Study on mobile network speeds: DNA's speed top-notch

Omnitele Oy’s study focused on three Finnish operators: DNA, Elisa and Telia. The fastest consumer subscription was chosen from each of the companies to be included in the study. The thorough study covered 20 of the largest cities in Finland, with more than 50% of the population, and four popular resort areas in Northern Finland.

The maximum average data transfer rate during the entire measurement period was achieved by DNA's subscription, allowing data to be transferred to a phone at an average speed of 83.9 Mbps. The second fastest average data transfer rate was achieved by Elisa's subscription (79.6 Mbps) and the third place went to Telia’s subscription with an average speed of 63.2 Mbps.

Inbound traffic speed is the single most important indicator of network performance, as most network traffic goes from the network to the client's device. The downlink speed has a direct impact on how quickly websites and videos, for example, are downloaded and how good the quality of videos is.

”A fast network is one of the basic necessities of today. In summer in particular people want to share their holiday photos and videos in social media for their friends to admire. The popularity of streaming services also continues to grow, and videos are watched with a higher quality. The network connection must function flawlessly," says Cedric Kamtsan, Vice President, Handset Business at DNA.

By international standards, the data transfer speeds of all Finnish operators are at an excellent level. Therefore, a slow network connection does not usually interrupt a Finnish streaming marathon or remote working during summer.

DNA has expanded its 4G capacity alongside 5G readiness

DNA has been preparing its network for 5G since 2016. At the same time, significant capacity expansions have been made to the 4G network, improving speed and quality of service. Work has not gone to waste, as Omnitele also analysed the technical elements behind the results in the study. These included, among other things, the coverage and quality of the 4G network and the capacity of the network.

Thus, differences in the transmission speeds of operators are mainly explained by the frequency bandwidth available in the operators' networks. Greater bandwidth enables faster data transfer. In the case of the 4G network, DNA's subscription had an average bandwidth of 37.7 megahertz (MHz). Elisa's subscription had an average bandwidth of 35.6 MHz and Telia's subscription had an average bandwidth of 31.1 MHz.

"We have made significant development work as we have been preparing for the introduction of 5G. At the same time, we have improved our 4G network to meet consumer needs better. According to DNA’s study on digital lifestyles, up to 92 percent of respondents own a smartphone that is paired with a high-speed network connection, which is in a key role. Network development has paid off – according to customer satisfaction surveys, our customers are very satisfied with the quality of our network,” says Cedric Kamtsan.

Omnitele is an independent consulting company that is specialised in mobile networks and their development. It is owned by a number of Finnish investors and operators, such as DNA and Elisa. Measurements were carried out between 3 April 2019 and 3 May 2019.

The operators’ data transfer speeds varied somewhat between different cities and locations.

Research report (in Finnish): https://www.dna.fi/verkko
Study on digital lifestyle (in Finnish): https://corporate.dna.fi/lehdistotiedotteet?type=stt2&id=69858181

Further information for the media:

Cedric Kamtsan, Vice President, Handset Business, DNA Plc, tel. +358 44 906 2377, cedric.kamtsan@dna.fi

DNA Corporate Communications, tel. +358 (0)44 044 8000, communications@dna.fi