Singapore
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Singapore
Opensignal is the independent global standard for analyzing consumers' connectivity experiences. Our industry reports are the definitive guide to understanding what happens when people use their mobile and broadband connections in their daily life.
Key Findings
StarHub has the most consistent experience in Singapore
StarHub continues to be the outright winner of the Consistent Quality award, winning this time with a score of 83.8% and a slightly smaller lead of two percentage points than it enjoyed in the last report over second-placed Singtel. In addition, StarHub and Singtel share Opensignal’s new Reliability Experience award with statistically-tied scores of 898-902 points on a 100-1000 point scale.
Singtel still dominates the 5G experience
Singtel continues to win all the 5G awards — either outright or jointly — with the exception of 5G Availability, which is now won outright by M1. As this includes both the 5G Download Speed and 5G Upload Speed awards, our Singtel users continue to see the fastest average download and upload speeds in Singapore when connected to 5G. Singtel wins 5G Download Speed with a lead of 12Mbps over second-placed M1, while for 5G Upload Speed Singtel beats M1 and StarHub — which share second-place due to a statistical tie — by around 4Mbps.
StarHub users have the best overall experience when streaming video and playing multiplayer mobile games over cellular connections
StarHub is the outright winner of the Video Experience, Live Video Experience and Games Experience awards — as was the case in the previous report. Impressively, StarHub is the only Singaporean operator to place in the Excellent category for Games Experience. This means that the vast majority of our StarHub users deem their network experience while playing mobile multiplayer games to be acceptable. Nearly all of them feel like they have control over the game and they receive immediate feedback on their actions.
Singtel stays top for 5G Coverage Experience
Singtel retains the 5G Coverage Experience award from the previous report, winning with a score of 8.7 points on a 10-point scale, giving it a clear lead over its rivals, all of which score below eight points. 5G Coverage Experience measures 5G geographic coverage as observed by our users within populated areas.
M1 users spend the most time connected to 5G
M1 is the new outright winner of the 5G Availability award, due to an impressive 12 percentage point increase in its score from the previous report — when it shared the award with StarHub due to a statistical tie. M1 now wins with a lead of seven percentage points over second-placed StarHub. 5G Availability is an important measure of the mobile experience as users can only enjoy the improved experience that 5G provides when they have a 5G connection.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In a change from the last report, Singtel is now the most-awarded operator in Singapore, as this time around it wins nine awards — either outright or jointly — to StarHub’s seven. StarHub narrowly achieved this distinction in the previous report, beating Singtel by a single joint victory.
Singtel’s success is concentrated in the 5G experience category, as it wins three awards there outright (5G Games Experience, 5G Download Speed and 5G Upload Speed), while sharing the 5G Video Experience and 5G Live Video Experience awards with M1. In addition, Singtel wins the 5G Coverage Experience award outright. StarHub on the other hand, continues to dominate our users’ overall experience, winning four out of five awards outright.
StarHub is now offering eSIM as an option — both to regular customers purchasing Star Plans and to tourists when they buy a local roaming line. eSIMs can be used to make switching operators a less complex and time-consuming process and have led to the creation of new players that focus on helping travelers reduce their roaming costs.
Singtel, together with Ericsson and Samsung, has implemented app-based network slicing on its live network, testing it on its CAST app during the live streaming of the recent Australian Open tennis tournament. The idea is that through this technology, network operations can be dynamically tailored to meet apps’ specific connectivity requirements, reducing the impact of congestion and the chance of a poor experience. Singtel sells a Event 5G Express Pass add-on package, which uses network slicing to provide users that purchase it with prioritized access when present at the event venue. The first event for which this service was available was the Coldplay series of concerts starting on January 23, 2024
.Looking ahead, Singapore’s operators will retire all 3G services at the end of July, this will enable them to refarm the spectrum for 4G and 5G use, reducing congestion and improving speeds. This will reduce the complexity of their operations and reduce their operating costs. Many other countries are in the process of shutting down their 3G networks — see our recent insight on Australia’s transition.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the four main mobile network operators in Singapore — M1, Singtel, StarHub and SIMBA — over a period of 90 days starting on February 01, 2024, and ending on April 30, 2024, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
As was the case in the previous report, StarHub is the sole winner of the overall on-demand Video Experience award. It commands a lead of three points over second-placed Singtel. M1 is in third place, with SIMBA placing last.
However, M1's score has increased by four points, while Singtel's and StarHub's scores haven't changed significantly from the previous report.
