.96 Mbps in Q2 2023 to 387.39 Mbps in Q2 2024, as 5G Service increased significantly from 9.4% in Q2 2023 to 26.5% in Q2 2024. The 100 MHz C-band spectrum allocated to the SWN provider, shared among five 5G providers, appears constrained as 5G Service and availability increase, leading to declining median speeds. GSMA Intelligence data estimates that the adoption of 5G technology in Malaysia was 10.1% in Q2 2023 and increased to 37.0% in Q2 2024. The rapid adoption of 5G technology is impacting performance and will continue to do so as adoption rates increase and traffic demand per connection rises. This underscores the importance of ongoing spectrum management to maintain high-performance 5G networks and effectively address the increasing demands and new 5G use cases.

It was observed that in markets leveraging lower-band spectrum for wider 5G coverage, there was a trade-off between extensive coverage and performance. Thailand, for example, underscores the critical role of C-band spectrum in unlocking 5G’s full potential. Despite achieving 65.4% 5G Service in Q2 2024, the lack of C-band allocations has limited 5G performance to a median download speed of 135.30 Mbps. This highlights the importance of incorporating C-band spectrum alongside low-band and lower mid-band frequencies to deliver optimal 5G speeds and capabilities.

Wider contiguous spectrum is needed for future 5G networks

5G has been the fastest mobile generation rollout to date, surpassing one billion connections by the end of 2022, rising to 1.6 billion connections at the end of 2023 and 5.5 billion by 2030. As the number of 5G connections continues to grow, sustaining a good user experience becomes more important, underscoring the need to maintain and enhance network capacity.

The increasing data traffic and the proliferation of data-intensive applications and services drive the demand for greater contiguous mid-band spectrum, particularly in the 3.3-4.2 GHz C-band range. Allocating additional spectrum would also help mobile operators meet the ITU’s minimum technical performance requirements for download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 50 Mbps in densely populated urban areas. 

We will continue to monitor spectrum demands and monitor their impact on network global performance. For more information about Speedtest Intelligence data and insights, please get in touch.

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

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About the author

Affandy Johan

Affandy Johan is the Industry Analyst at Ookla Research. He utilizes Ookla's data to develop insightful analyses covering various factors and aspects impacting the market. Affandy has extensive experience in the telecom industry, having worked for major vendors and operators in the Asia Pacific region.

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| August 6, 2019

T-Mobile’s Spectrum and Coverage in a Post-Sprint World

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The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officially cleared the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, joining the FCC in support of the deal, and bringing the merger one step closer to closing. The DOJ’s settlement comes with stipulations, however, including divesting Sprint’s prepaid business and some spectrum holdings to DISH so that a viable fourth nationwide competitor can enter the market. Additionally, the settlement declares that both operators must deploy high-quality 5G networks for the benefit of American consumers. We’re taking a fresh look at what coverage and spectrum would look like in response to the DOJ’s proposed deal.

Capitalizing on spectrum synergies

According to the consent decree with the DOJ, T-Mobile will keep Sprint’s entire 2.5 GHz and PCS spectrum portfolio, which will be integrated when the deal is finalized. The new T-Mobile will build an LTE layer on a denser cell site grid using Sprint and T-Mobile PCS spectrum synergies in combination with T-Mobile’s 600 MHz, 700 MHz and AWS holdings. This will address the existing capacity demand and expedite the process of allocating most of the 2.5 GHz spectrum assets to 5G NR.

Ookla_Sprint-TMob_Spectrum_20190802

To boost capacity, 2.5 GHz 5G-capable radios will be overlaid on existing T-Mobile sites, and over time, the existing PCS radio equipment will be reconfigured to support additional PCS spectrum coming from Sprint. In many major markets, that spectrum is contiguous to existing T-Mobile assets and will allow for wider allocations and higher spectral efficiency.

Top-Largest-Markets_TMobile-Sprint-03

Looking closely at the PCS spectrum in top markets, the contiguity between Sprint and T-Mobile is staggering. In markets like Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, adding the Sprint G Block will allow the new T-Mobile to expand the existing PCS spectrum assets and deploy 20 MHz channels. In Miami and Atlanta, the contiguous PCS block is a whopping 30 MHz wide. In markets like Detroit and Dallas, T-Mobile will have two 20 MHz PCS channels. This will enable the new T-Mobile to offer significantly improved capacity while leveraging more spectrally efficient 20 MHz channels. All this additional capacity makes the PCS spectrum a strong candidate for the 5G network.

