Fastweb leads, but Italy’s Average Experience Falls Short in Europe

Join the Quality of Experience (QoE) Revolution in Fixed Broadband and explore Italy’s networks performance. Have you ever wondered which Operator offers the best Fixed Broadband Experience in Italy and how it compares to other European peers, and most importantly WHY?

MedUX's comprehensive analysis assessed the performance of Italy's top operators – Fastweb, TIM, Vodafone, and Wind – across various metrics essential to fixed broadband service quality and end-user experience.

Our Italy Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmarking report reveals a clear winner and several strong contenders. Fastweb stands out in the Italian Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmarking campaign, winning the Top Awards for Best Quality of Experience and Best Reliability.

Why is Fixed Broadband Quality of Experience (QoE) benchmarking important in Italy and beyond

Delivering superior connectivity is crucial in today’s competitive landscape, where consistent and seamless experience is the backbone of our daily interactions. Operators strive to meet the growing demand for fast and Fixed Broadband. 

Satisfied customers are less likely to call customer care, or to switch to competitors, and they are more open to up - and cross selling opportunities. The race for superior network performance and experience is on.

To help the telecom industry uncover the true Quality of Experience (QoE) of fixed broadband networks in Europe, MedUX conducted a comprehensive benchmarking study during Q1 2024. This study measures fixed broadband performance and quality of experience across major European markets, including the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Romania, Greece, Ireland and Czech Republic. This research reflects our ongoing commitment to revealing the true state of future-proof broadband networks across Europe.

MedUX, the leading internet QoE Testing and Monitoring Company, unveils its latest findings on Fixed Broadband performance in Italy and beyond. 

Fixed Broadband QoE measurement campaign in Italy

In our quest to provide comprehensive insights, we have incorporated a rigorous methodology encompassing a broad spectrum of factors such as accessibility, reliability, contracted speed compliance, and data & OTT (over-the-top) services. 

Our approach is grounded in extensive in-home performance measurements across 16 regions in Italy. The campaign covered a diverse set of fixed broadband use cases, providing a holistic view of the user experience from the customer’s perspective.

The analysis based on a robust methodology involving more than 5 million tests collected during Q1 2024 in Italy, meticulously evaluated the performance of Fastweb, TIM, Vodafone, and Wind across various elements essential to fixed broadband service quality (see Figure 2 about Testing Panel description).

Considering the current state of FTTX’s penetration in Italy (Figure 3) the panel used for this study comprises VDSL technology lines and the more representative speed profiles within the country, specifically the packages “up to” 100 and 200 Mbps advertised speed.

The MedUX QoE Testing Platform deployed across Europe performs consistent tests 24/7 in all countries, covering the most common VDSL, Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) and FTTH technologies. MedUX makes more than 25 million Ethernet tests every month from more than 2,000 MedUX HOME devices deployed in eight countries. Each test is performed and validated directly from the homes of users who collaborate with us in this project

Our research on residential fixed broadband in Europe (Q1 2024) exclusively analyses Ethernet metrics on fixed-broadband status, excluding home wireless-network performance. For this report in particular, data from January to March has been taken into account.

The Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmarking report takes a detailed look at the overall QoE score, measuring a combination of service accessibility (time-to-content), downlink and uplink speed, file transferring, web browsing, streaming, social media and gaming experience results.

Our team of experienced engineers and data scientists has worked tirelessly to develop a rigorous and comprehensive methodology for testing and benchmarking of fixed broadband networks across Europe. 

MedUX uses a proprietary QoE Score to evaluate the results obtained from our on-the-field measurements, based on international best practices and standards from ETSI and ITU, to compare and rank operators’ performance. This synthetic indicator aggregates a wide set of metrics into a single score, allowing for national and international comparison and in-depth analysis of strengths and weaknesses. 

When comparing at the European level, the results of all fixed network operators per country are aggregated to obtain average country performance and a synthetic QoE indicator at the country level.

Key Findings of Italy’s Fixed Broadband QoE

According to the extensive report in Italy, Fastweb achieved the best overall QoE rating (4.33 points out of 5) and the most consistent experience (99.76 % service reliability). The operator was subject to more than one million tests to its network, with findings highlighting customers will have the best data and OTT experience in areas such as gaming and cloud storage, and the highest download speed compliance. Fastweb is the operator that most likely matches its service promises with an average ratio of effective download speed versus advertised of 72.25 %. 

The research found that Fastweb customers received an excellent overall quality of gaming experience with a latency of 31.40 ms during sessions and a 99.77 % success rate, making it the most reliable. Fastweb also achieved the highest average cloud storage download speeds (51.44 Mbps).

However, Fastweb did not lead in all metrics under study and it is worth noting that Wind and TIM also performed very well in specific categories, as per the following key findings:

1. Best Overall QoE and Reliability (MedUX TOP Experience Awards):   
   Fastweb leads demonstrating the most reliable and best experience in Italy. 
2. Other Experience Awards

• Best Data and OTT experience and Value for Speed: Fastweb also excels in providing the best Data & OTT experience, particularly in gaming and cloud storage. Fastweb’s compliance with advertised download speeds is the highest, with a 72 % match. Overall, this makes it a top choice for users who demand high performance and low latency in these areas.
• Network Responsiveness and Streaming: Wind stands out for its superior network responsiveness and streaming performance. Wind provides the finest video streaming experience with a 99.9 % stable video playbacks and best Network Responsiveness with the lowest average latency of 16.7 ms, ensuring an excellent overall time-to-content and streaming experience.

  3. Other significant Experience Insights (Within Data and OTT Category)

• Web Browsing and Social Media: TIM takes the crown in these categories, offering users the best performance in accessing popular websites and social media platforms. TIM demonstrated the best performance for delivering web browsing (99.84 % success rate) and social media experience (99.62 % success rate and 2.89 s of average loading time)

The Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmark is available on-demand in the following site  

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How does QoE in Italy compare to other European countries?

