Rogers’ wireless network showed overall strong performance in video as well as consistency of user experience, according to new analysis from Opensignal, while Canadian competitor Telus and Bell had top rankings in download speeds.
Those conclusions pertained to the carriers’ non-5G networks. In terms of 5G, Rogers also had a relatively strong showing—but Canadian users don’t spend much time on 5G networks. Opensignal found that Rogers offered its users the most time spent on 5G networks at 12.1% of the time, with Bell and Telus in a statistical dead-heat at 11% and 11.1%, respectively.
However, Opensignal also noted that it observed “significant improvements” across all three Canadian operators’ 5G networks since its previous analysis. Bell users saw the fastest5G download speeds, at an average of 173.8 Mbps; Rogers 5G users clocked 154.7 Mbps and Telus’ 5G users had an average of 147.8 Mbps download speeds.
Data for the most recent analysis was collected between April 1 and June 29 of this year. Opensignal noted that with the telecom market in Canada is shifting, what with the merger of Rogers and Shaw finally being completed in April 2023.
Other key findings from the most recent round of testing from Opensignal included:
-Telus provided the best quality of experience for users relying on over-the-top voice apps.
-Bell was the previous outright winner in terms of download speeds. But its network hasn’t gotten faster in recent testing, Opensignal said, while Rogers and Telus have boosted their download speeds by about 3.5%. That means Telus is now in a tie with Bell, with speeds in the low-to-mid-70-Mbps range. Rogers lags behind on download speeds, with an average of 60.9 Mbps.
-Opensignal changed up how it reports consistency of experience, with Rogers coming in as the first Canadian winner of what Opensignal is now calling the “Consistent Quality” award. Rogers scored 76.4% for an outright win, but Bell was close behind at 75.8% and Telus came in at 73.2%. Those scores, Opensignal explained, “reflect the percentage of tests in which users’ experience on a network is sufficient to support the requirements of more common demanding applications, such as video calling, uploading an image to social media, or using smart home applications.”
-Upload speeds from the carriers fall into the 10-11 Mbps range, with Rogers edging out a win with an average upload speed of 11.6 Mbps.
-Opensignal didn’t find statistically significant differences in user experience when it comes to mobile gaming across the three national carrier networks.
More details on the Canadian mobile network analysis available here.
