The telecom scored best in four sub-categories – reliability, coverage, voice and latency
For the seventh time in a row, Yettel's network has been tested as the best in Bulgaria. The telecom received the seventh consecutive Best in Test certificate issued by the independent benchmarking organization umlaut.
With a total of 926 out of 1,000 possible points, Yettel achieved the best score among the other mobile operators in the country. The telco is also No. 1 in four key sub-categories – reliability, coverage, voice and latency. Umlaut's measurement not only ranks the operator first in the country, but places its network among the highest-ranked mobile networks in Europe and the world.
Within 24 weeks – from 31 July 2023 to 14 January 2024, umlaut are measuring the networks of the three mobile operators in Bulgaria. The country data analysed was collected from actual services used by over 15,000 independent end-users and over 129 million measurement samples were taken to provide an unbiased and fair assessment.
"In a year marked by unprecedented network traffic growth of nearly 90%, Yettel’s top performance across reliability, coverage, voice, and latency underscores our unwavering dedication to delivering an unparalleled experience to our customers. This milestone reflects our promise to not only meet but exceed the evolving needs of our customers and ensures that according to umlaut Yettel not only leads in Bulgaria but stands among the best globally”, said Jason King, Chief Executive Officer at Yettel Bulgaria.
"Over the past year we have invested in network improvements at nearly 3,000 locations. Additionally, we built dozens of new base stations to offer the best combination of quality, coverage and reliability. We will continue to invest in the development of our network and maintaining this high quality," commented Spas Velinov, Chief Technology Officer at the telco.
In terms of the total score achieved, Yettel is ahead of the other mobile operators in the country in all four sub-categories. In Reliability the company scored 492 out of 523 points. Based on the measurements, this positions its network as the most reliable in the country and proves that it meets the customer needs and expectations to the greatest extent.
The telecom also achieved an impressive result in Latency – the time it takes for the data to travel the distance to the customer's device. With 193 out of 200 possible points, Yettel achieved an outstanding result in this category. Minimal latency is key for people in gaming or online trading, where fastest response time is required.
In 2023, the telco's 5G network coverage was over 70% of the Bulgarian population. This explains the good performance in the Coverage category (410 out of 450 possible points). It shows that in the measurements made, Yettel's customers not only had coverage, but were most of the time served by the highest possible technology – 4G or 5G.
Good coverage is complemented by equally good voice quality. According to the telco, over 70% of all calls are made using VoLTE, the technology that enables Yettel customers to make crystal-clear voice calls. That's why in the Voice category the company achieved the best score – 47 out of 50 possible points.
In 2023, the company made another important strategic step – Yettel became the first operator in the country with a green network. As a result of a 10-year renewable energy supply contract, today 86% of the company's network consumption is supplied by a photovoltaic plant in Verila Mountain. This saves over 33 tonnes of carbon emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions of 6,450 households per year.