New major survey names Sweden's best mobile network

The results from Opensignal's measurements have varied in recent years. In 2022, for example, we wrote that "Tre's mobile network is the best in Sweden" and "Tele2 has the best 5G network but Tre has the best 5G coverage". In 2023, we wrote that "Telia has by far the best mobile network". All this with reference to Opensignal's ongoing measurements. One explanation for the drastic changes is partly that Opensignal rewards mobile networks and operators in a variety of rating categories, so it is almost guaranteed that everyone wins in some aspect. Additionally, there are often small margins between the winner and the others, so the operators share the first place. That said, the variations between different measurement periods are sometimes so large that it raises questions.

Telenor fastest

In the new measurement now presented, the most important categories show that Telia has the best overall coverage and Telenor the fastest download, both when we look at the networks from 2G via 3G, 4G to 5G. Telenor's download speed in the 5G network specifically is according to the measurements over 400 Mbits while none of the other operators exceed 300 Mbps. That there would be such a difference despite Telenor and significantly poorer performing Tele2 sharing a network is hard to explain. Opensignal says that all operators except Telenor show lower speeds in this measurement compared to previous measurements.

This is how the measurement method works

Opensignal conducts its analyses by collecting data from real users and analysis tools in commonly used apps report actual performance to Opensignal, which compiles it. Through the data collected, Opensignal assesses the quality for video streaming, gaming, voice and video calls, download speeds, and the speed for uploading files. The test does not show or assess coverage in terms of geographic area, but has a limited form of evaluation of area coverage where Opensignal indicates how much of the time their users have coverage, which is measured where the customers actually are.

Since the test method measures the speed of actual users, this can also affect the results because different users use different phones, may have different subscription types, and thus access different data speeds even if they are in the same place at the same time.

Clear difference in 5G

Looking specifically at 5G, clear differences are visible between the operators. When it comes to 5G coverage, Telia wins with Telenor and Tele2 shortly after, and Tre far behind. Even 5G availability, which Opensignal defines as "the time a user with a 5G subscription and a 5G phone has access to an active 5G connection," shows that Tre is significantly behind other operators. Coverage in Opensignal's reports does not show geographically covered areas but rather whether the operator's customers have coverage where they are located.