Shawn Heidel, president and COO of Network Experience at Opensignal/Image: Supplied
At GITEX Global 2025, Opensignal reaffirmed e&’s position as the UAE’s leading mobile network operator, awarding it top honours across multiple categories for 5G speed, reliability, and overall mobile experience. The recognition, based on real-world user data, reflects the UAE’s rise as one of the most connected digital economies globally.
“Opensignal awards represent the pinnacle of network excellence in the UAE,” said Shawn Heidel, president and COO of Network Experience at Opensignal. “They recognise e&’s continued leadership in delivering a superior mobile experience to its customers. The awards are entirely data driven, based on billions of measurements collected from users across the country. This means the recognition is a reflection of what customers actually experience every day.”
According to Heidel, e& delivered outstanding results across several key performance indicators, including gaming, video, and voice experience for both 4G and 5G. “It’s hard to choose a single area where e& stood out, because they performed so well across the board,” he noted. “They also performed impressively in consistency and availability, meaning customers enjoy reliable performance wherever they are—urban, suburban, or on the move.”
Data-driven insights that reflect real-world experiences
Opensignal’s measurement methodology sets it apart from traditional network testing. Rather than relying on controlled lab environments, Opensignal captures data directly from users’ mobile devices, creating an authentic picture of actual performance across time, location, and operator.
“Opensignal’s crowd-sourced approach captures billions of data points from actual users on their own devices, across all operators, locations, and times of day,” Heidel explained. “Critically, our tests are conducted to common Internet endpoints on content delivery networks, such as Google, Akamai, and Amazon. This is identical to the way consumers experience the Internet as they browse websites, stream content, and play games online.”
He added that Opensignal’s methodology ensures that any network optimization reflects genuine consumer benefit. “This contrasts with many legacy testing methods, which are often done in limited or controlled environments, such as drive testing,” Heidel said. “Our approach provides a holistic, unbiased picture of the actual network experience of consumers across the UAE. It reflects how consumers actually live, work, and connect, offering a transparent and representative view of mobile quality.”
UAE among global leaders in mobile connectivity
The latest Opensignal analysis places e&’s performance alongside some of the world’s top network operators in advanced digital markets. Heidel said this reinforces the UAE’s ambition to lead in digital transformation and smart innovation.
“e&’s performance now ranks alongside some of the world’s top operators in developed digital markets,” he said. “Its 5G experience in particular places the UAE firmly among global leaders in mobile connectivity. This reinforces the UAE’s national ambition to be at the forefront of digital transformation.”
He also credited national policy and infrastructure investment for the country’s strong performance. “It highlights how the UAE’s investment in advanced infrastructure and spectrum policy has created an environment for world-class mobile performance,” he added.
Middle East’s growing role in global connectivity
Beyond the UAE, Heidel pointed to the Middle East’s broader rise as a technology-driven region. “The Middle East has rapidly become a global hub for connectivity innovation,” he said. “Operators such as e& are pioneering large-scale 5G rollouts, private networks, and edge technologies. The region is moving from being a consumer of technology to being a creator of digital ecosystems linking telecom, AI, and cloud.”
Heidel believes this shift is redefining how global networks evolve. “Countries like the UAE and others in the region are setting benchmarks that many global markets now follow, and the pace of innovation continues to accelerate,” he said.
As the UAE consolidates its position as a leader in connectivity, the collaboration between Opensignal and e& illustrates how data-driven measurement and network excellence are shaping the digital future.
