The OpenSignal Mobile Network Experience Report for September 2020 offers some interesting pointers to the Indian market in terms of mobile internet usage among Indians. And the most prominent finding is that Airtel remains the ‘network to beat’, leading its competitors on four key metrics out of seven. These include Video Experience, Games Experience, Download Speed Experience, and Voice App Experience.
London-based OpenSignal is an independent global standard for understanding the true measure of the world’s mobile networks based on real user experience. It not only measures basic upload and download speeds provided by telecom providers but also compares them against a range of metrics, focusing on overall user experience.
The results of the September 2020 report for India were based on data collected over a period of 90 days, which commenced on May 1, 2020. Here are the details from the report.
Video Experience
Airtel was the only mobile operator in India to register a place in the Good Video Experience (55-65) category, with a score of 57.6 out of 100. The telecom operator maintained a considerable lead of 3.4 points (6.3%) over its competitor in second place.
It also managed to dominate in the regional Video Experience categories, winning the Good Video Experience in 31 cities and registered a superior – Very Good – Video Experience in 7 cities.
Gaming Experience
OpenSignal’s first-ever Games Experience award measured users’ experience while playing popular real-time multiplayer games. The measure is especially relevant in recent times, as many mobile uses have turned to playing online games while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysing parameters such as latency, jitter and packet loss, Airtel managed to grab the lead with a score of 55.6 out of a possible 100 and take the top spot in this category.
Voice App Experience
In a category that measures the quality of a call made on various OTT voice services, including WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger, among others,Airtel came out on top for the second time in a row. Scoring 75.5 out of 100, the operator took the Voice App Experience award and maintaining its lead of 1.1 points (1.4%). This indicated that, in general, Airtel users were happy with thecall quality experience provided by the network.
Download Speed Experience
Airtel retained the top spot in the Download Speed Experience category for the sixth consecutive report with a score of 10.4 Mbps. However, its lead has narrowed by 0.3 Mbps over its second-placed competitor.
The findings from OpenSignal show that Airtel remains the best network for those seeking quality mobile connectivity, something that has been reflected in the network operator’s strategy in recent months.