What Is Opensignal and What Does It Do?

Updated

Opensignal is an independent analytics provider that measures mobile and broadband network experience and market performance, then sells those insights to telecom operators, regulators, and financial analysts. If you are trying to understand how a network actually performs from a consumer's point of view — rather than from the operator's own marketing — Opensignal is one of the standard sources for that kind of data.

What Opensignal actually measures

The company describes itself as "the leading global provider of independent insights into consumers' connectivity experiences and choice of carrier." Two things are worth separating here:

  • Network experience — how real users experience connectivity, not just theoretical coverage or advertised speeds.
  • Market performance and consumer choice — switching trends and the dynamics behind why subscribers pick or leave a carrier.

The independence claim matters because operators publish their own performance figures. Opensignal positions its data as a neutral third-party view, and it states that its collection methods are "unique and transparent" — a deliberate contrast to proprietary or opaque measurement.

Who uses it, and for what

Opensignal organizes its offering around four audiences, each with a different job to do:

Audience What they need How Opensignal frames the value
Sales & Marketing teams Stand out in a competitive market; understand switching trends across the customer journey Insights to turn into profitable growth
Technical / network teams Competitive and technical insight to maintain or improve performance in high-value locations Network Experience Suite (ONX), described as purpose-built for operations teams
Regulators Create an environment that maximizes service quality for citizens and businesses Independent insight used when working with the industry
Financial analysts Understand network experience and market dynamics behind operator strategy Solutions to interpret the strategies operators pursue

The common thread is that all four groups need an outside view of network quality — one group to sell against it, one to fix it, one to regulate it, and one to value the business behind it.

The product range, from boardroom to engineering

Opensignal describes its solutions as spanning a wide range of depth:

  • Executive-level scorecards — summary views for leadership.
  • Public validation — externally credible proof points, useful for marketing and regulatory contexts.
  • Pin-point level engineering analytics — granular data aimed at network operations.
  • Consumer decision dynamics — insight into how and why subscribers choose carriers.

The Network Experience Suite (ONX) is the piece aimed specifically at operations teams, which the company calls "the only network analytics solution purpose built for all members of your operations team."

Where the company operates

Opensignal is headquartered in the United States, with offices in the UK, Canada, Continental Europe, and Asia. That geographic spread is consistent with a business built on cross-market network comparisons — regulators and analysts in different regions need comparable data.

What to keep in mind before relying on it

  • It is a commercial provider, not a free public utility. The site references subscribing and upgrading, so access to the deeper solutions runs through a paid relationship. The public-facing reports and the paid analytics products are different things.
  • Independence is a claim to verify for your use case. Opensignal's value proposition rests on being neutral, but if you are using the data in a regulatory or investment decision, check the methodology documentation for the specific metric you need.
  • Match the product tier to the question. A marketing team citing a public scorecard and an engineering team diagnosing a coverage gap are using very different layers of the same data. Knowing which layer answers your question saves time.

If your goal is simply to understand how a carrier's real-world experience compares across markets, the public insights are a reasonable starting point. If you need location-level engineering data or switching analytics to act on, that is where the paid solutions and a conversation with the company come in.