Taiwan
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.
Taiwan
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
Chunghwa’s speeds have accelerated, leaving its rivals in the dust
Chunghwa retains all four of its speed awards, while also substantially increasing its winning margins over its competitors compared to the previous report. Due to 20-30% increases in overall and 5G download and upload speeds, depending on the metric, Chunghwa’s 5G speeds are more than two-thirds faster than those seen on second-placed FarEasTone — and nearly 80% faster for Download Speed Experience.
Chunghwa achieves a clean sweep for 5G Experience awards
Chunghwa surpasses Taiwan Mobile for 5G Video Experience and breaks out of the statistical tie it was in with FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile for 5G Games Experience. As a result, Chunghwa wins all of the awards in the 5G Experience section outright. Chunghwa also wins all the awards in the Overall section, although it ties for Video Experience with Taiwan Mobile.
Taiwan Mobile seizes Consistent Quality from FarEasTone
Taiwan Mobile takes the Consistent Quality award away from FarEasTone and is now its sole winner, with a score of 83.1%.
Chunghwa wins both Coverage Experience awards for the third time in a row
Chunghwa confirms its leadership for both Coverage Experience and 5G Coverage Experience, as it wins them for the third consecutive time, with scores of 9.3 and seven points on a 10-point scale, respectively.
FarEasTone leads for 5G Availability
FarEasTone takes home its only outright win this time for 5G Availability, with a score of 29.3%. This means our 5G users on this network spend nearly 30% of their time with an active 5G connection. Our Taiwanese 5G users on all three remaining operators now spend more time connected to 5G than they did in the previous report — ranging from nearly four percentage points for FarEasTone to over eight percentage points for Chunghwa.
Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile are the first winners of the Reliability Experience award
Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile share the top spot with statistically tied scores of 907-908 points on a 100-1000-point scale. Opensignal’s Reliability Experience measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete basic tasks on operators’ networks.
Mobile Experience Awards
Market Overview
In Opensignal's latest Taiwan Mobile Network Experience report we introduce our new Reliability Experience, which measures the ability of our users to connect to and successfully complete basic tasks on operators’ networks.
FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile have both completed their mergers with rival mobile operators — GT (APT’s brand) and T Star respectively. As a result, Opensignal has removed both GT and T Star from our regular Mobile Network Experience reports in Taiwan and is now reporting on three national operators. We will be monitoring the effect of both mergers on the experience of our Taiwanese users. The new scores reflect these mergers. However, both GT and T Star were significantly smaller in terms of their subscriber bases than the operators which they have merged with, and the general immediate impact on FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile’s overall experience scores has been relatively slight.
Chunghwa dominates the awards table with 11 outright and three shared wins across the board, including all awards in the 5G Experience section, both overall speed awards and both Coverage Experience awards. Chunghwa snatches Games Experience and 5G Video Experience away from Taiwan Mobile, while also becoming the outright winner for 5G Games Experience after breaking out of the three-way statistical tie that was seen in the previous report.
Chunghwa’s competitors have much more modest award hauls — Taiwan Mobile is the sole winner for Consistent Quality and a joint winner for Video Experience, Availability, and Reliability Experience. FarEasTone takes the top spot for 5G Availability and shares the winners’ podium with both its rivals for Availability.
In this report we examine the mobile network experience of the three main mobile network operators in Taiwan — Chunghwa, FarEasTone, and Taiwan Mobile — over a period of 90 days starting on February 1, 2024, and ending on April 30, 2024, to see how they fared.
Overall Experience
National Analysis
Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile remain locked in a statistical tie for Video Experience with scores of 70.6-71.2 points on a 100-point scale and share the award once again.
Regardless of their choice of a mobile operator, our users in Taiwan enjoy Very Good (68-78) video services — they 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
Chunghwa snatches the Games Experience award away from Taiwan Mobile and wins it outright with a score of 81 points on a 100-point scale.
All Taiwanese operators rate as Good (75-85) category. This 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
Chunghwa is the sole winner of Voice App Experience with a score of 81.1 points on a 100-point scale, ahead of statistically tied FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile. They all place in the Good (80-87) category — many users are satisfied, but some experience minor quality impairments.