T-Mobile’s good-faith agreement with DISH will potentially allow T-Mobile to leverage additional unused 600 MHz spectrum licenses, and a similar reconfiguration could be applied to the existing 600 MHz radios — widening the existing 5 MHz and 10 MHz channels — should the leasing agreement with DISH come to fruition.

Ookla_TMob-Dish_600_Spectrum_20190731

Since DISH currently doesn’t have an existing network — and it will take them several years to build it — their 600 MHz spectrum licenses are sitting idle, and American consumers aren’t benefiting from that spectrum. T-Mobile and DISH have agreed to an arrangement through which T-Mobile will be able to lease that spectrum and put it to use on its network. The arrangement is mutually beneficial, providing DISH with a revenue stream that could help with their network buildout, and the new T-Mobile with additional spectrum to enhance and accelerate the network transition process.

Top-Largest-Markets_TMobile-Dish-01

In some of the top markets like New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami, DISH’s 600 MHz spectrum licenses are directly adjacent to T-Mobile’s licenses, creating larger, contiguous spectrum blocks and allowing for wider LTE or 5G channels. In markets like New York, T-Mobile currently runs LTE in the 600 MHz band using only a 5 MHz wide channel, while the other 5 MHz license is idle and likely to be used for 5G, once 5G-capable user devices in the 600 MHz band become commercially available. Adding DISH’s 20 MHz contiguous spectrum block will allow the new T-Mobile to leverage the widest defined LTE channels (20 MHz) and still have 10 MHz available for 5G deployment. This would offer the highest possible spectral efficiency on a frequency band with superior propagation characteristics to the mid- and high-band. In addition, new smartphone designs allowing four separate data streams on the low band have already hit the market, allowing carrier aggregation of two low-band frequencies, or 4×4 MIMO. But more on that later.

What the merger means for coverage

Ookla_Sprint-TMob_Coverage_20190731

An estimated 11,000 Sprint sites will be retained to improve capacity and/or coverage on the new network. These sites add additional capacity to metro areas and expand coverage to areas T-Mobile hasn’t previously served. The sites will receive support for T-Mobile’s frequency bands, which could include replacement of Sprint’s existing 2.5 GHz equipment. Because Sprint’s existing 2.5 GHz infrastructure has equipment from a variety of vendors, these may be replaced to ensure compatibility with T-Mobile’s single-vendor-per-market strategy.

Integrating tens of thousands of existing Sprint sites will also mean reducing the lengthy regulatory process and will be done on a market-to-market basis.

Merging the networks and migrating customers

The details of how T-Mobile and Sprint will merge their networks are much clearer now than when we last wrote about this potential merger. In order to expedite the migration of Sprint subscribers onto T-Mobile’s network, T-Mobile will bridge the two network cores together by routing the traffic to the T-Mobile anchor network. This will be accomplished through the use of Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN).

T-Mobile used a similar approach several years ago when migrating MetroPCS CDMA subscribers to the T-Mobile network. The number of Sprint customers migrating to T-Mobile in major metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles would be very similar to the number of MetroPCS customers that migrated, according to T-Mobile.

Many customers will not require new devices. A large number of Sprint’s postpaid subscribers carry devices that support T-Mobile LTE frequency bands, including the common PCS band, and will only require an over-the-air software update to enable new features and services like Voice over LTE (VoLTE). This approach will offer immediate improvements in coverage and speed to Sprint subscribers, while freeing up Sprint’s PCS spectrum assets currently used for CDMA voice services.

What to expect from the new T-Mobile 5G network

5G is central to T-Mobile’s commitments to the FCC, including:

  • Covering 97% of the U.S. population with 5G in three years
  • Covering 99% of the U.S. population with 5G in six years
  • Offering in-home broadband nationwide, including in rural America

The spectrum portfolio and combined cell site grid will only improve the existing coverage and capacity, and the addition of Sprint’s 2.5 GHz and DISH’s 600 MHz spectrum assets will ease the transition of Sprint and DISH customers onto T-Mobile’s network. The new T-Mobile will hold around 160 MHz on average of 2.5 GHz mid-band spectrum in the top 100 markets, and potentially as much as 194 MHz. This will allow the new T-Mobile to deploy mobile 5G by layering low-band (600 MHz) and mid-band (2.5 GHz), which has the potential to provide the right balance of coverage and capacity. The excess capacity will be made available for in-home broadband, providing more options in underserved and rural areas. T-Mobile’s existing mmWave licenses will add additional capacity in dense urban areas.