Singtel, M1 and StarHub place in the Very Good (68-78) category, while SIMBA places one category lower, in Good (58-68).
A Very Good (68-78) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream on-demand video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling. A Good (58-68) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 720p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Video Experience quantifies the quality of video streamed to mobile devices by measuring real-world video streams over an operator's networks. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate video experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the overall video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
In addition to Video Experience, we report on the following metrics related to video experience:
- 5G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Video Experience – 5G Users: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G video experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Video Experience: The average Video Experience of Opensignal users on an operator’s 3G network.
National Analysis
StarHub continues to be the outright winner of the Live Video Experience award. It wins this time around with a lead of three points over Singtel. M1 is in third place, while SIMBA comes last.
Singtel, M1 and StarHub place in the Excellent (58 or above) category, while SIMBA places one category lower, in Very Good (53-58).
An Excellent (58 or above) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset. A Very Good (53-58) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 720p or 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
Operators’ Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time, and stall rate, but also live playback offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
As was the case in the previous report, StarHub is the outright winner of the Games Experience award. It wins with a score of 85 points on a 100-point scale and a modest lead over second-placed Singtel. M1 comes third, while SIMBA is in last place.
StarHub places in the Excellent (85 or above) category, while Singtel, M1 and SIMBA place one category lower, in Good (75-85).
An Excellent (85 or above) rating means that the vast majority of users deem this network experience acceptable. Nearly all users feel like they have control over the game and they receive immediate feedback on their actions. There is not a noticeable delay in almost all cases. A Good (75-85) rating means that most users deem the experience acceptable. The gameplay experience is generally controllable and the user receives immediate feedback between their actions and the outcomes in the game. Most users do not experience a delay between their actions and the game.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator’s network. Measured on a scale of 0-100, it analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience is affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter.
Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world.
Calculating Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games. The score is then measured on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Games Experience, we report on the following metrics related to games experience:
- 5G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Games Experience – 5G Users: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator's networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G games experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Games Experience: The average Games Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
StarHub continues to win the Download Speed Experience award outright, doing so with a lead of 21Mbps over second-placed Singtel. M1 comes third, while SIMBA is in last place.
M1's score has increased by an impressive 24Mbps, while Singtel's and StarHub’s scores have increased by 14Mbps and 11Mbps, respectively.
Definitions
Measured in Mbps, Download Speed Experience represents the typical everyday speeds a user experiences across an operator’s mobile data networks.
In addition to Download Speed Experience, we report on the following metrics related to download speeds:
- 5G Download Speed: The average download speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Download Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average download speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G download speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Download Speed: The average downlink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
National Analysis
Singtel remains the outright winner of the Upload Speed Experience award. It wins this time around with a score of 16.7Mbps, while M1 and StarHub share second-place due to a statistical tie. SIMBA is in last place with 5Mbps.
Definitions
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
In addition to Upload Speed Experience, we report on five supporting metrics related to upload speeds:
- 5G Upload Speed: The average upload speed observed by Opensignal users with active 5G connections.
- Upload Speed Experience – 5G Users: The average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription across an operator’s networks. It factors in 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G upload speeds along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 4G.
- 3G Upload Speed: The average uplink speed observed by Opensignal users when they were connected to 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO).
5G Experience
National Analysis
The three-way statistical tie that existed in the previous report between Singtel, M1 and StarHub has narrowed, with StarHub dropping from the winners’ podium. Singtel and M1 now share the award with statistically tied scores of 78.3-78.5 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around one point over StarHub, which places in third.
Singtel and M1 place in the Excellent (78 or above) category, while StarHub and SIMBA place one category lower, in Very Good (68-78).
An Excellent (78 or above) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with fast loading times and no stalling. A Very Good (68-78) rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
5G Video Experience scores account for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR), a technology that allows Opensignal to accurately represent users' real video experience including video streams up to 4K quality.
Definitions
5G Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world video streams when they were connected to 5G. The metric is based on an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived video experience as reported by real people. To calculate 5G Video Experience, we are directly measuring video streams from end-user devices and using this ITU approach to quantify the video experience observed by our users on each operator’s 5G network on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions — including Full HD (FHD) and 4K / Ultra HD (UHD) — and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
National Analysis
M1 and Singtel are the joint winners of the 5G Live Video Experience award due to their statistically tied scores of 72.6-73.2 points on a 100-point scale. This is a change from the previous report, when Singtel shared the winners’ podium with StarHub. StarHub is now in third place — around two points behind the winners.
