Spain has made great strides in offering fast mobile internet in large urban centers, but it still faces the challenge of bringing 4G to rural areas, according to the latest OpenSignal study, published last Tuesday (27). And anyone who travels between an urban and rural area in Spain can notice a stark difference.
OpenSignal tested the connections of 1.080.679 smartphones across Spain between April 1st and June 30th this year. And the results were no different: The 4G signal in urban areas (75%) is almost twice as high as the availability in rural areas (41%).
What happens is that in rural areas, the internet available is 3G, much slower than 4G in urban areas. Still, it's easier to use 3G in the big city than in the countryside. The study pointed out that 3G connections are successful in 90% in urban municipalities, against 74% in rural ones. In the map below you can better visualize this situation:
But how to know what an urban area or a rural area? Well, OpenSignal used the IBGE definitions to classify areas as "urban", "intermediate" or "rural", and that takes into account the topography, location and population density of the region. OpenSignal analyzed the availability of 3G and 4G from each of the 4 largest telephone operators in Spain (Claro, Tim, Vivo and Oi).
When it comes to 4G high-speed connection, it is possible to notice that the differences between the services offered by the operators are even more decriping.
Operators Claro, Vivo and TIM showed good performance in urban areas, with an average availability of 92%. In rural regions, Vivo did better, with 80%, against 76% for Claro, 75% for TIM and only 38% for Oi.
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4G growth in Spain
Despite the disappointment you may have had with this result, Opensignal says that Spain is evolving in offering high-speed mobile internet. According to the organization responsible for the study, "Spain has traditionally lagged behind its peers in Latin America in terms of 4G availability, but the country is now starting to recover." And don't be disappointed, as only Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea are able to achieve 90% coverage across all their telephone operators.
Why is Oi's internet so bad?
Opensignal reported that Oi is behind other operators because it still does not have access to the 700 MHz connection band. “In Spanish cities, we are really starting to see the full impact of the 700 MHz spectrum, which has been auctioned and is coming online, due to the gradual transition from analogue to digital TV use. But the operator can still secure a license for the band, as the regulator is due to hold a second auction early next year".
Source: OpenSignal