To take advantage of the new T-Mobile’s spectrum and 5G network, smartphones must have the capability to aggregate both Sub-6 FDD and TDD (FR1) with mmWave (FR2), in addition to LTE. We expect to see 5G smartphones with chipsets capable of leveraging FDD low-band spectrum (FR1) become commercially available later this year, which will allow for 5G deployments in the 600 MHz band. This low frequency band can travel farther and penetrate through the walls better, which will allow T-Mobile to offer a nationwide 5G network. Existing 600 MHz LTE radios on T-Mobile’s cell sites are “5G Ready,” which means the network is only a software upgrade away from transmitting 5G throughout the existing 600 MHz footprint.

Also, the world’s first smartphone design supporting 4×4 MIMO and inter-band carrier aggregation on low bands has already entered the market, Sony Xperia 1 although the support for 600 MHz is lacking. We should expect similar designs supporting T-Mobile’s 600 MHz and 700 MHz bands in the future, which could potentially double user throughput, improving signal robustness and elevating the overall network efficiency and user experience.

Selecting Sprint “keep” sites

In conjunction with Speedtest IntelligenceTM data from Ookla®, T-Mobile developed an engineering model for forecasting both congestion and required capacity at the sector level. This model involves collecting KPIs within the radio network infrastructure and has been, according to T-Mobile, highly accurate.

This effort has led to 71% reduction in congestion, while traffic and customer growth have increased over the past several years. The model is also being used to analyze which T-Mobile and Sprint cell sites to keep to enhance the New T-Mobile cell site portfolio based on network coverage, traffic and spectrum available.

DISH, the new fourth competitor

Ookla_Dish_Spectrum_20190801

The DOJ’s response to the T-Mobile-Sprint merger also includes structural remedies to enable a viable fourth facilities-based nationwide operator, DISH, to enter the market. Over the past decade or so, DISH has acquired large amounts of mostly mid- and low-band spectrum that hasn’t been put to use. That includes the 600 MHz, 700 MHz, AWS and recently some millimeter Wave spectrum licenses.

The DOJ’s proposed structural remedies are meant to spur DISH to deploy unused spectrum assets, then enter the wireless business as a viable nationwide operator. Allowing DISH to acquire 800 MHz divested spectrum assets after three years — coupled with 20,000 (likely more) of Sprint’s redundant sites that already have the 800 MHz radio equipment and backhaul access available — should help DISH meet the agreed-upon buildout targets to have a facilities-based network by June 2023. Granted, these sites will stay running to support Sprint’s postpaid and divested prepaid legacy customers for at least three years, at which point DISH will have to make some investments for additional adjustments to the sites, such as gNodeB and radio equipment upgrades. After three years, if DISH elects not to purchase the divested 800 MHz nationwide spectrum licenses (penalties apply), T-Mobile will have the option to auction the 800 MHz spectrum at the same or higher cost, or keep it. In addition, DISH will be given access to several hundred retail locations the New T-Mobile plans to decommission.

Considering Sprint’s existing coverage, there is a high probability that these divested cell sites will be mainly concentrated in the metro areas. That said, DISH subscribers will be able to access the new T-Mobile’s nationwide network in areas not covered by DISH’s facilities-based network for a period of seven years, which should also provide plenty of time for DISH to expand its native network footprint.

Despite the upcoming legal challenges from 14 states, the consent decree from the DOJ is a key milestone in the potential merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. We’ll be watching its progress, using Mosaik research and solutions to monitor coverage and spectrum changes and Speedtest Intelligence to analyze performance.

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

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Milan Milanović

Milan Milanović was Ookla's Technical Evangelist. Milan spent the last ten years in the tech industry, focusing on cellular technology.

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| August 28, 2018

The Network Efficiencies that make Telenor the World’s Fastest Carrier

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Speedtest data recently revealed that Norwegian carrier Telenor was the world’s fastest carrier during Q2 2018 with a mean download speed of 72.05 Mbps on modern (LTE-capable) devices. Because Telenor is an enterprise client of ours, we had the unique opportunity to sit down with their network team to learn what goes into building a world-class LTE network.

