ANACOM conducted an evaluation study of the performance of mobile voice and data services and (Global System for Mobile communications – Second generation Mobile Communications System - 2G), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System – Third generation Mobile Communications System – 3G) and LTE (Long Term Evolution - Fourth generation Mobile Communications System – 4G) coverage provided by MEO, NOS and Vodafone in the Central region (NUTS II), which covers 100 municipalities1, approximately 28.2 thousand km2 and 2,217,285 inhabitants (see Figure 1).
Figure 1 – NUTS II Centre.
This study, relative to the Central region, is the fifth of a set that shall cover all the regions of the country. The first four studies, published in January, May, August and December 2020, referred to the regions of the Alentejo, North, Lisbon Metropolitan Area and Algarve, respectively (NUTS II). See https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=293535https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=293535.
These studies aim to provide the market with impartial information on the performance of these services, and characterise the user experience in terms of accessibility, retention and integrity of the services. For this purpose, the following were performed by ANACOM: (i) calls and conversations, to assess voice service; (ii) downloads of files, web pages and videos, to assess data services; (iii) measurements of radio network signal levels, to assess coverage; resulting in 13 quality indicators used to measure service performance and radio coverage (see Annex 1).
In this fifth study, relative to the Central NUTS II region, the mobile communications systems of the operators that were analysed show, on average, good GSM radio coverage and reasonable UMTS and LTE radio coverage, although with differentiated performances among the types of urban areas, with worse performance in the predominantly rural areas. Among the operators, Vodafone, which shows the best performance in most of the indicators in the study, has a worse performance in GSM, while MEO and NOS show worse performance in UMTS and LTE (see Annexes 2 and 3).
The voice service presents a good overall performance, albeit with some difference between operators and the types of urban areas. Particular note should be made of the low capacity to establish calls recorded by NOS and the significant deterioration of the performance of this service in the predominantly rural areas, namely with respect to capacity to establish and retain calls.
For data services, good overall performance was recorded in file transfers, with some differences being observed between operators and, in a more accentuated manner, between types of urban areas. The capacities to establish and retain file transfer sessions and data transfer speed, during download and upload, show a strong deterioration in the predominantly rural areas. Concerning the operators, NOS (in download) and MEO and NOS (in upload) show the worse data transfer speeds. This indicator shows very high variability, with maximum speeds of 232 Mbps and 61 Mbps, for download and upload respectively being observed, and minimums of 0.012 Mbps, both in download and upload, which make it difficult or impossible to transmit data under appropriate conditions.
Internet browsing and YouTube video streaming services, as well as data transmission latency, perform considerably less well than file transfer, with some differences also being observed between operators and types of urban areas, and, in a more pronounced manner, between the types of urban areas. In general, worse performance is recorded in the predominantly rural areas.
This study is based on tests performed according to the methodology approved by ANACOM in 2017, after consulting the market. Measurements are performed systematically, with standardised procedures and without human intervention or decision, and under equal conditions for the various operators, allowing objective and comparative analysis of performances. In the sampling approach followed, the set of mobile communications carried out in the mainland territory is considered as the universe, with the mobile voice call and the mobile data session being the statistical units considered. The sample is based on two stratification levels. The first separates the mainland territory into NUTS II, followed by a breakdown by NUTS III. The study now released concerns the results obtained from the sample for the Central region (NUTS II).
The fieldwork for this fifth study took place between 4 and 18 December 2020, having involved 993 voice calls, 6630 data sessions and 591,871 radio signal measurements, corresponding to approximately 331 voice calls, 368 data sessions and 65,763 radio signal measurements per indicator and operator. The tests covered 344 kilometres.
It should be stressed that the reading of the results must take account of the dynamic nature and permanent evolution of mobile communication systems.
Consult the study at: Performance evaluation of mobile services and GSM, UMTS and LTE coverage in Central region (NUTS II)https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=1604100.
Annex 1
Quality indicators used to measure service performance and radio coverage
1. Radio Coverage – availability of GSM, UMTS and LTE radio infrastructures;
2. Accessibility of the Voice Service – probability of success in establishing calls;
3. Ratio of Termination of Voice Calls – probability of a call, after being successfully established, continuing active during a period of time and terminating normally, in other words, as intended by the user;
4. Time of Establishment of Voice Calls – period of time the network takes to establish the communication after the request has been sent correctly (destination telephone number);
5. Audio Quality – perceptibility of the conversation during a voice call;
6. Ratio of Termination of Data Sessions – probability of a service use session – file transfer, Internet browsing or YouTube video streaming – being established and continuing successfully, in order words, remaining active during the entire period predefined for the file transfer, allowing the entire web page to be transferred or the complete reproduction of multimedia content;
7. Data Transfer Speed – quantifies the average speed of data transfer during a file transfer session;
8. Web Page Transfer Duration – quantifies the average time needed to transfer a web page;
9. Time before Viewing Content – period of time between the request for multimedia content and when the first image of that content is viewed on the user's terminal equipment during a YouTube video streaming session;
10. Duration of Interruptions – the total of all interruptions or freezing occurring during a YouTube video streaming session;
11. Video Streaming – quantifies the visual quality of the communication during a YouTube video streaming session;
12. Video Resolution – quantifies the average number of image pixels while playing a video during a YouTube video streaming session;
13. Data Transmission Latency – quantifies the time needed for an information package to travel from the user's equipment to the Content Server or vice-versa.
Annex 2 - Summary of differences between categories of urban áreas
Annex 3 - Summary of differences between operators
1 Alcobaça, Abrantes, Águeda, Aguiar da Beira, Albergaria-a-Velha, Alcanena, Alenquer, Almeida, Alvaiázere, Anadia, Ansião, Arganil, Arruda dos Vinhos, Aveiro, Batalha, Belmonte, Bombarral, Cadaval, Caldas da Rainha, Cantanhede, Carregal do Sal, Castanheira de Pêra, Castelo Branco, Castro Daire, Celorico da Beira, Coimbra, Condeixa-a-Nova, Constância, Covilhã, Entroncamento, Estarreja, Ferreira do Zêzere, Figueira da Foz, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, Figueiró dos Vinhos, Fornos de Algodres, Fundão, Góis, Gouveia, Guarda, Idanha-a-Nova, Ílhavo, Leiria, Lourinhã, Lousã, Mação, Mangualde, Manteigas, Marinha Grande, Mealhada, Mêda, Mira, Miranda do Corvo, Montemor-o-Velho, Mortágua, Murtosa, Nazaré, Nelas, Óbidos, Oleiros, Oliveira de Frades, Oliveira do Bairro, Oliveira do Hospital, Ourém, Ovar, Pampilhosa da Serra, Pedrógão Grande, Penacova, Penalva do Castelo, Penamacor, Penela, Peniche, Pinhel, Pombal, Porto de Mós, Proença-a-Nova, Sabugal, Santa Comba Dão, São Pedro do Sul, Sardoal, Sátão, Seia, Sertã, Sever do Vouga, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Soure, Tábua, Tomar, Tondela, Torres Novas, Torres Vedras, Trancoso, Vagos, Vila de Rei, Vila Nova da Barquinha, Vila Nova de Paiva, Vila Nova de Poiares, Vila Velha de Ródão, Viseu and Vouzela.
