OpenSignal compared the 4G and 5G mobile networks of the major telecom operators in Belgium. Orange achieves the highest speeds on the 5G network, Telenet is the most consistent and Proximus offers the best coverage.

The analysis agency OpenSignal records the performance of mobile networks in Belgium every year. 5G was also taken into account for the first time. From November 1, 2022 to January 29, 2023, the analysts carried out the necessary measurements of speeds, consistency and coverage of the networks of the three major providers Proximus, Telenet and Orange.

Orange is the fastest

According to the study, the latter offers the fastest speeds in the 5G network. Orange achieved an average download speed of 215 Mbit/s, followed by Proximus with 158.2 Mbit/s and Telenet with 122 Mbit/s. Orange mobile customers also experience the biggest leap in speed when they switch from 4G to 5G. Download speeds then increase by a factor of 6.8, while Proximus averages 3.5 times faster 5G speeds and Telenet 2.9 times faster.

When it comes to upload speeds, the jump to 5G is less spectacular. On average, the 5G networks are 2.5 times faster and OpenSignal sees no significant differences between the providers here either. The user experience in the areas of video, gaming and voice applications are also closely related.

OpenSignal comes to very different conclusions than Ookla. It declared Telenet’s mobile network the fastest and Orange the slowest of the three. Ookla’s results therefore take into account the 4G networks, which still have the most mobile subscribers.

Telenet the most consistent, Proximus the best

OpenSignal and Ookla agree that Telenet has the most consistent network. OpenSignal gives Telenet a score of 84.7 percent Excellent consistent qualityThe Consistent core quality gets 92.6 percent. This aligns with the Ookla numbers, which are calculated differently but also had a ninety percent consistency rate.

Even with OpenSignal, Proximus is not sent home empty-handed. When it comes to 4G coverage, the providers are still unbeatable. Proximus achieves a degree of coverage of 9.9 out of ten, already according to Orange and Telenet with 9.8 and 9.7. In terms of 5G coverage, OpenSignal does not declare a winner.