Another year brought us a difficult and unexpected situation that had a significant impact on the social and economic order in 2022. i We are, of course, talking about the war in Ukraine which brought masses of refugees to Poland. However, in addition to these challenging events, we also witnessed continued investments in the modernization of infrastructure and deployment of 5G networks in Poland. What was this year like? Welcome to our summary.

In 2022, we recorded 2,743,061 measurements that helped us create 12 monthly rankings. By comparison, in 2021 we recorded 2,814,233 measurements in the RFBENCHMARK mobile app.

The largest percentage of measurements was taken using 4G LTE technology (93.08%). The share of 5G technology is also growing (1.89%), while the share of 3G is gradually decreasing (4.88%). Very few measurements were taken using the older generation technology (2G).

In the RFBenchmark report, the most measurements were taken using the Orange network (33.6%). Play came in second (31.9%), while fewer measurements were taken using Plus (18.8%) and T-Mobile (15.7%) networks.

Quality and speed of mobile Internet in Poland in 2022

5G

Average data download speed: Plus (140.9 Mbps)

The 5G technology ranking is a new addition to our periodic rankings. We first added it back in November, and from the very beginning the category of average data download speed has been dominated by Plus. In both rankings to date, this operator has recorded very good results: 145.1 Mbps in December and 138.1 Mbps in November.

The other operators fare much worse compared to Plus. The second place in our annual summary was taken by Play (52.6 Mbps), and Orange came in third (51.5 Mbps). T-Mobile closed the ranking with a result of 46.2 Mbps.

It is worth noting that at the moment, all telecommunications service providers in Poland allow their customers to use 5G services in the Non-Standalone mode. However, only Polkomtel (Plus) uses its entire 2600 MHz TDD (n38) frequency band of 40 MHz spectrum for 5G. In contrast, the other operators share their 2100 MHz (n1) band between LTE and 5G using the Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology.

Average data upload speed: Orange (34.7 Mbps)

We are dealing with an interesting situation in the next category, specifically the average data upload speed for 5G. Here Orange turned out to be the best (34.7 Mbps), while the other two places on the podium were taken by Play (32.3 Mbps) and T-Mobile (31.3 Mbps). Plus was ranked fourth (26.2 Mbps).

Lowest ping value: Play (27.1 ms)

In terms of the lowest average ping value, it was a close-run thing between Play (27.1 ms) and Orange (27.3 ms). The difference is minimal indeed!

T-Mobile (32.2 ms) and Plus (35.4 ms) were further down in the 5G latency rate ranking.

We also wrote about the state of 5G in Poland in 2022 here:
Summary of 5G deployment status in Poland – RFBenchmark Stationary Test 2021/22

4G LTE

Average data download speed: T-Mobile (39.4 Mbps)

Throughout 2022, T-Mobile clearly dominated the competition in terms of the average data download speed for LTE. The magenta operator won in 9 rankings and, of course, also took the first place spot in our summary with a result of 39.4 Mbps.

T-Mobile was followed by Orange (38.5 Mbps), the three-time leader of the RFBENCHMARK ranking in the past year. The next two places in the table belong to Play (35 Mbps) and Plus (30.2 Mbps).

Average data upload speed: Play (20.6 Mbps)

Play has accustomed us to the fact that, in 2022, it reigned in terms of the average data upload speed for LTE. It proved to be the best among the 4 Polish mobile operators as many as 11 times, and is also the leader in this summary with a result of 20.6 Mbps.

Orange was breathing down Play’s neck (19.2 Mbps), which is even more of a surprise considering that in previous years this category was the Orange operator’s strong point.

T-Mobile won the bronze medal (18.5 Mbps), while Plus was outside the podium (17.2 Mbps).

Lowest ping value: Orange (30.1 ms)

In terms of the lowest average ping value for LTE, there were the most changes throughout the year. Orange won 7 times, which propelled the operator to the top of the table in the annual summary (30.1 ms). Play enjoyed the win 4 times (31.8 ms), and T-Mobile received the award once (32.2 ms). Plus came in fourth (35.4 ms).

3G

5G/4G LTE/3G Leaderboard

How did we collect data for the ranking?

The measurements are collected from the users of our mobile app. It allows us to measure basic mobile network parameters – including signal level and quality depending on the technology used by the mobile device, information about the mobile network operator, or the country where the smartphone is located. In addition, on-demand measurements of data download and upload speeds, as well as a latency test, are performed.

When the app notices a low-quality voice call, lack of mobile Internet service, or other services, it has the ability to report the user’s current position where the problem occurred.

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