Layering frequencies to improve capacity and coverage

Telenor always builds cell sites with multiple frequencies in order to provide the right mix of coverage and capacity that delivers the best possible user experience. To that end, Telenor’s LTE has been deployed across three frequency bands: 800 MHz provides the foundation for coverage, 1800 MHz acts as the mid-band layer and 2600 MHz is used as a capacity layer. In addition to layering the disparate frequency bands by the way of Carrier Aggregation, Telenor has implemented the complete Gigabit LTE feature set on selected sites, including the 256QAM and 4×4 MIMO which ensures the highest possible network efficiencies.

Telenor Norway takes pride in being one of the operators with the largest share of voice traffic over LTE in the world, and is aggressively working towards allocating all available frequency bands to LTE. This includes plans to sunset the 3G layer in 2019-2020 to allow Telenor to repurpose the 900 MHz and 2100 MHz spectrum bands for LTE, which will deliver even faster speeds to users. The company will continue offering 2G until 2025, mainly for machine-to-machine and legacy voice services.

Incentivizing customers to use modern devices

Perhaps Telenor’s secret sauce is their very close relationship with smartphone manufacturers. This allows them to make the most out of pre-launch field tests to ensure that their customers are getting equipment that meets Telenor’s standards.

Telenor is also assertive with marketing incentives designed to upgrade customers to modern devices. This is because the newest flagship phones are faster and more efficient in their use of network resources as a result of being equipped with the most advanced LTE modems, RF front-end and four LTE antennas. This completes Telenor’s network ecosystem filled with efficiencies, ensuring the best possible user experience, and the highest return of investment.

Covering a complex geography

Telenor currently has 99.4% of Norwegians covered with LTE, encompassing 81% of land mass, including remote rural areas. They extend service to Norway’s famous fjords by leveraging the existing cell sites built during the 2G days and continuing to add new ones.

What’s next for Telenor

Telenor is currently conducting 5G trials in preparation for commercial launch in 2020. Potential use cases for their 5G include: fixed wireless, enhanced mobile broadband and prioritization for mission critical services like healthcare, emergency services and supporting Norway’s large fish farming industry. While 5G is expected to make a big splash when it’s launched, Telenor believes that the LTE technology will continue as the main network pillar for several years to come.

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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Ookla

Ookla® is a global leader in connectivity intelligence that provides consumers, businesses, and other organizations with data-driven insights to improve networks and connected experiences.

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| August 7, 2022

89% of Indian Smartphone Users Are Ready to Upgrade to 5G

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India’s long awaited 5G spectrum auction has just come to a close

Four players participated in the 5G auction — Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio), Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and transport and utility infrastructure firm Adani Group – spending a grand total of Rs 1.5 trillion (US$ 19bn) for spectrum across 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz frequency bands. MmWave spectrum is capable of delivering super-fast speeds (thinking Gigabits), but is limited in terms of range. Low-band (sub-1GHz) spectrum is able to travel farther, cover a greater geographical region, and provide deeper penetration within buildings. But, low band spectrum lacks the capacity to deliver true 5G speeds. The so-called “sweet spot” for 5G is mid-band spectrum (1-6 GHz spectrum, and in particular C-band), which offers the best of both worlds in terms of coverage and capacity.

Jio acquired the most spectrum, especially in the sought after C-band spectrum (2,440 MHz), but it was the only operator that acquired the 700 MHz band. This will give Reliance Jio an advantage compared to providers who have acquired only C-band, especially since low-band spectrum allows for better indoor signal penetration in urban areas and also better coverage in rural areas. Now that operators have acquired 5G spectrum, they start their race to become the first operators to go to market with 5G, with some already hinting that 5G deployments will begin in the next few months. 

5G has been a long time coming

While mobile users in India are among the most data-intensive users in the world, India’s 4G/LTE networks have become a bottleneck for demand. Only 1.4% of respondents stated that they are satisfied with the existing network performance and are not planning to upgrade to 5G. The promise of 5G is that it will unlock a world of possibilities beyond just a faster network connection. In order to understand how 5G can change the current mobile behavior of Indian consumers, we commissioned a survey in the run up to the spectrum auction. Ookla’s Consumer Survey spans a sample of 2,000 smartphone users aged 18 and above across urban and rural areas of India. 

So what do Indian consumers expect from 5G?