All four operators place in the Excellent (58 or above) category. This indicates that our users are, on average, able to stream video at least at 1080p with low loading times, little stalling and a satisfactory live offset.
Operators’ 5G Live Video Experience scores are determined using a range of measures that impact users’ perceived live streaming viewing experience, including picture quality, video loading time, and stall rate, but also live playback offset — the time difference between real-time and the current playback position a viewer sees.
Unlike 5G Video Experience, which represents on-demand video streams, 5G Live Video Experience quantifies live video streaming used for current events. For example when users watch live sports, game streams, music concerts, or news where the event is happening at that moment in time.
Definitions
Opensignal’s Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of real-time video streamed to mobile devices by measuring video streams over an operator's network. The metric extends the existing International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach used for Opensignal's on-demand Video Experience metric, built upon detailed studies which have derived a relationship between technical parameters, including live playback offset, picture quality, video loading time and stall rate, with the perceived live video experience as reported by real people. To calculate live video experience, we are directly measuring live video streams from end-user devices and using this extension of ITU's approach to quantify the overall live video experience for each operator on a scale from 0 to 100. The videos tested include a mixture of resolutions and are streamed directly from the world’s largest video content providers.
5G Live Video Experience quantifies the quality of mobile video experienced by Opensignal users on real-world live video streams when they were connected to 5G.
National Analysis
Singtel remains the outright winner of the 5G Games Experience award. It does so with a score of 93 points on a 100-point scale, while M1 and StarHub share second-place with their statistically tied scores of 91.8-91.9 points. SIMBA is in last place.
All operators place in the Excellent (85 or above) category. This means that the vast majority of users deem this network experience acceptable. Nearly all users feel like they have control over the game and they receive immediate feedback on their actions. There is not a noticeable delay in almost all cases.
Definitions
5G Games Experience measures how mobile users experience real-time multiplayer mobile gaming on an operator's 5G network. It analyzes how our users’ multiplayer mobile gaming experience was affected by mobile network conditions including latency, packet loss and jitter. 5G Games Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
5G Games Experience quantifies the experience when playing real-time multiplayer mobile games on mobile devices connected to servers located around the world. The approach is built on several years of research quantifying the relationship between technical network parameters and the gaming experience as reported by real mobile users. These parameters include latency (round trip time), jitter (variability of latency) and packet loss (the proportion of data packets that never reach their destination). Additionally, it considers multiple genres of multiplayer mobile games to measure the average sensitivity to network conditions. The games tested include some of the most popular real-time multiplayer mobile games (such as Fortnite, Pro Evolution Soccer and Arena of Valor) played around the world. Calculating 5G Games Experience starts with measuring the end-to-end experience from users’ devices to internet end-points that host real games.
National Analysis
As was the case in the previous report, Singtel is the outright winner of the 5G Download Speed award. It does so this time around with a lead of 12Mbps over second-placed M1. StarHub comes third, while SIMBA is far behind its rivals with a score of 41.1Mbps.
SIMBA's score has decreased by 6Mbps, while Singtel's, M1's and StarHub's scores haven't significantly changed from the previous report.
Definitions
5G Download Speed shows the average download speed experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Download Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
National Analysis
Singtel keeps a firm grip on the 5G Upload Speed award, winning it this time with a lead of around 4Mbps over M1 and StarHub, which share second-place due to a statistical tie. SIMBA comes fourth with 8.8Mbps.
Both M1's and StarHub’s scores have risen compared to the last report, increasing by 3Mbps and 2Mbps, respectively. Both Singtel’s and SIMBA’s scores have fallen.
Definitions
5G Upload Speed measures the average upload speeds experienced by Opensignal users across an operator’s 5G network. 5G Upload Speed for each operator is calculated in Mbps (Megabits per second).
Coverage
National Analysis
Singtel continues to win the 5G Coverage Experience award outright, doing so this time with a score of 8.7 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of around one point over M1 and StarHub, which share second-place due to their identical scores.
Definitions
The Opensignal Coverage Experience metric measures the extent of mobile networks in the places people live, work and travel. The metric represents the experience users receive as they travel around areas where they would reasonably expect to find coverage.
Traditional coverage metrics typically estimate either a percentage of land area covered, or a percentage of population covered; often neither will be an accurate measurement of the true user expectation and experience. In many markets there are areas where neither population density nor geographic area reflect the importance of coverage to users. For example, in a large mountain range most users will not expect coverage in the wilderness, but poor coverage in the relatively small area of a ski resort is critical for the enjoyment of a holiday. Estimates based purely on population give undue significance to coverage in the most densely populated areas.
