Berlin tops Europe for best 5G experience, says MedUX report

According to a benchmark report released by MedUX, a leading international fixed and mobile network testing and benchmarking company, Berlin provides the highest quality 5G experience among ten major European cities. The comprehensive research shows Berlin leading in data and Over The Top (OTT) experience, providing the finest overall Quality of Experience (QoE) in Europe with a score of 4.69 out of 5.

The study was conducted during the second and third quarters of 2023 and consisted of drive tests across London, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Lisboa, Porto, Amsterdam and Prague, covering a population of over 25 million people. The drive test cars covered more than 4,000 kilometres to understand how mobile operators are providing 5G services across Europe.

As per the report, 5G connectivity in Berlin is typically faster than in other cities by between 5 and 25% with web browsing loading times of less than 1,550 milliseconds, making it the frontrunner in Data and OTT experiences. This substantiates Berlin as the optimal city in Europe for web browsing, data transfer and gaming.

However, in terms of overall reliability, Milan leads with 99.91% successful Internet sessions followed by Barcelona (99.82%), Berlin ranking fifth overall (99.56%). Notably, Berlin along with Paris emerged as the best cities for streaming, boasting 100% reliability rates in streaming sessions and the quickest time-to-play at 1.5 seconds. This implies that residents start enjoying streaming content up to 20% quicker than in other cities.

For overall 5G coverage and speed, Porto leads across Europe with over 90% technology registration, with Berlin following closely at 89.62%. Lisbon earned first place in 5G download and upload speeds with median speeds of over 537 Mbps and 53 Mbps respectively. In contrast, London ranked tenth in the report's overall mobile experience, depicting it to be far behind other European capitals.

Rafael González, CMO at MedUX, explained, "Today's interconnected digital society places increasing pressures on operators across the globe to provide seamless experiences for consumers. Our latest research showcases how much disparity exists among 5G networks. Our report reveals that a consistent experience across services and applications is paramount. Speed is not the crucial factor, and the telecoms industry must adapt to meet the actual needs and priorities of the end user."

While 5G networks primarily use NSA EN-DC (TDD in n78 and FDD in n28), González mentioned that Stand-Alone (SA) 5G deployments using TDD in n78 are quickly becoming standard in some cities. The transition to SA 5G networks is expected to enhance reliability, response times and interactivity, though the mass implementation of these services may still be a few months away.