Consumers have an appetite for video streaming and gaming

Our survey shows that if mobile internet connections were better, 70% of respondents would increase their use of video streaming, while 68% stated they would boost their mobile gaming. Operators acquired a total of 44,960 MHz of spectrum in the 26 GHz spectrum band (mmWave), which due to its high throughput, is particularly useful for streaming and gaming. It will also lend additional capacity in dense areas such as stadiums. Better connectivity will also have a wider reaching effect on a consumer’s ability to communicate more often. That’s especially true for social media and using phones for work, which are currently the top two use cases among consumers in India. Meanwhile, other consumer behaviours such as online shopping, mobile money, and watching esports aren’t impacted as much by high network speeds. Indeed, just over half of the respondents said they would use these services the same amount of time despite network upgrades. 

Consumers want faster speeds

42% of respondents believe that faster speeds would most improve service currently being provided to them. The good news is that the operators’ spectrum holdings in the C-band will help them do just that. Both Airtel and Jio splurged on C-band spectrum at auction, acquiring spectrum in all of the 22 telecom circles, while Vodafone acquired spectrum only in its priority circles. Having access to contiguous spectrum helps to achieve faster, lower latency, and greener 5G services. In addition to faster speeds, 24% of respondents desire a more reliable connection, while 21% want better indoor coverage. However, only one in 10 respondents pointed to better outdoor coverage as a factor that would be most beneficial. 

Which of the following do yuou believe would most improve the service provided to you by your mobile provider? - consumer survey 2022 results

Delay to India’s 5G auction did come with some benefits

Namely, the decrease of the cost of 5G hardware as the technology and vendor ecosystem continues to mature. Following the spectrum auction, Bharti Airtel has already contracted Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung to deploy 5G services in August 2022. Indian operators’ move to embrace Open RAN will drive network costs even lower. Another key factor is the 5G device ecosystem, with 5G smartphone prices falling since the technology launched. We’re already seeing a growing number of tests taken with Speedtest® that are running on 5G-capable devices in the market. According to our Consumer Survey, almost half of respondents have a 5G-ready handset. This offers operators an existing customer base that they can target from day one.

Indian telcos are set for a disruptive year ahead once 5G launches

Consumers are keen to upgrade, with 89% of respondents intending to upgrade to 5G and only 2% stating that they don’t intend to upgrade to 5G at all. It’s worth noting that almost half of the respondents (48%) plan to upgrade to 5G as soon as it is available in their area and would consider switching providers if necessary. Twenty percent will do so as soon as their current provider offers 5G, 14% when they have a 5G-capable phone, and 7% plan to wait for their current contract to end. Those that aren’t sure about the new technology will likely wait to see how attractive it is once other people start using it. Indian operators are already voicing their plans regarding network rollout, with Jio targeting a pan-Indian rollout coinciding with the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” Independence Day while Airtel plans to start 5G services in key cities across the country. 

Cost, lack of education, and 5G phones are the main hurdles

As with any new technology, there will be a number of challenges that must be addressed, including affordability, coverage, and consumer education. Our survey results also informed us that the key reason for not upgrading to 5G is the perceived cost of the 5G tariff. Just over a quarter of those who don’t plan to upgrade said that they think the 5G tariff cost would be too expensive. Beyond tariffs, 24% of those that don’t plan to upgrade to 5G stated lack of 5G knowledge as an issue, while 23% don’t have a 5G-capable phone. Only 1.4% of the overall respondents are satisfied with the existing network performance and would not upgrade to 5G. 

We will continue to share more insights and takeaways from our latest study, including our analysis on 5G perception broken down by age, location, and operator. Subscribe to Ookla Research™ to be the first to read our analyses.

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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About the author

Sylwia Kechiche

Sylwia Kechiche, formerly Principal Industry Analyst, Enterprise at Ookla. Previously Principal Analyst, IoT and Enterprise at GSMA Intelligence, where she was responsible for the development of IoT & Enterprise product, including market sizing, custom consulting, survey work and report writing.

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| June 1, 2022

Capitalizing on C-band — United States Q1 2022 Results Show Room for Improvement

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Key messages

  • T-Mobile maintains a sizable lead on 5G performance. Median 5G performance for Verizon reached 107.25 Mbps in Q1 2022, fuelled by its C-band deployment, but T-Mobile maintains the upper hand in the performance stakes, recording 191.12 Mbps.
  • Verizon looking to capitalize on C-band advantage. While still early days for C-band in the US, Verizon will hope that its improved 5G performance will feed through into growth in postpaid net phone additions, following a decline in Q1 2022.
  • AT&T continues to surpass expectations. AT&T’s postpaid net phone additions have exceeded expectations, driven by stronger 4G/LTE performance relative to Verizon, coupled with wider 5G coverage and aggressive postpaid pricing.
  • Rising costs could well shift the competitive dynamic in Verizon’s favor. While the release of further C-band spectrum will shift this dynamic, that won’t happen until the end of 2023. In the meantime rising inflation will play a larger role, forcing operators to either consider raising prices or absorb additional costs. AT&T has already signaled that it favors the former. Verizon could well be a beneficiary.

