Opensignal

Opensignal is an independent analytics company that measures the real-world mobile and broadband network experience of consumers, providing benchmarks and insights to telecom operators, regulators, financial analysts, and app developers^[1]. The company collects crowdsourced measurements through its own consumer apps and partner apps, reporting billions of daily observations on download and upload speeds, video streaming quality, gaming, voice app experience, and reliability across more than 90 markets^[1][4].

Founded in 2010, the company was acquired in September 2021 by Comlinkdata, a portfolio company of Berkshire Partners, and is headquartered in Boston with offices including London and Singapore^[2]. Its market insights are regularly cited in telecom trade press and by operators validating network-quality claims^[1][3].

What It Does

Opensignal quantifies the connectivity experience that consumers actually receive on mobile and broadband networks, as opposed to laboratory tests or operator drive testing^[1][2]. Its reports and analytical products translate these measurements into executive scorecards, public benchmarks, engineering analytics, and subscriber behavior insights^[1].

The company positions itself as an independent arbiter of network quality: it does not sell network services to operators, and states that commercial relationships never influence its reporting^[1].

Data And Methodology

Data is collected user-centrically through Opensignal's own mobile apps — a speed test app and the Meteor connectivity assistant — and through partner applications whose users opt into research campaigns^[1]. This crowdsourced panel approach records how networks perform in everyday use, across locations, operators, and times of day^[1][2].

The company reports on defined experience pillars, including Video Experience, Games Experience, Voice App Experience, Download and Upload Speed Experience, Availability, and Reliability, and publishes transparent methodology documentation and charters covering independence, experience, analytics, and data privacy^[1][2].

Products

The core product family is the Network Experience Suite (ONX), available in ONX Mobile and ONX Broadband editions, which serves technical teams with competitive network analytics at granular geographic levels^[1]. Subscriber Analytics connects measured network experience with switching behavior and base-share dynamics in near real time^[1].

Other offerings include Frontline Network Experience (FNX) for retail acquisition use cases, GeoResults for prospecting and planning, Brand Licensing programs through which operators license Opensignal awards and data to validate marketing claims, and the Global Network Excellence Index, a quarterly cross-country benchmark introduced by the company^[1][2]. Consumer-facing apps include the Opensignal speed test and Meteor^[1].

Buyers And Use Cases

Mobile and broadband operators use Opensignal data for commercial strategy, marketing validation, and technical network improvement; regulators use it to evaluate service quality and set national connectivity standards; and financial analysts use it to assess the impact of infrastructure investment and track market dynamics^[1][2]. App developers use the company's SDK-derived insights to understand how connectivity affects their users' experience^[1].

Opensignal also publishes free country-level Market Insights reports, which are frequently picked up by trade media such as Telecoms.com, TelecomLead, and ITWeb for stories on topics like satellite broadband competition and 5G adoption^[1][3].

History

The company was founded in 2010, originally as OpenSignalMaps, to bring transparency to mobile coverage through crowdsourced measurement^[2]. In September 2021 it was acquired by Comlinkdata, backed by private equity firm Berkshire Partners, forming a combined business spanning network experience analytics and telecom market performance data; following the deal, the global headquarters was consolidated in Boston while London remained the European base and Singapore anchored Asia-Pacific operations^[2].

Compliance And Independence

Because its dataset is built from opt-in consumers rather than carrier feeds, Opensignal emphasizes consent-based collection and publishes a dedicated Data Privacy Charter for its apps^[1]. Its Independence Charter commits the company not to offer competing services to operators and to keep commercial relationships separate from measurement outcomes, a stance it presents as central to the credibility of its awards and rankings^[1].