Bahrain
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.
Bahrain
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
Zain emerges as the Most Awarded Network, strengthening its lead across all categories
Zain has reinforced its leadership in Bahrain's mobile experience landscape, emerging as the dominant performer in Opensignal's Mobile Network Experience November 2025 report. The operator now wins or shares the award across 10 categories, up from six in May 2025. Since the previous report, Zain has secured sole leadership in three metrics: Overall Games Experience, Voice App Experience, and Upload Speed Experience, demonstrating its commitment to improving experience. This rise comes as Batelco's wins declined from nine to five over the same period. The operator lost ground to stc in Overall Download Speed and 5G Download Speed, and to Zain in Overall Games Experience and 5G Games Experience.
Zain shares the 5G Experience Category award with Batelco, replacing stc
Zain has emerged as Batelco's new joint winner across several 5G Experience categories, taking over the shared wins that previously belonged to stc. In the November 2025 report, Batelco and Zain now jointly win the 5G Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, and 5G Voice App Experience awards, reflecting Zain's improving strength in 5G performance.
stc becomes the fastest mobile network in Bahrain
stc has achieved a major milestone by winning the Overall Download Speed and 5G Download Speed outright for the first time, taking these accolades from Batelco. The operator's Overall Download Speed increased by 8 Mbps, reaching 85 Mbps, giving it a five-point lead over Batelco's 80.1 Mbps. In the 5G Download Speed category, stc leads with 303.1 Mbps, ahead of Batelco's 279.8 Mbps. Additionally, stc now shares the 5G Coverage Experience award with Batelco, further strengthening its position in Bahrain's mobile performance landscape.
Zain dominates Consistent Quality; stc retains Reliability leadership
stc remains the sole winner of the Reliability Experience award for the third consecutive report, maintaining its strong performance in network dependability. The operator leads with a score of 904 on a 100–1000 point scale, ahead of Batelco's 885 and Zain's 884. Meanwhile, Zain maintains its leadership in Consistent Quality for the third consecutive report, winning outright with a score of 77.6%, a six-point lead over Batelco's 71.4% and stc's 71.0%. Zain continues to demonstrate strong and sustained network performance.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In the November 2025 report, Zain overtakes Batelco to claim the top spot as Bahrain's most awarded operator, winning either outright or jointly across multiple categories. Zain expands its dominance across Overall Experience categories, securing outright wins in Games Experience, Voice App Experience, Upload Speed Experience, and Consistent Quality, while also sharing three 5G Experience awards with Batelco. This strong performance reflects Zain's continued network improvements and growing competitiveness in 5G performance. stc, meanwhile, earns several awards, maintaining its leadership in Reliability Experience and Download Speed Experience, as well as sharing top honors in Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience with Batelco.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in Bahrain — Batelco, stc and Zain — over a period of 90 days starting on July 1, 2025, and ending on September 28, 2025, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
While stc was the sole winner of the Video Experience award in the previous report, now it shares the top spot with Zain, as both achieved statistically tied scores of 68.8–70 points, maintaining a one-point lead over Batelco's 67.9.
Batelco's, Zain's and stc's scores haven't changed a significant amount since the previous report.
Zain and stc place in the Very Good (68-78) category, while Batelco places one category lower, in Good (58-68).
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. 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
In the previous report, Batelco and Zain jointly won the Games Experience award. In this report, Zain takes the lead, winning the award outright with a score of 81.6 points on a 100-point scale, two points ahead of Batelco's 79.3, while stc ranks third with 77.1 points.
Compared with the previous report, Batelco's score fell by four points, while stc and Zain each saw a two-point decline.
All operators place in the Good (75-85) category.
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
Zain leads in Voice App Experience, holding onto the award it won previously with a score of 81.6 points, one point ahead of Batelco's 80.8, while stc comes third with 79.9 points.
Since the previous report, Batelco's score has dropped by two points, while both stc and Zain recorded decreases of one point each.
Batelco and Zain place in the Good (80-87) category, while stc places one category lower, in Acceptable (74-80).
A Good (80-87) rating means that many users are satisfied. Minor quality impairments are experienced by some users. Sometimes the background is not quite clear, it could be either hazy or not loud enough. Clicking sounds or distortion are very rarely present. An Acceptable (74-80) rating means that some users are satisfied. Perceptible call quality impairments are experienced by some users. Clicking sounds of short duration or distortion are heard, and/or the volume may not be sufficiently loud. Listeners are generally able to comprehend without repetition.
Definitions
Opensignal's Voice App Experience measures the quality of experience for over-the-top (OTT) voice services — mobile voice apps such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — using a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
In addition to Voice App Experience, we report on the following metrics related to voice app experience:
- 5G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users when they were connected to an operator’s 5G network.
