By Adedapo Adesanya
Subscribers of MTN, Nigeria’s largest telco by market share, enjoyed the best average mobile Internet speed of 14 megabits per second (Mb/s) and Internet latency of 128 ms in 2023, research shared with Business Post showed.
The latency describes how responsive an internet connection is and lower latency translates to more immediate interaction with content. Latency is measured in milliseconds (ms). So, users who see a latency of above 101 ms may experience challenges with real-time online interactions.
This showed that despite the 128ms latency, users still faced some struggles with Internet use in Nigeria.
MTN, with 14 megabits per second (Mb/s), was identified as providing the fastest mobile download speeds in Nigeria.
According to the research conducted by nPerf, a French company with over a decade of experience in measuring Internet connections, based on user-generated data from the nPerf mobile app, MTN provided the best streaming mobile video experience in Nigeria with 72 per cent.
The nPerf Score takes into account the measured speeds, the latency and the QoE tests (streaming and browsing). A total of 41,335 tests were carried out by Nigerians with the free nPerf Speed Test app.
The goal of the streaming test is to measure the quality of video viewing on the most popular streaming platform around the world YouTube and gauged that scores between 50 per cent and 75 per cent are adequate for YouTube streaming.
The nPerf test evaluates YouTube streaming quality by conducting assessments at three different resolutions: 360p (Standard Definition), 720p (High Definition), and 1080p (Full High Definition). The overall rating is derived from an average of these three tests, ensuring a comprehensive measure of streaming performance across varying levels of video quality.
The browsing test found that MTN at 39 per cent had an equivalent to an average page load time of 6.1 seconds and emerged as the leading provider for web browsing in the country.
Airtel followed as it offered robust download speeds of 11 Mb/s and upload speeds of 4 Mb/s. Its latency stands at 133 ms, and the network performs well in web browsing and YouTube streaming, with success rates of 36 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.
Globacom, the Mike-Adenuga-owned telco, had download speeds of 5 Mb/s and upload speeds of 2 Mb/s. It has a latency of 138 ms, which is competitive in the market. However, Glo’s web browsing and YouTube streaming rates of 28 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively, indicate areas for improvement.
nPerf said, “In Nigeria, MTN and Airtel lead the telecommunications sector, showing strong performance across the board. Glo, although lagging, plays an important role in providing vital telecommunications services to the Nigerian population.”
“For these operators, continued investments in network infrastructure, technology upgrades and customer-centric services will be key to improving their market position. Competition not only drives improvement in telecommunications services but also fosters innovation, leading to better connectivity and digital services for consumers in Nigeria.”
Aduragbemi Omiyale