Mercuron, a Belgian company, specializes in wireless communication. With our expertise in radio waves, we create ASTRID and mobile phone signal amplifiers from the ground up.
In 2020, BIPT, in collaboration with Commsquare, conducted a large-scale study into the coverage of the mobile networks in Belgium. For 250 hours, two cars drove through Belgium with numerous mobile phones mounted on the roof. In this way the results are representative with the indoor mobile coverage (when someone is standing at a window indoors).
Even though there are more (virtual) providers with whom you can take out a subscription, there are only three physical networks present in the Belgian market. These three companies that have their own antennas and cabling to provide their users with a signal. If you are not a customer of theirs, you will indirectly use their network anyway.
These three are Telenet/Base, Orange and Proximus. Other providers therefore operate on one of their networks. As a result, as a customer of Mobile Vikings, for example, you depend on Orange for your internet speed and range.
Which network does your operator belong to?
Proximus : Scarlet, Tango, Telindus, BICS
Telenet (Base) : SFR, Lycamobile, United Telecom, Nextel, D Digiweb, Join, e Fuser, Ergatel, Vectone Mobile, Allo RTL, JIM Mobile, Türk Telekom Mobile, Aldi Talk, Ello Mobile, Carrefour Mobile, Ortel Mobile, United Telecom, Transatel, VOO
Orange : 5/5 Telecom, Tellink, Galaxy, Mobile Vikings
The research focused on 2 pillars: Voice telephony and Data. To test the voice telephony, a 90 second phone call was initiated every two minutes. In order to map the differences in data, bipt has carried out several tests. These include throughput, file upload and web browsing.
The parameters of the voice results are:
Success ratio : can you call without problems (lost connection)?
Setup time : the time taken from pressing the “bell” button until a connection is established (hearing a beeping sound).
Quality of the conversation : How clear is the conversation?
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Voice results
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Orange
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Proximus
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Telenet
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Succes ratio
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||||
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Is er een verbinding tot stand gebracht?
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%
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99.6
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99.7
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99.5
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Zijn de gesprekken voltooid?
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%
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99.8
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99.8
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99.9
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Opzet tijd (in seconden)
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||||
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Tijd
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Gemiddelde
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2.7
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2.2
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4.4
|
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Tijd voor de traagste 10%
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Gemiddelde
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3.9
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3.6
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3.7
|
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Kwaliteit van het gesprek
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||||
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Kwaliteit score
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Gemiddelde /5
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4.4
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4.3
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4.4
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Kwaliteit score van de 10% slechtste gesprekken
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Gemiddelde /5
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3.9
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3.6
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3.7
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This table was found at: https://www.bipt.be/
The table above shows you the differences in parameters between the providers. In the comparison we do not notice a “best” mobile internet provider. In most cases, the differences at a national level are negligible. The only aspect whith a clear difference is when setting up a phone call. For this instance, Proximus is doing a lot better than its competitors. And with the 10% slowest calls per provider, Telenet is again a lot slower.
It should be noted that these are averages for the whole of Belgium. However, when comparing regional or even very local differences, the differences can be more diverse.
The parameters of the Data results are:
Throughput : The speed of the Internet, expressed in Megabits per second.
File upload and download : Download a 10Mb file and upload a 5Mb file.
Browsing the web : 6 popular websites were selected to test how quickly you get to the website.
Video : Buffering a video on YouTube
Cloud upload : Upload a 1Mb file.
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Data Test Resultaten
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Orange
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Proximus
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Telenet
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Throughput
|
||||
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Downloadsnelheid
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Gemiddelde (Mbps)
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68.3
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74.1
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99.5
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Uploadsnelheid
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Gemiddelde (Mbps)
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10
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10.3
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16.3
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Bestanden downloaden en uploaden
|
||||
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Downloadsnelheid
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Gemiddelde tijd seconden
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1.8
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1.6
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1.3
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|
Uploadsnelheid
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Gemiddelde tijd (seconden)
|
1.8
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2.0
|
2.5
|
|
Surfen op het web
|
||||
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Laden van een pagina
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Gemiddelde tijd (seconden)
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2.7
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2.8
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2.8
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|
Video
|
||||
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Youtube - Streaming
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Tijd tot afspelen (seconden)
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1.5
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1.6
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1.6
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Video kwaliteit (0-5)
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4.4
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4.4
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4.4
|
|
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Cloud upload
|
||||
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Dropbox upload van 1MB
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Gemiddelde tijd (seconden)
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1.6
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1.5
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1.6
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This table was found at: https://www.bipt.be/
Just like with the voice test, the providers are evenly matched. The biggest difference is noticeable in the Throughput. Orange’s download speed is lagging behind, while Telenet’s is by far the frontrunner.
This is a question that has too many factors to give an unequivocal answer. The question to ask is, “which mobile network is best for you”? Depending on your location and the locations you often find yourself in, one provider will outperform the other. In densely populated cities, you are fine with any provider. Do you live in a rural area? Then it is best to look up which mobile phone masts are nearby. Are there many Telenet masts nearby, but few of Proximus? Then it is best to opt for a Telenet subscription. In our FAQ section: “how to find mobile phone masts in your area” you can learn how to find these masts yourself
The full report can be found on the BIPT website.
Mercuron, a Belgian company, specializes in wireless communication. With our expertise in radio waves, we create ASTRID and mobile phone signal amplifiers from the ground up.