Kuwait
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.
Kuwait
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 wins Best Network Award
Zain has successfully maintained its Best Network Award from the previous report, reaffirming its leadership in network performance. The carrier secured a total of nine awards, more than any other operator, including five outright wins and four shared awards. Zain continues to outperform its competitors in the areas that matter most, earning sole victories in both Coverage and Consistent Quality. It also shares the Reliability award with stc, underscoring its well-rounded network excellence.
Ooredoo continues to shine in Overall Experience Awards
In the previous report, Ooredoo secured awards across all Overall Experience metrics, and in this report, it continues to hold its position in all four categories. The operator shares three wins in Video Experience, Download Speed Experience, and Upload Speed Experience, while securing the Games Experience award outright with a score of 79.1 points on a 100-point scale.
stc strengthens its position with more shared wins
stc now shares five awards, up from just two in the previous report, marking a notable improvement. The operator shares the Video Experience and Time on Network awards with both Ooredoo and Zain, Upload Speed Experience and 5G Upload Speed Experience with Ooredoo, and the Network Reliability award with Zain.
Zain leads in Coverage and Consistent Quality
Zain secures sole wins in both Coverage and 5G Coverage Experience. It leads the Coverage Experience metric with a score of 8.1 out of 10, and 5G Coverage with 4.5 out of 10. Zain also tops the Consistent Quality award with a score of 71.2 out of 100.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
Zain claims the Best Network award after securing nine wins in this report. The operator earns five outright awards, in Consistent Quality, Coverage Experience, 5G Coverage Experience, 5G Video Experience, and 5G Download Speed Experience, highlighting its leadership across both availability and performance. Zain also shares four awards, spanning Video Experience, Download Speed Experience, Time on Network, and Reliability Experience. Ooredoo follows with seven awards, including two sole wins and five shared awards, while stc earns five joint wins in the latest report.
The Kuwait market is experiencing strong growth, driven by the rapid adoption of 5G-SA technology and significant operator investment. Rakuten Symphony and Zain have announced a partnership under which Zain will deploy Rakuten Symphony’s Open RAN and cloud portfolio to deliver 5G Standalone sites, marking Kuwait’s first Open RAN deployment. This represents the first step in a wider commercial rollout of Open RAN across Kuwait and the Zain Group. Rakuten Symphony will provide its virtualised Distributed Unit and Centralised Unit software, cloud-native virtualised solutions, and system integration, while Zain will supply the required cell sites, data centre infrastructure, 5G Standalone core, and related transport connectivity. The partnership aims to unlock new levels of network agility, efficiency and scalability.
As competition intensifies, the race to integrate AI capabilities is accelerating. Ooredoo recently announced the launch of the country’s first AI‑enabled data center, through a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA, aimed at building an AI‑enhanced national network. This initiative is set to support the growth of Kuwait’s AI economy, empower both the public and private sectors, and strengthen the country’s position as a regional leader in the AI revolution.
Another sign of the market’s evolution is stc’s recent partnership with Taly, a regional “shop now, pay later” service provider. This collaboration introduces flexible payment options for stc customers, enhancing the overall customer experience and reinforcing the operator’s commitment to customer-centric solutions. By working with fintech providers like Taly, stc strengthens its position as a provider of value-added digital services, driving the adoption of innovative digital solutions and prioritizing flexibility and convenience for its users.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in Kuwait — Ooredoo, stc and Zain — over a period of 90 days starting on October 1, 2025, and ending on December 29, 2025, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
In the previous report, Zain and Ooredoo jointly won the Video Experience award; in this report all operators share the award, with statistically tied scores ranging from 70.1 to 70.7 points on a 100-point scale. Since the last report, stc’s and Ooredoo’s scores have each increased by two points, while Zain’s score hasn’t changed significantly. All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category, meaning that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p 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, Ooredoo and stc shared the Games Experience award; in this report, Ooredoo wins outright with a score of 79.1 points on a 100-point scale, leading second-placed stc (77.8 points) by one point, while Zain ranks third with 77 points. Since the last report, Zain’s score has increased by five points, Ooredoo’s by three points, and stc’s by two points. All operators fall within the Good (75-85) category, meaning most users experience generally controllable gameplay and immediate feedback, with little to no noticeable delay.
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
Previously, Ooredoo won the Download Speed Experience award, in this report, Ooredoo shares the award with Zain, with statistically tied scores of 106.5-108.9Mbps, leading third-placed stc (91.4Mbps) by around 16Mbps. Since the last report, stc’s score has increased by 8Mbps, Zain’s by 6Mbps, and Ooredoo’s by 4Mbps.
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
In the previous report, Ooredoo won the Upload Speed Experience award; in this report, Ooredoo and stc share the award with statistically tied scores of 16.8-16.9Mbps, leading third-placed Zain (16.1Mbps) by around 1Mbps. Since the last report, stc’s score has increased by 2Mbps, while Zain’s and Ooredoo’s scores have each risen by 1Mbps.
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
Zain retains the 5G Video Experience award, winning outright with a score of 77.2 points on a 100-point scale. It leads second-placed Ooredoo and stc—whose scores are statistically tied at 75.6-76.2 points—by around one point. All operators place in the Very Good (68-78) category, indicating strong 1080p+ streaming performance with minimal stalling. Scores reflect adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) for realistic user experience representation.
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
Ooredoo wins the 5G Games Experience award outright with a score of 85 points on a 100-point scale, ahead of Zain (83.6 points) and stc (82 points). Ooredoo enters the Excellent (85 or above) category, while Zain and stc remain in the Good (75-85) range. An Excellent rating reflects a near-flawless real-time gaming experience with immediate feedback and no noticeable delay.
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
Zain retains the 5G Download Speed award with an outright win, recording a speed of 328.8Mbps. It leads Ooredoo (261Mbps) by 68Mbps, while stc follows with 205.3Mbps. Zain’s speed has increased by 12Mbps since the previous report, while the others show no significant change.
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
Ooredoo and stc share the 5G Upload Speed award with statistically tied scores of 28.5-28.9Mbps. Zain trails with 26.2Mbps. Since the last report, Zain’s score has risen by 4Mbps, and both stc and Ooredoo have increased by 3Mbps.
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 wins the Coverage Experience award outright with a score of 8.1 out of 10. It leads Ooredoo (6.7) and stc (6.2) by notable margins. Scores have remained largely unchanged 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
Zain also retains the 5G Coverage Experience award outright, with a score of 4.5 out of 10. It edges ahead of Ooredoo (4.4) and stc (4.0). All operators have shown minimal score changes 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.
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
All operators share the Time on Network award, with statistically tied scores of 98-98.3%. Prior to Q4 2025, this metric was referred to as Availability in Opensignal reports.
Definitions
Our time on network and availability metrics are not measures 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 time on network 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 time on network and availability metrics take a user-centric, time-based approach that complements the user-centric and geographical-based methodology used by our reach metrics.
Time on Network 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 retains the Consistent Quality award with a score of 71.2%, leading stc (60.5%) by 11 percentage points and Ooredoo (38.2%) by a wider margin. All operators improved: stc by seven points, Zain by five, and Ooredoo by four. This metric evaluates real-world capability to support demanding apps by analyzing factors such as 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
Zain and stc share the Reliability Experience award with statistically tied scores of 872-874 points on a 1000-point scale. Ooredoo trails significantly at 627 points. stc improved by 40 points since the previous report, while Zain and Ooredoo saw no notable changes. This metric assesses connection stability and task completion performance.
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