- Voice App Experience – 5G Users: The average Voice App 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 voice app experience along with the availability of each technology.
- 4G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 4G network.
- 3G Voice App Experience: The average Voice App Experience of Opensignal users on an operator's 3G (e.g. UMTS/HSPA or CDMA 1X EV-DO) network.
National Analysis
In the previous report, Batelco won the Download Speed Experience award. In this report, stc takes the lead, winning the award outright with a score of 85Mbps, 5Mbps ahead of Batelco's 80.1Mbps, while Zain ranks third with 65.9Mbps.
Both stc and Zain have improved their average download speeds by 8Mbps, whereas Batelco's score declined by 6Mbps.
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
Zain wins the Upload Speed Experience award outright with a score of 17.2Mbps and a lead of 3Mbps over second-placed Batelco's 14.4Mbps. stc comes third with a score of 12.3Mbps.
Zain's score has increased by 1Mbps, while Batelco and stc's scores have remained largely unchanged since the previous report.
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
All of the operators share the 5G Video Experience award with statistically tied scores of 74.6-75.6 points on a 100-point scale.
Zain's score has increased by two points. Batelco's and stc's scores haven't changed a significant amount since the previous report.
All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category.
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
Zain wins the 5G Games Experience award outright with a score of 86.3 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of three points over second-placed Batelco's 83.7 points. stc comes third with a score of 81.1 points.
Batelco saw a four-point decline, while Zain and stc's scores remained relatively unchanged compared with the previous report.
Zain places in the Excellent (85 or above) category, while Batelco and stc 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
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
Batelco and Zain win the 5G Voice App Experience award jointly with statistically tied scores of 81.7-82.4 points on a 100-point scale and a lead of around one point over third-placed stc's 81 points.
Batelco's score fell by two points and stc's by one point, while Zain's score showed no significant change.
All operators place in the Good (80-87) category.
A Good (80-87) rating means that many users are satisfied. Minor quality impairments are experienced by some users. Sometimes the background is not quite clear, it could be either hazy or not loud enough. Clicking sounds or distortion are very rarely present.
Definitions
5G Voice App Experience quantifies the experience of Opensignal users when using over-the-top voice apps — such as WhatsApp, Skype and Facebook Messenger — on an operator’s 5G network. It uses a model derived from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) approach for quantifying overall voice call quality and a series of calibrated technical parameters. This model characterizes the exact relationship between the technical measurements and perceived call quality. 5G Voice App Experience for each operator is calculated on a scale from 0 to 100.
National Analysis
stc wins the 5G Download Speed award outright with a score of 303.1Mbps and a lead of 23Mbps over second-placed Batelco's 279.8Mbps. Zain comes third with a score of 245.8Mbps.
Batelco's score has decreased by 39Mbps. Zain's and stc's scores haven't changed a significant amount since 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
In the previous report, the award was won by Batelco. Now, Batelco and Zain win the 5G Upload Speed award jointly with statistically tied scores of 27.5-29.2Mbps and a lead of around 2Mbps over third-placed stc's 26.1Mbps.
Zain recorded a 4Mbps improvement, while Batelco's score declined by the same margin, and stc's score hasn't changed a significant amount since the previous report.
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
Zain retains the Coverage Experience award outright with a score of 9.1 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of one point over second-placed Batelco's and stc's identical scores of 8.6 points.
Batelco's, Zain's and stc's scores haven't changed a significant amount since the previous report.
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.
National Analysis
Batelco and stc win the 5G Coverage Experience award jointly with statistically tied scores of 7.3-7.5 points on a 10-point scale and a lead of around less than one point over third-placed Zain's 7.1 points.
Compared with the previous report, Zain's score rose by one point and stc's improved slightly by less than one point, and Batelco's score showed no significant change.
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
Batelco retains the award, winning outright again with a score of 99.1%, one percentage point ahead of Zain and stc, which are statistically tied with scores between 98.3% and 98.5%.
Batelco's, Zain's and stc's scores haven't changed a significant amount since 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.
Availability shows the proportion of time all Opensignal users on an operator’s network had either a 3G, 4G or 5G connection.
Consistency
National Analysis
Zain wins the Consistent Quality award outright with a score of 77.6% and a lead of six percentage points over second-placed Batelco's 71.4%. stc comes third with a score of 71%.
Batelco's and stc's scores have each decreased by four percentage points, while Zain's score has fallen by one percentage point since the previous report.
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
stc wins the Reliability Experience award outright with a score of 904 points on a 100-1000 point scale and a lead of around 19 points over second-placed Batelco's and Zain's statistically tied scores of 884-885 points.
stc's score has decreased by nine points. Batelco's and Zain's scores haven't changed a significant amount since the previous report.
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:
% time connected — 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