AUK 5G offers more consistent video experience than 4G
As 5G networks roll out across the country, a study from specialist network analyst Opensignal has found that games and video users’ experience over 5G is more consistent and drops less at busy hours of the day than when using 4G infrastructures.
OpenSignal 3July2023
The standout finding in the study was that across the day, UK mobile always have a superior experience on 5G than on 4G on all three measures of experience: average download speeds, streaming mobile video and playing multiplayer mobile games.
Opensignal analysed users’ experience in terms of the drop in their scores for average download speeds, video experience and games experience, expressed as the percentage decline from the time of day when users observe the best experience – in all cases the three-hour period from 3 to 6 am.
Users’ 5G download speeds were found to be on average 3.9-4.3 times faster than 4G across the three-hour periods of day Opensignal analysed. 5G Games and Video Experience drops by much less than the 4G experience in the afternoon and evening when networks tend to be busy. 5G video experience drops by around 6% in the afternoon and evening on average, against the daily peak, compared with a fall of a around 13% for 4G. Similarly, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. 5G Games Experience drops by around 10% from its early morning peak, while a larger drop of approximately 16% is seen for 4G.
5G video experience was around 9.8 points higher than 4G between noon and 9 pm, up from about 61.9 to around 71.7 points on a 100-point scale. The 4G video experience only rates as very good (68-78) at night between midnight and 6 am, while using 5G it is very good throughout the day as well. A very good rating means that our users are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling.