Despite these encouraging results, a broader perspective is essential. MedUX’s European country reports, set for release in the coming weeks, positions Italy as having an overall experience that has room for improvement compared to its European counterparts.

Our study reveals that Italy gets the worst contracted speed compliance and Matching the Promise score in Europe.

The average download speed, regardless of the technology, represents 89 % of the contracted speed at a pan-European level for the countries sampled.  Spain and Portugal stand out with a compliance percentage above expectations at 102 % and 103 %, respectively (see Figure 3). These numbers are attributed to the performance of fibre based technologies broadly deployed in both countries.

On the other hand, countries such as Italy and Ireland had percentages of 65 % and 66 %, respectively, which are further from compliance with advertised commercial offers than other European countries.

Providers that use FTTH not only are able to provide higher speeds, but they also have a future proof technology capable of providing most consistent and reliable experience than other access technologies, such as xDSL and HFC technologies.

According to data published in the September 2023 first edition of the FTTH Market Panorama Report by country made by IDATE, the number of FTTH and Fibre-To-The-Building (FTTB) subscribers in Europe increased by 10.4 % in EU 39  , during the last year, surpassing 224 million users in September 2023. 

Among the countries sampled in this report, Spain and Portugal lead the way in European FTTH deployment with a penetration of 78 % and 73 %, respectively. As can be seen in Figure 4 Iceland and Romania are very close to Spain in market penetration considering FTTB deployments in addition to FTTH.   

 

To offer the citizens a closer performance to the best-in-class Cities in Europe, networks in Italy should improve across the board, firstly in speed and secondly in technology reliability and accessibility. Fixed broadband networks in Italy varied significantly in terms of end-user experience, reliability, availability, accessibility and speed compliance. 

We believe that our Fixed Broadband QoE benchmark is an invaluable tool as stakeholders work to optimize fixed network performance and deliver the best possible customer experiences. With our help, regulators and telecommunication operators can stay ahead and meet the growing demands of consumers for faster, more reliable, and more seamless connectivity.

The Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmark is available on-demand in the following site.

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

Why QoE Matters

Quality of Service (QoS) has long been the industry standard, but MedUX's focus shifts towards QoE - a more holistic view of network performance. This shift is crucial in understanding the real-world implications of future-proof technology, especially as the industry navigates towards the 2030 connectivity targets part of the EU's Digital Decade goal. It is key to accelerate deployment and investment in future-proof infrastructures.

In our continuous effort to demystify fixed broadband performance, MedUX employs its innovative mobile measurement technology, MedUX HOME, harnessing over 200 performance indicators and metrics. This approach not only offers an in-depth analysis of network performance but also aligns with our mission to assist clients in planning, deploying, monitoring, and optimizing future proof networks.

Our fixed broadband QoE benchmark can cover a wide range of scenarios and use cases, including urban, suburban, and rural areas, residential and business locations, or any other strategic location such as airports, stadiums or conference centers, thanks to our grand-scale flexible deployment capability.  
MedUX focuses on evaluating the QoE that fixed end-users have when using telecommunication services, also called customer-perceived network quality or network experience. 

What do you get joining the #QoERevolution with MedUX?

This benchmark allows telecommunications operators, service providers, and regulatory authorities to gain a deeper understanding of the true performance of fixed broadband networks from a customer perspective. 

Speed is not everything and the industry is trying to adapt to meet the needs of customers when using real services. Typical end-users do not necessarily benefit much from download speeds of multiple 100 Mbps (not yet). End-users just use a small percentage of those headline speeds when web browsing, streaming, and any other internet regular activities. Indeed, Reliability (how consistent a network performs) or CDN performance (how your contents are served) is way more relevant in the Digital Era than just performing a throughput and ping test against an (optimized) test server to infer the customer experience. 

So, what do users care about in advanced connectivity? A consistent experience across services and applications is king, particularly applications performance and time-to-content everywhere and every time, at every click to a video, websites, social networks, cloud storage, games, etc. 

Conclusion

The Italy’s Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmarking campaign is a testament to MedUX's unwavering dedication to enhancing network experiences across Europe. As we gear up for our next edition, which promises even broader scope and deeper insights, we invite you to join us in this journey of technological excellence.  

Discover more about our methodologies, insights, and how MedUX is shaping the future of connectivity. For detailed insights and comprehensive data from our Italy’s Fixed Broadband QoE study, visit our www.medux.com or contact us at hello@medux.com.

Don’t forget to follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest updates and news. We are ready to unlock extraordinary digital experiences with MedUX. 

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The Fixed Broadband QoE Benchmark is available on-demand in the following site.

DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT

 To learn more about our Fixed Broadband QoE benchmark, our use cases on competitive intelligence, pre-rollout analytics, and basic troubleshooting, and how it can benefit your business, please visit our website or contact us directly at hello@medux.com.

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[1] This data corresponds with the general results of the monitored sample and does not need to correspond exactly with broadband market composition by technology and country. 

About us:

MedUX is the leading Quality of Experience (QoE) company, providing comprehensive and innovative solutions for measuring the performance of fixed, mobile, and TV telecommunications networks for telecom operators, governments, and digital enterprises. With a focus on delivering grand scale, end-to-end network, and service visibility, MedUX leverages real-time customer perspective data and advanced analytics to ensure quality and regulatory compliance, while also offering valuable insights for optimizing networks and improving customer experiences. With a presence in over 25 countries across Europe, America, Africa, and the Middle East, and monitoring over 60 operators worldwide, MedUX’s patented technology and expertise make it a trusted partner for improving the digital experiences of customers everywhere.   

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

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