Switching networks not guarantee of better experience – Opensignal

MANILA, Philippines — Switching networks does not guarantee a better experience for Filipinos who changed their mobile operator through the mobile number portability (MNP), according to global mobile analytics firm Opensignal.

In a report, Opensignal compared the experience of users who change mobile operator, referred to as “leavers,” in the last 30 days from their original mobile operator’s network against their experience during the first 30 days after the switch to their new operator.

Based on the experience of leavers between their last days on their old network and their first days on their new one, Opensignal said there was no significant difference on their time spent with no signal.

However, it saw a different story with time on 4G or 5G, as Globe leavers recorded a 4.6 percentage point improvement after they switched to another network, while Dito leavers posted an 8.4 percentage point drop in their time on 4G or 5G after they churned or switched operators.

Opensignal said only Smart leavers did not see a significant change in the proportion of time they spent on 4G or 5G when churning.

Meanwhile, in an effort to understand why users in the country switch mobile operators, Opensignal found that Filipino smartphone users who switched their mobile operator on average, saw a significantly worse mobile experience before they changed operator.

It said that these users spent more time without a signal and less time connected to 4G or 5G than the average of all users on their original operator.

According to Opensignal, Dito, Globe, and Smart leavers spent significantly more time with no signal than the average reported for all users on these networks.

The difference was 1.5 times more time for Globe leavers, 1.6 times more for Dito and 1.7 times for Smart, it said.

In terms of time on 4G or 5G, Opensignal said leavers on each of the three operators’ networks spent less time connected to these network generations than the average across all the users on their original operator.

The report showed that the difference was highest for Globe leavers at 2.5 percentage points, followed by Dito leavers with a gap of two percentage points, and Smart leavers at 1.6 percentage points.

“Even in a rapidly changing market, Opensignal’s analysis shows that mobile network experience plays a key role in customers’ decision to leave their mobile service provider, and that operators must focus on offering a high-quality mobile experience to retain their customers,” Opensignal said.

“In addition, there are opportunities to highlight strong mobile experience in acquisition marketing to target rival operator customers that have a poor experience,” it said.

The MNP, which allows users to retain their mobile phone numbers when they change network, was introduced in the country in September last year.

The MNP makes it easier for users to change operators by removing the friction of having to switch to a new number at the same time.