Coverage Experience measures geographic coverage of populated areas and therefore more accurately reflects the coverage expectations and experience of typical users. It can give a result that is somewhat different to traditional estimates based on either geographic or population measures. The metric uses a scale from 0 to 10.
5G Coverage Experience shows the proportion of places Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
National Analysis
Singtel and StarHub are joint winners of the Availability award with statistically tied scores of 99.4-99.5%. This is a change from the previous report, when M1 was also on the winners’ podium. M1 and SIMBA share third place with their statistically tied scores of 99.2-99.3%.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
National Analysis
M1 is the new sole winner of the 5G Availability, breaking the statistical tie that existed between it and StarHub in the last report. M1 wins with a lead of seven percentage points over second-placed StarHub. Singtel comes third with a score of 31.1%, while SIMBA is in last place.
M1's score has increased by an impressive 12 percentage points, while StarHub's score has increased by five percentage points. Singtel's and SIMBA's scores haven't changed significantly from the previous report.
Definitions
Our availability metrics are not a measure of a network’s geographical extent. They won’t tell you whether you are likely to get a signal if you plan to visit a remote rural or nearly uninhabited region. Instead, they measure what proportion of time people have a network connection, in the places they most commonly frequent — something often missed by traditional coverage metrics. Looking at when users have a connection rather than where, provides us with a more precise reflection of the true user experience.
We also keep track of the instances that leave mobile users most frustrated: when there is no signal to connect to at all. The most common dead zones users struggle with occur indoors. As most of our availability data is collected indoors (as that’s where users spend most of their time), we’re particularly astute at detecting areas of zero signal.
Our availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Consistency
National Analysis
StarHub is once again the outright winner of the Consistent Quality award, this time with a score of 83.8% and a lead of two percentage points over second-placed Singtel — slightly down from the previous report. M1 is in third place, followed by SIMBA.
Impressively, M1's score has increased by five percentage points, while our Singtel and StarHub users observed more modest improvements.
This metric measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical demanding tasks on their devices. It assesses a number of experience indicators such as download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, packet loss, and time to first byte.
Definitions
Consistent Quality measures if the network is sufficient to support common mobile application requirements at a level that is ‘good enough’ for users to maintain (or complete) various typical tasks on their devices.
We combine different experience indicators such as download throughput, upload throughput, latency, jitter, packet discard, and time to first byte to calculate Consistent Quality. These components are evaluated against thresholds recommended by various more demanding common applications used for a range of common tasks.
To calculate the metric value, the proportion of tests that pass the requirements of Consistent Quality is multiplied by the test success ratio, which is the proportion of completed tests to all tests conducted. Tests that pass indicate that activities such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications will be possible without noticeable lag or slowdown.
National Analysis
Singtel and StarHub win Opensignal’s new Reliability Experience award jointly with statistically tied scores of 898-902 points on a 100-1000 point scale and a lead of around 11 points over M1 and SIMBA, which are statistically tied for third-place.
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on operators’ networks. It consists of the following components: Signal Availability — The proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully connect to a mobile network Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the network is available and the device can connect to the internet Task completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed Sufficiency — The probability that (basic) tasks will be executed sufficiently well for the user
Definitions
Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of Opensignal users to connect to and successfully complete (basic) tasks on communication service providers’ (CSP) networks. It analyzes how much Opensignal users’ experience is affected by the radio access and core network, along with issues that prevent them from connecting to the internet even if they have a connection to their CSP’s network. It also factors in users’ ability to successfully use lower performance applications including SD video, over-the-top voice calls and web browsing.
Related Analysis
Our Methodology
Collecting billions of individual measurements daily from over 100 million devices globally, Opensignal independently analyzes mobile and broadband user experience on every major network operator around the globe.
About Opensignal
Opensignal is the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier. Our proprietary insights into mobile and broadband networks give operators the solutions they need to profitably compete and win, from executive level scorecards and public validation to pin-point level engineering analytics and consumer decision dynamics.
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Confidence Intervals
For every metric we calculate statistical confidence intervals indicated on our graphs. When confidence intervals overlap, our measured results are too close to declare a winner. In those cases, we show a statistical draw. For this reason, some metrics have multiple operator winners.
In our bar graphs we represent confidence intervals as boundaries on either sides of graph bars.
In our supporting-metric charts we show confidence intervals as +/- numerical values.
Why confidence intervals are vital in analyzing mobile network experience