AT&T & T-Mobile outperform Verizon

Postpaid net phone additions, a key barometer of the health of the wireless industry in the United States, has shown strong growth since Q3 2020, following the outbreak of COVID-19. The latest Q1 2022 reporting from the big three US operators, showed a return to negative growth for Verizon (a decline it has now replicated annually over the last three years), but also showed continued strong gains for both T-Mobile and AT&T. 

While we’d expect T-Mobile to perform strongly given its leading position in the market based on 5G performance, AT&T and Verizon’s relative performance is surprising. On the one hand, AT&T has outperformed even T-Mobile since Q2 2021, despite lagging both T-Mobile and Verizon on 5G performance according to Speedtest Intelligence®. More concerning is Verizon’s decline in postpaid net phone additions, despite it deploying C-band spectrum in Q1 2022 and seeing an uplift in speeds as a result. Since its deployment in the C-band, Verizon’s 5G speeds have set it apart from AT&T, but it continues to lag behind market leader T-Mobile.

The factors driving AT&T’s strong postpaid customer acquisition

Network performance isn’t the only factor driving postpaid net phone additions. A March 2021 YouGov survey listed cost as the main driver of churn for U.S. consumers, followed by network quality and services. AT&T’s strong performance, particularly relative to Verizon, reflects a number of factors:

  • Strong 4G/LTE performance. During Q1 2022, AT&T recorded a median speed of 34.57 Mbps over 4G/LTE, versus 26.33 Mbps for Verizon. 
  • Greater 5G Availability. 50.6% of AT&T customers with a 5G capable device spent a majority of their time on 5G networks during Q1 2022, versus only 28.9% of Verizon customers. And when they’re not on its faster 5G network, Verizon customers fall back on its slower 4G/LTE network. 
  • Aggressive pricing. In a bid to drive customer acquisition, AT&T has been aggressive on pricing, looking to attract new and existing customers to 5G phones and its unlimited plans. This has had a knock-on impact on its financial results, with postpaid ARPU down marginally over the last two years, from $50.63 in Q1 2020, to $48.88 in Q1 2022. In addition, the EBITDA margin for its mobility division fell from 45.6% to 39.4% over the same 2-year period.
  • C-band delay and controversy. With Verizon targeting a big competitive push alongside its deployment in the C-band, the concerns raised by the FAA relating to interference at U.S. airports and the subsequent delay in launch, will have had a knock-on impact on its ability to attract new customers in Q1.

Economic pressure could play into Verizon’s hands

As economic headwinds build in the US, with inflation surging to a 40-year high, we expect the dynamics of the U.S. wireless market to shift. AT&T CEO John Stankey pointed to rising wages adding approximately $1 billion to the company’s costs in 2022 during its Q1 2022 earnings call. Set against a backdrop of an already declining wireless EBITDA margin, rather than absorb the cost, Stankey raised the prospect of increasing prices. Shortly afterwards, AT&T announced that it would raise prices for older mobile service plans (the first such rise in three years) and at the same time attempt to transition these users onto newer plans. Verizon has since followed suit, raising the administrative fee it charges on postpaid voice accounts.

At the same time, competition is increasing. Having just launched 5G service in Las Vegas, Dish, which has been beset by problems with its network rollout, is set to ramp up 5G coverage. More targeted competition currently comes from some of the US regional carriers, for example US Cellular, which has built up its mid-band spectrum holdings (including C-band), and is currently targeting a balance between customer acquisition and ARPU growth. These changes could well begin to shift the dynamic in terms of postpaid net phone additions between AT&T and Verizon and other regional carriers, if they can continue to broaden the coverage of their 5G networks and build on their C-band fuelled speed advantage.

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About the author

Mark Giles

Mark Giles heads up Ookla Research™, leading a team of expert analysts in transforming the world's largest repository of network performance data into authoritative insights. Mark is passionate about using data to illuminate the state of global connectivity, in order to advocate for a better, more accessible internet for all.

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