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
Our Taiwanese users continue to enjoy the fastest average overall download speeds on Chunghwa’s network. The operator wins the Download Speed Experience award outright with a score of 93.7Mbps — 78% faster than what our users on second-placed FarEastTone experience. An impressive boost in speeds of 23Mbps (32%) has contributed to Chunghwa extending its winning margin over the runner-up, while FarEasTone's score has changed very little.
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
Chunghwa successfully defends the Upload Speed Experience award with a score of 14.5Mbps and a winning margin of 4Mbps over FarEasTone. Chunghwa's score has soared by 22% since the previous report, while our FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile users haven’t seen major changes in their average overall upload speeds .
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
In the previous report, Taiwan Mobile was the outright winner for 5G Video Experience. This time, however, Chunghwa overtakes its rival and claims the award with a score of 77.9 points on a 100-point scale. It beats FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile, as both operators are statistically tied for second place.
Our users in Taiwan see Very Good (68-78) 5G video services across all analyzed operators. This means they are, on average, able to stream video at 1080p or better with satisfactory loading times and little stalling when connected to 5G.
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
Chungwa breaks out of a statistical tie it was in with FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile for 5G Games Experience and wins it outright this time with a score of 90.2 points on a 100-point scale.
All operators place in the Excellent (85 or above) category. This rating means that the vast majority of users deem their network experience acceptable when playing multiplayer mobile games over 5G connections. 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.
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
Similar to the overall Voice App Experience, Chunghwa triumphs for 5G Voice App Experience with a score of 84.2 points on a 100-point scale, ahead of statistically tied FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile. All Taiwan’s operators rate as Good (80-87) — many users are satisfied, but some experience minor quality impairments.
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
Chunghwa reigns supreme for 5G Download Speed, winning the award outright once again, with a stunning score of 341.9Mbps. Chunghwa has increased its lead over FarEasTone from 28% in the previous report to more than two-thirds faster this time around, as its score soared by around 60Mbps. Meanwhile, FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile users have seen declines in their 5G Download Speed scores.
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
Chunghwa keeps the 5G Upload Speed award in a firm grip, as it secures it outright with a score of 46.3Mbps. Similar to 5G Download Speed, it has widened its winning margin over second-placed FarEasTone due to an impressive boost of nearly 10Mbps. As a result, our users on Chunghwa’s network enjoy more than two-thirds faster speeds than their FarEasTone counterparts. Meanwhile, both FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile’s average 5G upload speeds have decreased 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
Chunghwa confirms its leadership for Coverage Experience and wins the award for the third time in a row, with a score of 9.3 points on a 10-point scale. It beats both FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile by one point each, as both these operators take second place with identical scores of 8.3 points.
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
Chunghwa claims the 5G Coverage Experience award outright for the third consecutive time, with a score of seven points on a 10-point scale.
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
Chunghwa jumps on the winners’ podium for Availability and shares the award with previous joint winners FarEasTone and Taiwan Mobile, with identical scores of 99.2%. These scores represent the proportion of time Opensignal users spend with a 5G, 4G, or 3G mobile signal.
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.
National Analysis
FarEasTone achieves its only outright win in the awards table for 5G Availability with a score of 29.3%. This means our 5G users on this network spend nearly 30% of their time with an active 5G connection.
All Taiwanese operators have observed increases in their 5G Availability scores — ranging from nearly four percentage points for FarEasTone to over eight percentage points for Chunghwa.
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.
5G Availability shows the proportion of time Opensignal users with a 5G device and a 5G subscription had an active 5G connection.
Consistency
National Analysis
Taiwan Mobile seizes Consistent Quality away from FarEasTone and is now its sole winner, with a score of 83.1%. Both Taiwan Mobile and Chunghwa’s scores have increased by one percentage point each — but FarEasTone's score has decreased by nearly eight percentage points. As a result, FarEasTone has slipped from first to third place in this category.
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 speed, upload speed, 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
Chunghwa and Taiwan Mobile share the top spot for the Reliability Experience award, with statistically tied scores of 907-908 points on a 100-1000-point scale. FarEasTone trails behind, around 45 points behind the joint winners.
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:
a) Signal Availability — the proportion of time Opensignal users can successfully receive a signal from a mobile network,
b) Data Connectivity — the proportion of time when the device can connect to the internet,
c) Task Completion — whether tasks initiated by the user’s device are completed,
d) 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